DIY - Home Plating Kits

[getchasum]

Just wondering if anyone has tried to do any home plating such as chrome, nickle, zinc, black oxide, etc? What type of kit was you able to get the most use out of, tips, likes, dislikes, etc?
I like many of the kits on the below link and have been thinking of picking one up to toy with. I would like one to make factory bolts look original & one to do some chroming with.....just rambling.

Any of you guys using one of these?

Plating Kits Chrome Plating Kits Aluminum Anodizing Kits Electroplating Kits - Caswell Inc.

 

[turbofish38]

I have used the black oxide and yellow zinc kits from Caswell. Its a cheap way to do lots of hardware. It beats spray painting anyway. I've never used the chrome kit so I cant say how durable it is. Make sure your hardware is really,really clean or the plating wont stick. I use a mix of good old battery acid mixed with water and let them sit for a couple of hours. Make sure all of the water is rinsed off to. Prep is the key to making all of it work right.

 

[getchasum]

Thanks for the feedback Eric.

Got a question for you....How do the kits that you spoke to hold up against rust when coating something?

 

[turbofish38]

The coatings are kind of porous so it will start to rust after awhile. I had that problem the first time around and found if you prep the heck out of the parts than they last a lot longer. I did some suspension parts like the spindles in black oxide and used WD40 to finish curing them and there is no rust at all on them. I didn't like the way the underhood bolts and nuts looked when they are WD'd so I didnt coat them. Turns them from black to gray. Rust isn't a big problem on the cars but the motorcycles are and usually that stuff is easy to keep clean so its not that much of an issue for me.

 

[Bad Buick]

The proper way to finish the cold black oxide process is with dry touch oil.It will eventually rust, or corrode over time. I run a small plating lab in a machine shop.I chrome plate,copper plate,black oxide coating,and anodizing.The only thing we dont do is nickel plating.Over the winter I plated my turbo inlet pipe,and maf pipe.Was not as lustrous as decorative chrome,until I buffed it.Turned out awesome.Instead of having .00005" of chrome.I have .004" per side.That will stand up to anything,not like that cheap decorative chrome.This is "hard chroming".Dave

 

[Slix]

The proper way to finish the cold black oxide process is with dry touch oil.It will eventually rust, or corrode over time. I run a small plating lab in a machine shop.I chrome plate,copper plate,black oxide coating,and anodizing.The only thing we dont do is nickel plating.Over the winter I plated my turbo inlet pipe,and maf pipe.Was not as lustrous as decorative chrome,until I buffed it.Turned out awesome.Instead of having .00005" of chrome.I have .004" per side.That will stand up to anything,not like that cheap decorative chrome.This is "hard chroming".Dave

wondered where you got the kit? was thinking about trying something out on my bolts and pipes, caswell suggested the zinc coating. also wondered how they look now, after all this time. you still have the car?