Quote:
Originally Posted by Duffy
Has anybody considered getting all of these pieces chrome plated?
That should give a long term effective finish
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I did look into chrome plating a few years ago. As I understand it, it's more complicated to plate aluminium, partly because it has to be plated with something like copper and/or nickel first I think. It's been a while since I researched it though so I'd be interested to know what you find.
One problem with most restoration methods is that the trim must be removed first, some parts of which are difficult to remove/refit without damage I believe.
After considering various methods I was leaning towards polishing (ie mechanically removing the anodised layer then polishing/buffing to a mirror finish) which should be possible to do in-situ (with care). The problem then is how to protect the polished aluminium from oxidisation because conventional lacquers won't adhere properly to a highly polished surface. Two solutions I have considered to that is to either go for a duller (and arguably more natural aluminium-like) appearance, or use
this stuff, which they claim is very hard-wearing and can adhere to polished metal surfaces.
On a recent visit to The Carding Shed (at our Annual Meet), I asked Ian Kellet (of IK Classics), who gave us a tour of their restoration workshops, what they would do to restore anodised aluminium. He agreed it was problematic to restore and said that they use a company called
Metal Magic who simply powder-coat the trim for them. He said that even close-up, some of their powder-coated finishes are difficult to tell apart from genuine chromed pieces.