Copy Chrome

[chrisr]

Last year, I had the poor experience of being ripped off by a less than honest chrome plater in Chicago. My wifes car, (old VW) needed the bumpers (worn) and the luggage rack (rust hole) to be repaired and re-plated. I won't bore you with the details but the scumbags did a poor job and charged us $850. I have been reading about the copy chrome system and was wondering if this might be the way to go. The VW bumpers break down into three pieces each, and require chrome on the outer surface of the blades only, which measure approx 28 x 7", or roughly 190sq" Will the Copy Chrome system be able to deal with this, and if so should there be any particular things to observe ? I know that I will require tanks of a different shape to accomodate the pieces but I have read through the forums and am wondering at the amount of difficulties other folks are having. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated before I shell out on one of these systems. Chris.

[sswee]

chrisr,
Tim1hd has just gotten into the Copy Chrome with good results. Most problems are do to missing something in the instructions or just a plain oversight. The Caswell plating manual is a good place to see details of the process before forking out for a kit.

[Tim1hd]

I'm using a small scale Copy Chrome system now. I'm new to plating so I wanted to start small. So far the Copy Chrome has worked very well for me. I have followed the manual word for word and my very first plate was good. I am plating small motorcycle parts. The end product looks just like a Real Chrome plate. I'm testing some parts now to get a idea of how they will hold up to weather and road conditions. It looks great, just like chrome, but if I have to polish it once a week then for me its not worth it.

Tim

[chrisr]

The sellers of this kit seem reluctant to answer these queries, why? Why do they rely on the experiences of buyers/ users ? Cheap use of expensive material handling provides untold wealth of user feedback??.

[sswee]

chrisr,
This forum is people that use Caswell products trying to help people using Caswell products. It is not a tech line to Caswell. They have other methods to contact them on presales queries or PRS for post sale problems. Getting upset if someone doesn't answer promptly here is getting upset with people like myself that have busy schedules and are here to communicate with people of like interests. Have a nice day. SS


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[clydes]

on the vw parts your might want to make sure that the copy chrome is the finish you are looking for. it has a yellowish tint to it not as much as nickel but its still obvious when put up too chrome. you will have to polish it a lot more than chrome especialy in hummid condition. Its ok for some things just doesnt sound like what you are looking for maybe a little more research on what products your plater used to acheve the results that he got. just a thought a plater that has open tank time 1 .... is really bad at marketing his business. 2.... he does somewhat of lack luster perfomance on his parts. just my thoughts i could be wrong. any way hope this helps. clydes

[chrisr]

I wasn't having a bash at anyone, but I have waded through lots of testimonial pages and seen many responses from Caswell. Just not a lot lately. I also did contact the pre sales line but unfotunately got an ambiguous answer. Chris.

[mcaswell]

You mean this?

I have been looking at your copy chrome and your info says that it is suitable for smaller items. I have some auto bumpers that I would like to plate. They break down into three pieces each, and are very slim. Could I use a longer, flatter bath for the chemicals ? More like an infants bath rather than a deep bucket ? Your help will be appreciated. Chris.

Subject: size of component to be plated
From: caswellplating.com
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 19:12:57 -0500

That will work.

You need something like a planter window box. If you are only plating one side, you could put the anodes on one side and the bumper on the other. Work out how many gallons the tank needs.

Seems like a complete answer to me. If you have more questions for us, hit reply in your e-mail program and ask away. We're glad to help.