I dropped off two totes yesterday of a customer's Spitfire odds and ends at the local platers to have yellow zinced. While I was there they showed me round a bit, and got to see some bulk pieces they had done for large accounts. While my customers and myself have mostly leaned towards yellow zinc plating over the years, I'm starting to look harder at white. Yellow zinc palting seems most of the time, regardless of who does it (I used three different places to date) to have purple and green streaks in it, they do fade over time, but it far from a wonderful cosmetic looking finish, we use it more for rust resistence and ease of mantainance. Looking yesterday at a bunch of freshly done white zinc pieces I really like the way it looks. I also got a few tips from the platers yesterday, I normally beadblast everything I take to him, as most of the stuff I do is either suspension or engine pieces, stuff like control arms, front engine plates, timing covers, lifter covers, etc., anyway the plater told me if after I bead blast the pieces if I will go back over them with a wire brush you will get even shinier results. Anyway, thought that was interesting and that you guys would find interest in that.
Zinc Plating
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The stuff I had "white" or "clear" plated turned out beautiful! I would agree with your assement.
Interesting information.
I kind of like the silver/gold/yellow/green look. I try to simulate it with paing and get a pretty goo result.
Is the clear/white version actually clear, white, or some other color?
Bryan
Hap,
Would you share with us where you take your stuff....I am getting up a pretty large collection of original bolts that I would like to have recoated. Thanks,
Frank
Bryanm362 Wrote:
Bryan
"
It makes them look look like brand new bolts at the hardware store. Very silver and shiney.
Color is imparted to a plated part by addition of a chromate coating after the elctroplating. Zinc plating can hace yellow, clear, olive, and a host of other clors in the chromate coating.
Due to increased regulation of chromium +6 (see Erin Brockovich), most yellow chromates are now using a trivalent chromate coating, with less consistent results
love the color variation!
we once yellow cad plated a whole Spitfire chassis. cheaper than derusting, sandblasting, painting. etc. held up thru several roll-overs. (sigh)
Huffaker used to do this to nearly all sheet metal pieces. from heat shields to timing covers.
Frank J. Mooring Wrote:
Hap,
Would you share with us where you take your stuff....I am getting up a pretty large collection of original bolts that I would like to have recoated. Thanks,
Frank
"
Sure Frank, I use Capco in Greenville, SC, that's the great thing about Greenvile, there's almost nothing you can't get done here. But in tha past I also used a place in Lincolnton, NC as well. Most of these places have a $50 minumum and for the $50.00 you can bring a buttload of stuff, but if you're doing a bunch of small stuff, good to have duplicates, because sometimes these guys will lose a small item or two , so prepare yourself for that. That why I never bother with doing average bolts for example, most bolt can be replaced as new. I understand if you going for a concourse restoration, but on my car I normaly up the ante and buy better bolts than the factory used, for instance I not going to replace tranny cover bolts with those POS posi bolts, when I can put a grade 8 hex head zellow zinc bolt there and no judge in the land is going to ask you pull up your carpet to see what kind of bolts are on your tranny cover, but in a place in plain view you may want to go to the effort if you doing judged concourse. But, for example the GT that dominated MG2006 and every judged showed in the SE he has entered is a highly improved car, it has non factory A/C, Serria 5 speed, Feiro leather seats, power windows, cruise control, alloy wheels, non factory paint etc., etc.. So it doesn't appear to me in the show world being 100% correct means much in most shows, even in real concourse shows like Hilton Head, where he also won.
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