Custom bumper chroming? Where to go

[KevF]

Alright chaps,

In the process of working on building up some custom bumpers for the Zephyr project.

They will have a fair bit of work and as such will need to be rechromed.

After a few phonecalls, it seems I will be resigned to the fact they will need to be painted rather than chromed.

So, does anyone recommend a decent chromer who will triple chrome the bumpers. What state do the bumpers need to be in ie. fully dressed welds etcetc or do they want to do that to ensure a decent finish.

Failing that, has anyone tried this new chrome effect paint that is out in the US yet? Any good.

Suggestions or solutions will be greatly received.

Cheers

Kev

[weemark]

have you tried london chroming? you can find them on the net - pretty sure they would prefer most welds etc. to be finished but they can finish stuff off like that - they know how to charge but they are one of the best out there, their work being second to none.

langy on here can get chromework done, looks very nice by all accounts as well.

ive seen the chrome powdercoat and i was quite impressed by it, didnt think it would look so good in the flesh, think it was a company called www.rust.co.uk (http://www.rust.co.uk) but i know there are other companies doing it too.

[langysrodshop]

Yep i can get them done, Bell me on 07836 244483
I woudn't take the welds down too far as you usually end up putting more scratches in the material.

[kapri]

Depends how you have welded them. The old recommendatiosn used to be to fill spots with braze, it's doesn't work as the acid prep pulls any impurities out. I mig welded the bumpers on the Kapri and pad sanded them, they had no holes whatsoever but DID when they came back from plating. I think tig would be the best welding medium.

[Adam]

Kev
I can reccomend the guy Langy uses. He has done quite a bit of work for me with the wagon and it's all been top notch and a lot lot cheaper than most other places.

[Russ]

Give Langy a shout Kev he`s got a good chromer in tow who charges reasonable prices.
Russ:cool:.
Russ

[KevF]

Langy, Looks like you've got recommended then...LOL

I will give you a bell when we are nearer the point of finally sorting the bumper. will probably be after Christmas now though..

Cheers

Kev

[rem]

Isn't normal practise to strip the existing chrome first, then do all the fabrication and pre-finishing? Stripping chrome can remove some of the base metal, so welds could be etched lower than surrounding areas?

A company stripped some old chrome handlebars for me once and they came back paper-thin where they had been left too long in the tank.

[Briz]

Blimey Kev, if you're in Norwich you need to know about John Wyatt in Telford Way, Thetford.
He's got a polishing shop and farms out the plating, but knows his stuff & does bumpers etc all the time. Way cheaper than London Chroming, and pretty good quality too.
Hes on: 01842 766770

Brazed repairs CAN be successfully chromed over without showing, it depends if the plater knows what he's doing.

Chrome - stripping wont touch the base metal if, again, the correct procedures are used

[KevF]

Briz,

Yeah I know about Wyatts but was told they dont do their own plating....

The issue is I dont want it to go through too many hands and then get told the bumpers arent done properly......They have taken so long to get right that it wold be a kick in the gonads to find things werent done right and were impossible to chrome plate properly.

There was also PSP in Stalham that used to do real decent stuff. Mick was a great guy. Have been told they havent been there for a while.....

Guess the best way is to give them to an 'expert' to do final finish before sending them to chrome.....

Kev

[Briz]

Well, John did a good job on mine, and I can usually rely on him for all the bike stuff that I get done.
In some ways you might be better off dealing directly with the bloke who does the polishing since thats where the quality of finish comes from.

[KevF]

Briz,

Looking at your site mate, ...impressed with the bikes. One day mate I'd love a bobber
Wish Id never sold my WL45 : (

Will have a chat with Wyatts then as they are so close and see what they reckon. Failing that its off to Langy's then :)

Kev

[MisteR Tee]

The chrome powder coating is a cheaper alternative & there is a company in Suffolk (Aerocoat?) that do it, someone posted a pic of some 4 bars that had been done on here a while ago which looked very impressive. So much so that I'm having my rear axle done at some stage soon. The chrome paint is better finish wise, but obviously a lot thinner & more prone to stone chip damage.

[Adam]

I'm getting my springs done in chrome look powder coat which should last longer than paint but harder to fix once chipped.

[Briz]

The 'chrome' powdercoat is 'aeromax':
http://www.aerocoat.net/Aeromaxtm.htm
It looks more like polished ally really.
Not sure how good it'd look on bumpers or any large area parts.

[English Impala]

This has got the powdercoated bumpers on, kind of spoils it IMO.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/aceuh/Daytona/100_1462.jpg