I have a good condition original steel Chummy radiator shell which I wish to have nickel plated
On previous rebuilds of other cars most of my bright work has been brass based and usually
Triple plated with copper, nickel and then chromed.

The shell has been grit blasted to remove rust and now need polished.
Any tips on polishing up , progressive finer grades of wet and dry and then Brasso?

Plus how to stop it rusting in the process before getting it to the platers?
Also how much to get it plated in nickel?
It's destined for a GE Cup Model special.

Regards

Bill G

Location: Scottish Borders

It might be worth investigate plating kits? Nickel plating is fairly straightforward, the only real difficulty would be the size of the bath but I'd guess a header tank from your local plumber supply would do.

Location: Ripon

Not a job fo a DIY nickel plating kit, but for a professional plating company. I would take the shell to a competent company for advice. Care should be taken not to over buff and over heat the shell causing distortion and thinning. The plater may recommend buffing between plating Any deep pitting may require floating with silver solder.

Good morning Bill. Definitely a job for a professional plating company which sadly are getting fewer and further apart.
I have a lot of plating done principally for restored headlamps but I do have radiator surrounds done and be prepared for a hefty bill and for what you are proposing I would expect to pay c£300.
My experience of having steel surrounds plated is mixed - despite the most careful preparation by the platers a number have 'failed' within a couple of years. One potential problem is that nickel isn't waterproof - chroming was introduced c1930 not for its aesthetic properties but to 'seal' the nickel, rather like lacquering paint finishes.
Good luck I hope you find a reliable company.
Regards
Stuart

Location: Staffordshire: the creative county.

I had my 29' radiator shell and windscreen Nickel plated a few years back which came to about £550 (Castle Chrome near Dudley).

But - both the shell and the screen are brass. I have seen a new Cup Model radiator shell that rusted through in a very short time. Similarly, I have two reproduction steel wing mirrors that rusted through within a year.

I would recommend that you take it to a good (rather than adequate) plater that understands our type of car. A good thick copper layer is the advice I have been given.

Peter

I have had two of these done successfully.
It is not a DIY job make no mistake.
The cowl as suggested must be copper plated first.
Choose your plater carefully and expect to pay about £500.
A lot of plating companies ruin cowls, its the polishing that is so tricky.
A poor job is a complete waste of money and would ruin a rare cowl.

NB Do make the holes for the headlights (Cup model) before you plate.

Very good luck with that.

Nick

Location: The Centre of the Universe

I have used this firm in the past and have had very good service and results.


"Prestige Electro Plating"

Unit 6, Cliff Street Industrial Estate, Mexborough S64 9HU
Phone 01709 577004

Last time I wanted a quote they were good on price but had a long waiting list.

Phil

Hi all ,can someone explain to a carpenter the difference between nickel plating and chrome plating apart from the obvious,
Thanks Cliff

Location: 51.9000*N ,0.4333*W (LUTON)

I can also recommend Prestige Plating. It's a family run business and the owner is a classic car enthusiast. (Mrs Perkins makes a decent brew too!). They do a lot of vintage stuff and have a good reputation.

You might need an interpreter if you're not fluent in Barnsleyspeak though...

Location: Gard, France 30960

Answer to "what is nickel and chromium plating"
For decorative nickel or chromium plating, A "heavy "deposit of nickel is used which brightens the surface and gives corrosion resistance, for chromium plating, a low thickness of chromium is applied on top of the nickel which stops tarnishing.
Copper plating can be used as a base coat, which will brighten the base material (whether steel or brass, and can be polished easily to hide surface imperfections.
The thicker the copper and or nickel, the better the corrosion resistance.
Special nickel (duplex nickel) or chromiums can be used to improve corrosion resistance, but these are sometimes not available at platers prepared to do one offs etc.
Hard chromoium plating is a heavy chromium deposit that has poor corrosion resistance!
Hope this answers some questions.
Clive

Thank you Clive , well explained .
Regards Cliff

Location: 51.9000*N ,0.4333*W (LUTON)

Hello Cliff. I refer to my previous post. Nickel plating was done to overcome the difficulties associated with the need for constant cleaning of brass. However nickel absorbs water so chroming was introduced to 'seal' the surface of the nickel to prevent it absorbing water and discolouring. Nickel is also softer than chrome so chrome is more resistant to abrasion and is often used in engineering for surfaces which are subject to wear. I understand that nickelling is a more straight forward process than chroming hence the availability of d-i-y kits whereas I haven't seen a d-i-y chroming kit. Chroming also uses some potentially lethal chemicals and I have been told by chrome platers that Health 'n Safety legislation and its associated costs are among the reasons for the decline in the number of firms undertaking plating.
Possibly the greater part of the cost of plating is the preparation of the base metal which is very labour intensive. Once the product has been polished it is usually copper plated, re-polished and possibly coppered again before nickelled and then chromed. There are considerable capital costs for the equipment and the energy costs for the electricity are eye-watering.
Having seen the costs for plating referred to in the other posts I must ensure that the firm that I am currently using don't see this thread.
Regards
Stuart

Location: Staffordshire, the creative county

Thanks a lot for all the constructive advice already posted here.

I set about the freshly blasted shell today, removing the small ragged edges where there
Had been a little sacrificial corrosion where the steel sheel touched the
Soldered Brass radiator core.

Some surface corrosion on the shell but no bad dents at all.
With a big rotary sander and a fine sanding disc I have removed a great deal of the surface imperfections
Will keep improving it and then switch to wet and dry paper and Brasso.

