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Who can do the flash chroming process found on C1 SS trim, specifically on hubcaps? I know what is involved with ordinary chroming or chroming over potmetal but have no idea of the "flash chrome" process. My understanding of why this was used over SS is that is was cheaper for GM to do rather than polishing. I have read some of the posts on polishing SS but I know chrome can be very fragile and shouldn't have anything abrasive used on it.
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Re: Flash chroming question
Clare,
I have had AREBA Services do flash chroming for me and it has allways come out nice. You can find their # in the Driveline, and Rick is a real nice guy. It is used on all trim on C1 cars, but I don't believe that it had anything to do with the desire to avoid polishing, as the flash chroming only mirrors what is underneath. The flash chrome imparts a more blue tone to the trim which makes it match up with the chrome plated pot metal like the windshield posts and door posts.
You can polish the base stainless up to a mirror finish and it will look real nice, but it will have a slightly yellow hue that will become more noticable as the nickel in the stainless oxidizes slightly over time. The chrome will never change color and will allways stay the same color. It takes a practiced eye to tell the difference, and most people do not even mess with it except maybe on wheelcovers where there is such a large mass of stainless and it really stands out. The other plus to putting the chrome back on is that it is more resistant to the tiny little scratches that tend to accumulate in the trim since it is so hard.
The process is very simple for flash plating stainless since it has enough nickel in it to allow bonding. Chrome plating usually requires a nickel plating to be put down first to give the chrome something to bond to, but with stainless does not require this. All you have to do is assure that you have a fresh,clean, unoxidized surface, and you can plate right on top of it. Rick can do the full restoration of the wheelcovers as well as just the plating of them if you desire to do the hard work - polishing them! The old chrome must be completely srtripped from the cover with muriatic acid for a few minutes, and then you polish out the cover. The center depression should not be shiney, but should have a burnished finish with the scratches going circular around the depression. I built a tool to recreate the burnished look, but Rick can do it as well.
That being said, I would not be too concerned about polishing up your wheelcovers with a nice, gentle chrome polish by hand and see if it makes them acceptable. The chrome layer is really pretty durable, and a little polish probably not going to hurt it. If you start buffing on the covers with a spiral sewn wheel and stainless compound, you are almost sure to break through at least somewhere on the cover, and it will be noticable. Sorry for being so long-winded.
Regards, John McGraw -
Re: Flash chroming question
Thanks John. I appreciate the detailed explanantion. This ones going into the library.Comment
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Re: Flash chroming 101
John, Thanks for the detailed explanation on the flash chroming. I found out too late that my '66 hubcaps were flash chromed when I began buffing out some defects! The yellow you mentioned is very visable- and, in my view, unsatisfactory even for a nice driver. I'm glad to learn that someone is doing flash chrome restoration. I guess the next question, is what does it cost to do a hubcap?
Thanks again,
ROnnieComment
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Re: Flash chroming 101
Ronnie,
The last set of covers that I had were only about $30 a cover, but keep in mind that I do all the restoration, and send him a cover ready to plate. Like all plating, the real money is in the labor of buffing them and not in the plating.
I would call Rick and get a quote from him on your midyear caps, I think You will find him reasonable. You might want to consider stripping the chrome and buffing the cap, The yellow look is way more noticable when only one spot of it is showing against the chrome. If the whole cap was bufffed and the color was all the same, I would doubt that one in a hundred people would ever notice.
Regards, John McGrawComment
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Re: AREBA Services Link
I have seen them (Areba) recommended by others too for regular plating. Another thread here: https://www.ncrs.org/forum/tech.cgi/...es/read/108282 said something about Dan's? owned by Danny Kilburn in Adamsville, TN, doing work for Areba. Do you know if Areba actually does all plating themselves or do they farm it out?Comment
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