De-chrome and re-chrome or just polish to aluminum finish?

Boys - The regulations are there for a reason... to protect human life. Before OSHA and all the environmental regulations workers were dropping like flies in their 40's from long term exposure to all the solvents and chemicals they were required to handle during the course of a normal (for them) work day. Platers especially work with all kinds of toxic chemicals that's why the industry is so heavily regulated. The laws are there to protect the workers and the environment. If that makes it harder to get some drum parts chrome plated then that's the price we pay for the safety of the guys who do the work to earn a living. They shouldn't have to pay with their lives just to make getting drum parts chromed a cheaper proposition for us.

John

Pgm554, I just had them dip it in their solution to remove the chrome. I was going to polish it myself by hand. It looked pretty good just from the dechromeing. They wanted a little over $100 for dechromeing and polishing the aluminum. I should have let them do it. I hit mine a few licks with some 700 grit wet sanding and it was working but I reassembled it and played it this past weekend. I think if I wet sand the whole shell with 700 grit, then 1000 it will shine up great. Looks good now , like a 70's Acro finish . I would never rechrome it. Aluminum will shine up as beautiful as chrome and never flake.

I agree with purdie. Those chemicals are bad news, so if you want it re chroming pay the price or do what vibes has done get it de chromed and polish it up or leave as is. Or look for the same drum with better chrome as in prem 2000 or luddy supras.

Thanks Purdie for the reality check. We, I get caught up with ourselves and our "needs" and sometimes forget the big picture. In my case, I ended up skipping the rechroming and just buying a spare part.

I took a tour of a plating company in Syracuse, NY many many moons ago and was somewhat aghast at the odor of the place. I recall thinking, 'this cannot be good for you', and it is not.

-Doug

We're talking about California where the federal EPA regulations are seen as suggestions.

They charge a penny extra per once for soft drinks that are sugar sweetened these days

Businesses are forced to display signs stating that there may be cancer causing substances within no matter the detectable amount.

Gas formulations which might have been OK for the 80's and 90's automobiles are no longer relevant,but are still in place causing a 50 cent per gallon between Ca and the rest of the nation.

They charge a 3 to 5 cent carbon tax that has nothing to do with local or state pollution standards.

They follow the old axiom of spending more money on trying fix the last 1% than they did on the previous 99%.

When I refurbished the drum in the photo below...

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/suprastrip-1.jpg[/IMG]

The owner of the plating outfit took me on a tour of the plant. It was right out of Planet Harkonen from Dune. The chemicals, the smells were all highly toxic and it struck me as it did you, that this cannot be a healthy place for these men to be working year after year. That was when I finally 'got' the reasons for all the heavy regulations in some industries. When you are supporting yourself and a family you do whatever you have to do to make a good life for them and for yourself. Workers need to be protected from those who only think in terms of profit as opposed to human life. I don't mind paying a few bucks more for services if it means that the people providing me those services are safe in their work place.

The drum above was a badly pitted KS Supra. I had the platers strip it, polish the aluminum to a high gloss and then they added a protective overcoat. It came out spectacular and it will never pit again. The entire job cost me $150. and it was worth every cent. You can see for yourself how great it turned out.

John

Maybe try these guys

Vernes plating

http://www.verneschromeplating.com/contact.html

They are in Gardena, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. I used them to re-plate the chrome legs on my wife's 50's style kitchen table and chairs. They charged me about $250 - it was a big job, 4 tubular leg sets and eight chairs. They came out beautifully. When I was there, guys were coming in to get their motorcycle and vintage car parts plated.

I would recommend them. Even though they are in California

john

Gardena is quite as anal as the bay area.

Lived in Newport Beach at one point and that was one of the more industrial areas.