Cad plating: anyone know of a reputable place

[62trvler]

Does anyone know of a reputable place that does Cad plating ?
Also are the shocks on a Duo-Glide able to be taken apart and replated? I believe they were plated if not I stand corrected.
Living in Michigan so the closer the better.

[FlatHeadSix]

traveller,
Have you ever thought about plating the stuff yourself? Most small stuff can be done on your workbench with a diaper pail and a battery charger. Caswell will sell you all the chemicals and other stuff and a book to show you how. Same thing with Parkerizing, if you can boil water you can Parkerize.

give it a try

mike

[62trvler]

Panzerama, Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure of the process but I can boil water so looks like I'll give it a try. I also have some other parts I can do so this will cover everything. How long does it take for the process to complete?

[FlatHeadSix]

The actual "process" takes about 45 minutes in either the plating tank or the parkerizing bath, shorter or longer depending on how thick you want the plating or coating to be. The parts are ready to use as soon as they come out of the bath, dry them off and put 'em on.

The real trick to success is in the preparation. The parts have to be right down to bare metal and absolutely free of any oil or grease. Bead blasting or buffing (or both) first, then boil 'em in degreaser (hot soapy water), rinse in distilled water and put them in the tank. 45 minutes later you have factory new parts.

I'll try to post some pictures later.

mike

[dan]

The shocks do come apart neatly to the components needing plating.

I stipped my cad with muriatic acid to get to the bare metal.

[62trvler]

Thanks again for all the info. I do have access to a bead blaster so I will try it myself. I have never worked with the acid so have to read up on it.

[dan]

The muriatic acid comes from a pool supply place. It is used to correct the Ph of a swimming pool.

If you put a cad plated part in a plastic bowl of the muriatic it will bubble and fizz as the cad is removed. The vapors are dangerous, so do it outside and don't stand right over it.

Take the parts out and rinse them with water, then bead blast them. If you bead blast the cad it takes a long time to remove well, and I always thought the surface would look blotchy. don't touch them with bare hands. Nice clean parts is the key to any finish.

[sleeper]

Home Depot has 'muratic acid' also.. & as said, don't breathe the sh**...

[62trvler]

Thanks for the Very useful hints and the head's up. I better go thick glove shopping......

[King]

Don't forget eye protection. I use one of those full face shields on my hard hat. Also expect to ruin any cloths you wear (a rubber apron is advisable).

You don't want to be too clumsy around acid So I use medium weight gloves made of Nitrile. I think I have seen then at Home Depot we get ours from a lab safety co.

Ive done a lot of acid etching and acid digestion of samples for lab analysis but not cad plating. It sounds like a lot of fun so I think I will give it a go this winter.

Good luck

King

[Cotten]

The shocks must be compressed to disassemble.

A simple press can be made with two or three ~18" lengths of 1/2" threaded rod and nuts, and two old clutch plates, and some creativity.

[62trvler]

Thanks to all for the wealth of knowledge and safety tips!