Who does small part plating?

[Jalaska907]

im looking for somebody or a company that does small part plating.  Im needing some small parts plated in clear zink, and black oxide

[1 Wild R/T]

I've always heard good things about Eric Manual, his email is    3404@oh.rr.com

[Jalaska907]

Thank you! Ill send him an email.  I was looking at Caswell plating kits, but I have no idea where to start

[1 Wild R/T]

Living in Alaska Caswell could be a good call, I'm in California so when I looked into a DIY option the chemicals are a problem....   Kinda depends on what your looking to achieve, Eric will provide high quality at a fair price, DIY will likely cost just as much but once your set up you'll be able to do all those little parts that typically get forgotten.... 

FWIW I used a local bulk plater, he isn't a careful but honestly probably better than true OE ever was..

[RUNCHARGER]

Yes: I was lucky enough to find a Mopar guy 50 miles away that did it as a sideline.

[Jalaska907]

No side line guys around me.  Seems like a niche market, if somebody wanted to do small part plating, I just have no clue on how to do it. 

[RUNCHARGER]

I can give you my guy's info but we're in Canada, even though we are closer to you I think it would work better for mailing the parts to deal with a guy in the lower 48.

[Jalaska907]

I can give you my guy's info but we're in Canada, even though we are closer to you I think it would work better for mailing the parts to deal with a guy in the lower 48.

Shipping to Canada inst a biggie, Ive been shipping components to S.F. Restoration

[anlauto]

Then why don't you get Stephan to plate the small parts you want done? 

[AAR#2]

I was looking at Caswell plating kits, but I have no idea where to start

I do all my own plating, most chemicals I've gotten from Caswell. Black Oxide, Electro Zinc, Clear, Yellow, OD, and Black Chromate, Brighteners, and I like their sealer. Zinc Phoshate, and Manganese Phosphate can be had from Brownells, and a special Bronze Chromate I got from a company in the Detroit area. Everything is safe and easy to get with the exception of the Bronze chromate, largely because it wasn't intended for home use, is a Hexavalent chromate, and sold as bulk. Since the glovebox latch is about the only thing that gets this just bypass this one.

It can feel a bit intimidating when you start, but once you get up and running you will be amazed at the results. You'll have the ability to tailor your surfaces to what YOU like and need, no more one size fits all. This means base material surface prep plays a factor, as does the use of brighteners or not. It provides the flexibility to plate as needed, keeping all your hardware separated in bags to ensure they get back to the exact location you removed them from.

Not to paint an all rosy picture, it can be a PITA to keep things as they should be, and while I can replace any hardware/small parts quickly, you will spend a good few hours (quantity dependent) cleaning, prepping, plating, and cleaning up after.

Overall I'm thrilled I took the leap, amazes me that more aren't doing this, and none that I'm aware in the MOPAR threads. I've enjoyed this so much I'm planning to build a separate plating stand where everything will be better organized and available for future jobs. The process is horribly rewarding and fun (but I may be a bit of a nerd).

If you decide to go this route feel free to ask questions, I may be able to greatly reduce your learning curve and help fill in the blanks for all the "other" items you'll need and how they can be approached. I'll leave you with this final thought as a way to save money, build your own rectifier, its fun and cheap!

[Jalaska907]

Then why don't you get Stephan to plate the small parts you want done? 

I was thinking I was going to send him a couple small things, but he is currently at 8 weeks turnaround time.  Plus, living in Alaska, you can add a week each way for shipping. So thats 10 weeks for a small bracket.  I dont mind sending larger items to him, as I dont need them,but if I could get a couple smaller items done, I can continue on my project.

[Jalaska907]

Ive been doing some research on it for sure, as Im sure ill be wanting to do more on other builds.  I think it would make things quite a bit easier to restore if I could do my own.  Just got to keep doing the research.  Im not a science guy by any means, so all the chemical stuff makes me a tad nervous...

[Jim AAR]

Here's a video that Cuda Cody posted on you tube for Black Oxide Phosphate, for a starter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vTn6l5h67A

[RUNCHARGER]

I've thought about doing my own as well and maybe doing it for others. I think with your location I would really consider doing my own. Shipping parts is always a worry. I'm not sure about the cost of doing your own, probably might even cost more but no anxiety of parts going missing.

[Jalaska907]

I've thought about doing my own as well and maybe doing it for others. I think with your location I would really consider doing my own. Shipping parts is always a worry. I'm not sure about the cost of doing your own, probably might even cost more but no anxiety of parts going missing.

Very true, even more so that a majority of these parts are near impossible to locate again.  A worry for me, is dealing with the hazardous waste that is generated.  Even 5 gallons, can be quite costly to properly dispose of, and the cradle to grave laws really are quite a concern for me.

Im keeping my options open, but i need to find something in the mean time.