Making old fixings more presentable

[winchman]

I am restoring a Honda Chaly
Some of the steel fixings are looking grubby so I wondered about DIY plating, are there any cheap kits available?
Not many to do really but stupid money to replace if you can find them

 

[droopsnoot]

I've got a kit from Gateros plating that does basic nickel plating, and also yellow passivating, which has an effect similar to the old cadmium plating. I've had some good results, and some not so good results, the key is in how clean you can get the workpiece in the first place. If it's pitted, you'll find that all the pits fill with black, but if you can get a smooth bright surface, it can look good. I had some stuff in poor condition done professionally, and they had the same issue.

I have read that since I bought my kit, some of the chemicals have changed and they're not as good, but they have a FB group if you're on there, where these things are discussed. I'm sure there's something on here about doing it DIY and where to source the various items needed.

 

[winchman]

Thanks I did look at kits but thought it was expensive for the few bits I have to do

 

[dieselsamurai]

Honda Chaly I remember them from my youth , my friend had a Honda Karen how we laughed at him bet he wished he didnt kick the carb of the engine in a fit of rage its probably worth a bit now!

I followed this guy below and had some good results

Zinc Plating on the Cheap

Recently, I took on a project to restore a little Honda Z50R motorcycle for my son for Christmas. Ive always worked on motorcycles, and my father restores vintage dirt bikes so I was comfortable taking on the project. However, I try to learn something with each project, and this one was no different

www.cmoist.com

 

[indy4x]

Have a look at this thread

@Blue Chips might be able to offer some advice

 

[winchman]

Thanks

 

[winchman]

Had look but the kits near £400!
Must be a cheaper way?

 

[frank horton]

all my bikes get copy st/steel fixings....anything special I custom make or adapt.....EXCEPT structural fixings.....

 

[Blue Chips]

Had look but the kits near £400!
Must be a cheaper way?

I didn't order an entire plating kit from Caswell Plating---just their chemicals. I put together my own set of hardware and other supplies (power supply, timer, heater, baking oven, aquarium pump, anodes, anode/filter bags, etc.) from various sources, both new and used, and saved some money, and I use some of the items (power supply, pH meter, baking oven, measuring beakers, etc.), for other purposes besides plating, which sort of dilutes the cost of the plating setup. The chemistry lasts quite a while. There are ways to rejuvenate the plating bath, and chemicals like brighteners might sound pricey, but one small bottle is good for many batches of plating solution. If you have some time available for research, you may want to get a book on electroplating and make your own plating solutions to save more cash. The individual chemicals should be readily available. I used the Caswell chemistry because I knew it worked, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time experimenting with different solutions.

That reminds me that I'm just about ready to plate another batch of fasteners and other items. Maybe this weekend?

 

[winchman]

I didn't order an entire plating kit from Caswell Plating---just their chemicals. I put together my own set of hardware and other supplies (power supply, timer, heater, baking oven, aquarium pump, anodes, anode/filter bags, etc.) from various sources, both new and used, and saved some money, and I use some of the items (power supply, pH meter, baking oven, measuring beakers, etc.), for other purposes besides plating, which sort of dilutes the cost of the plating setup. The chemistry lasts quite a while. There are ways to rejuvenate the plating bath, and chemicals like brighteners might sound pricey, but one small bottle is good for many batches of plating solution. If you have some time available for research, you may want to get a book on electroplating and make your own plating solutions to save more cash. The individual chemicals should be readily available. I used the Caswell chemistry because I knew it worked, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time experimenting with different solutions.

That reminds me that I'm just about ready to plate another batch of fasteners and other items. Maybe this weekend?

Thanks Its a pity I cant pop round and "throw my bits in your bath"

 

[Erie Fred]

"Eefin' it don't go...chrome it"

 

[indy4x]

Thanks Its a pity I cant pop round and "throw my bits in your bath"

Can I join the queue

@Blue Chips am really interested in the longevity of the plating

 

[Tom O]

I picked up this a few years ago but still haven’t used it

 

[Blue Chips]

Thanks Its a pity I cant pop round and "throw my bits in your bath"

If you're ever on this side of the pond and have a suitcase full of parts to plate, feel free to stop by.

@Blue Chips am really interested in the longevity of the plating

If it's done correctly, it should hold up as well as the original zinc plating (I think). The longer a part remains in the plating bath, the thicker the zinc builds up, and zinc anodes are pretty cheap, so no need to skimp on the zinc. When correct tolerances are important, it's even possible to have too thick of a zinc layer. Also, the post-plating chromate passivation coating adds a lot of extra corrosion resistance.

I picked up this a few years ago but still haven’t used it

Very cool old machine!

 

[winchman]

Just going to lean them up and see how they look I have found some cheap new ones on Aliexpress so have ordered some springs etc.