[6pack] Where have all the platers gone?

[Dave]

Thanks, Robert;

Looks like Nu-Chrome is still there!

http://www.nu-chrome.com/index.htm

I'll check it out!

Powder-coating can come out looking like chrome plate??

Dave


---- "Robert M. Lang" <lang at isis.mit.edu> wrote: 
> Hi,
> 
> It's easy to criticize the EPA and all that, the truth is - chrome plating 
> is nasty business from several perspectives. I used to go to chrome shops 
> where they had guys running buffers and they were wearing absolutely no 
> protection whatsoever. I'm certain that there were lots of cases of upper 
> respiratory problems with those workers! The heavy metal dust is just one 
> problem. All the vats have wicked nasty stuff in them.
> 
> But the bottom line is that most _states_ have clamped down on these 
> joints. In the late 80's to early 90's, virtually all the plating business 
> left MA because the state created a trust fund for waste cleanup from 
> abadonned plating factories. The last plating I had in MA (90-ish), the 
> shop wanted close to 2X the price I had paid for the same job only about 2 
> years prior. After that, a lot of the shops closed and moved to RI or CT. 
> There was one in MA called NuChrome, Fall River, I think, and he was 
> pretty good. He even DELIVERED my completed parts to me for no delivery 
> charge. But I heard his business is in trouble mostly due to what appears 
> to be a poor business plan. I think he'd planned on his son taking over 
> and the son was either incompetent or uninterested... either way, he 
> started having probs delivering completed jobs as of a few years ago. Not 
> sure if that's turned around.
> 
> But the answer to your question is that you're likely going to have so 
> send your stuff out to get the plating done.
> 
> If you're not going for concours... what about powder-coating??
> 
> Also, check with the street rod crowd - they're still pretty big on 
> chrome. Custom bikes are too. But some of those guys are insane and they 
> don't think twice about dropping $25k on chrome for a project. Really!
> 
> Good luck!
> rml
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> Bob Lang              Triumph TR6!!            |  This space for rent
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