Plating Porn
- Thread starter B0b
- Start date
Fiataccompli
Chris Granju
Well, all the discouraging thoughts here inspire me to give this a try!
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
I heard of another product that is used for cleaning/rinsing metal after blasting (or other stripping) that includes a rust inhibitor. My understanding is it's approved for use in CA also. I've not tried it and do not know how well it works, but it's called "HoldTight 102".
myredracer
True Classic
Curious how much it cost to plate all those bolts 'n parts?
I've thought about plating at home in the past but decided I didn't want to deal with the expense, time and complexity from start to finish. I'd rather just take a bucket of stuff to a plating shop and wait for a call when it's ready to pick up.
Someone posted a good how to guide on the Alfa BB (a few years back) here: https://www.alfabb.com/threads/the-zinc-electroplating-guide.188194/
Sometimes it's easier to just go and buy new bolts, nuts, washers, etc. from a local vendor or specialty online vendor but I've often found Fiat used oddball/non-standard items you can't get anywhere and you'll need to reuse old stuff.
I used to have a neighbor that restored Mercedes Gullwings and other exotic cars and he told me once the easiest way is to just toss all your bolts, parts, etc. in a bucket and get a shop to plate it all at once rather than trying to do it yourself or source new items.
I've thought about plating at home in the past but decided I didn't want to deal with the expense, time and complexity from start to finish. I'd rather just take a bucket of stuff to a plating shop and wait for a call when it's ready to pick up.
Someone posted a good how to guide on the Alfa BB (a few years back) here: https://www.alfabb.com/threads/the-zinc-electroplating-guide.188194/Sometimes it's easier to just go and buy new bolts, nuts, washers, etc. from a local vendor or specialty online vendor but I've often found Fiat used oddball/non-standard items you can't get anywhere and you'll need to reuse old stuff.
I used to have a neighbor that restored Mercedes Gullwings and other exotic cars and he told me once the easiest way is to just toss all your bolts, parts, etc. in a bucket and get a shop to plate it all at once rather than trying to do it yourself or source new items.
Fiataccompli
Chris Granju
But the process is what makes cars like this fun for some of us. I could also send the car(s) out to make them all work & look the way I want them to, but it’s more interesting to figure it all out and do it myself. So, you are right in a practical way.
myredracer
True Classic
You are right in a way too...
I've spent the past 3 years restoring one Fiat from a bare shell on a rotisserie to being in paint and am finally putting it together. And then I have my Abarth 1300/124 that is now on the rotisserie and has a long ways to go. I also love figuring out how things work and there isn't much I won't do myself but I need less work, not more these days 'cuz I fear I will age out before they're finished. But it would be fun to have a go at plating.
Last edited:
B0b
Daily Driver
"Curious how much it cost to plate all those bolts 'n parts?"
Buried on one of my posts - it was C$160 cash. For that they did the final cleaning and degreasing, wired them up, and plated them.
Someone questioned the integrity of the plating - it is very well adhered.
I whacked a couple of parts with a ball pein hammer, and worked at a couple with a screwdriver and a scraper, and whole the coating itself showed some scratch marks, none of them went through the plating.
I considered the DIY approach, but a setup costs more than I spent, and that would be for a very basic setup without heaters, temperature controllers, or a decent power supply.
It looked to me that it is possible to plate with household chemicals, a strip of zinc, and some batteries, but to get it to a decent thickness and to adhere well more serious chemicals and process control is needed.
I decided to pass on DIY, in this case.
"Sometimes it's easier to just go and buy new bolts, nuts, washers?"
true but I decided there was some value in hanging on to the FIAT headed bolts.
Buried on one of my posts - it was C$160 cash. For that they did the final cleaning and degreasing, wired them up, and plated them.
Someone questioned the integrity of the plating - it is very well adhered.
I whacked a couple of parts with a ball pein hammer, and worked at a couple with a screwdriver and a scraper, and whole the coating itself showed some scratch marks, none of them went through the plating.
I considered the DIY approach, but a setup costs more than I spent, and that would be for a very basic setup without heaters, temperature controllers, or a decent power supply.
It looked to me that it is possible to plate with household chemicals, a strip of zinc, and some batteries, but to get it to a decent thickness and to adhere well more serious chemicals and process control is needed.
I decided to pass on DIY, in this case.
"Sometimes it's easier to just go and buy new bolts, nuts, washers?"
true but I decided there was some value in hanging on to the FIAT headed bolts.