Will check out some of the suggested platers,
Looks like I'll have to start economising though!

Will try and post a photo once I've finished my level of polishing.
Might also try the silver soldering, anyone tried that recently on steel?

Regards
Bill G
Scottish Borders

Location: Scottish Borders

As with many things, the process of getting a long wearing surface on the rad shell requires careful preparation. Particularly with steel, it is important to know that any pin holes in the chrome and through the nickel, will actually speed up the corrosion of the steel. This is because of anodic action. Ultimately, as others have mentioned, it is important to get a high quality job, as a poor quality one will almost be worse than no plating at all. Ideally, you will want a copper base layer, then follows a first coat of nickel, without a bright polish, followed by another coat of nickel that is highly polished, and then the chrome. Hard chrome is technically no harder than decorative chrome, but it is applied in a thicker layer and is also called engineering chrome. It is used in applications that need a high wear resistance and for building up parts that have worn. The reason it is called hard chrome is that it can be tested for hardness, whereas the thinness of decorative chrome means that a hardness test would damage the chrome.

Erich

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

I wouldn't attempt plating/re-plating old steel or mazak components. Old brass can be re-plated successfully.

Interesting reading for those contemplating replating..

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/universal/ut112.htm

The last time I went to Prestige Plating someone was collecting rechromed classic Jaguar bumpers which would have been steel. They seem to do lots of this type of stuff, including motor bikes.
Dave.

Location: Sheffield

Thanks Stuart , food for thought really, I always thought that chroming was mostly cosmetic and would be everlasting if cleaned regularly ,I didn't realise it could "break down" possibly over time,my box rad needs redoing to match my nice new headlamps you supplied, I live and learn from this forum,thanks

Location: 51.9000*N ,0.4333*W (LUTON)

I'm also a fan of Prestige Plating. Never had any problems with any work they've done for me and I know they have customers that travel a significant distance to use their services. I think it helps that Brian Perkins is a pre-war car owner and enthusiast (SS Jaguars). They are usually very busy, though, so a wait is inevitable. That, in itself, is a recommendation.

Steve

Location: North Yorkshire

It depends what car you are rebuilding.
Before 1930 the radiator cowl would be nickel, so perhaps problematic on steel. Before 1928/9 it would have been painted black, perhaps easier & safer?

Location: Melrose, Scottish Borders

Hi Jim,

It's slightly more complicated I'm afraid!

I have two shells, one bare brass one ( late AD Chummy/Nippy shaped)
One steel( AC Chummy shaped). Both in good nick and with good ? Original cores.

The chassis is circa 1925/26 and is suitable for the GE Cup Model body.

Both shells have been drilled by previous owners to carry headlamps
A la Gordon England cars.

The AC Chummy shape is I believe the correct age and shape for the 1925-1928 GE Cup Model,
so that's the one I'm going with. I have seen "replica GE's "with the AD shell though!

Most coach built A7's were I understand built with brass shells so that they could be
Nickelled as an upgrade on the black shells of the standard factory product .

You are welcome to come any visit me anytime, will send details as promised.

Regards

Bill G
Scottish Borders

Location: Scottish Borders

All of the original GE shells I have seen are plated steel - hope this helps.

Vernon Moss plated my own shell and a mighty fine job they did of it too :)



AD Tourers were fitted with two types of shell to my knowledge, the one shown above and then a later one (used on "Ulsters" and the like) towards the end of 1928 along with the introduction of the coil engine.

Most Cup Models appear to have been fitted with the earlier shell type - some photos of "Export" Cups do show R49 Headlamps fitted and what "appears" to be the later style Rad - bonnets on these cars have more flutes, windscreens are more like those used on Stadia and they have no sidelights on the wings.

Dear Ruairidh,

Well that shell does look the business!
And is the same shape as my AC Chummy shell.
I'm assuming this is nickel on copper and you must be very pleased with
That result . Did you start with a new shell or an old one?

Come to mention it a lot of the the rusted discovered GE's in photos
I've seen often have rusty looking rad shells.

Will drop you a line about plating etc.

When are you next down the coast?

Regards
Bill

Ps will post the "jewels" I promised!

The shell is an original one Bill.

I shall be in touch when we next come down.

For what it's worth, for those in the South, I can thoroughly recommend Silvabronz in Alton. (http://www.beckworth.net/). They specialise in car plating and are very cost effective, even offering a "bangers and mash" service!

They did my Speedy plating some 20 years ago including ex Morris 8 steel headlamps, all of which are still good. They recently plated my Pearl windscreen and accessories. Beware though, they can have a very long waiting list at certain times of the year!

Location: Beautiful North Hampshire

Back in the '60s I had some motorcycle springs chrome plated. I was advised to have 'blue' chrome.

Are there different types of chrome plating?

Location: Bedford

I've not heard of "blue" chrome plating as a process. However, chrome tends to have a blueish appearance in contrast to nickel, which is warmer in appearance. Nickel is similar to silver plating. Chrome will turn blue under heat. Exhaust headers that are chrome plated, will often turn blue(and yellowish) at the bends from the heat. I have heard of a thin layer of clear epoxy with color added being sprayed over the chrome for appearance. But the epoxy is not as hard as the chrome underneath and of course these parts can't be used in high heat applications. Having worked with resins a lot, there would need to be UV inhibitors in the epoxy, as epoxy can cloud and yellow over time.

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA