dreckjil - 20-4-2008 at 18:17
I think this is the best section to post this?-
Does anyone know a good source for hobby plating at a semi professional level? I’ve got a small set from cowbell plating but I would like something
more than using house hold stuff to get by. I was looking at hobbyplating.com and they had some really nice stuff but it looks like their site is down
and I didn’t notice anything ever updated since I first saw it a few years back. I’m mainly looking for anodizing resources.
Sauron - 20-4-2008 at 19:03
I looked into this a long time ago and concluded it was better to leave it to the professionals.
And let me say that I have been involved with professional platers, not just as a customer, but as a partner in unrelated business, and in one case as
a brother in law. Platers, anodizers, bluers (black oxide), electroless nickel, parkerizing.
Anodizing: the equipment is costly, you need cooling equipment and special power supplies. The only process worth talking about is hard anodizing,
usually referred to in the trade as Martin Hardkote or hardcoat.
Playing, this covers a lot of ground, but in general you will be working with a lot of electricity and hazardous chemicals, by which I mean chromic
acid and cyanides. The environmental authorities will be on your case about Cr(VI).
Electroless nickel is interesting but fiddly.
The most cost effective to get into are blueing and parkerizing (phosphating) but blueing has you working with very hot very concentrated caustic
which is a mess, and parkerizing has rather limited application.
Preparation of the metal surface is of course critical, buffing and polishing by felt wheels and rouge is an art and easy to bugger up. It is also a
huge mess. Basically you need to do this in a seperate place.
Brownell's sells supplies to the gunsmithing trade (and hobbyists.)
For anodizing I have seen websites catering to smaller scale setups, I was intrigues but not enough and so have no particular site to recommend.
dropfil - 21-4-2008 at 09:50
So he wants you to strip and polish it without taking it apart?
If you are thinking to charge $300 so you should go with my link plating equipment
