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9th May 2016, 9:44 am | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Plastic plating?
Has anyone yet found a cheap outfit or technique for re-plating chromed/bright metallised plastic trim?
Having been dissatisfied with the use of paint on Bush TR series lettering, my current technique is to superglue the letters to new/un-crumpled 'Baco-foil', trim it off/around the edges etc. with a fine blade, paint the letter edges with very silvery paint, then clear lacquer the lot, all very time consuming! With metal badges e.g 'GMarconi' I usually clean everything off them, polish them up, re-spray them, then carefully cut the raised parts back to a polished finish with very fine wet and dry, and then [again] re-lacquer the lot. (Looks good on 'The Good Companion' etc.) (Incidentally, I've found that Cascamite wood adhesive produces a very good near invisible and opaque [but light translucent] repair on cellulose tuning scales, e.g. on the Philco 444's, which have often been burnt through by the dial light.)
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9th May 2016, 11:06 pm | #2 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 676
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Re: Plastic plating?
Do any craft shops sell metallic finish Fablon?
Kev Just seen this but there are loads £2.49 for a pack of A4 if I have read it right! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-METRE-RO...TGvDzpu-JGWmgw Last edited by Oldelectronics; 9th May 2016 at 11:15 pm. Reason: Add text |
10th May 2016, 12:46 am | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Plastic plating?
I remember when I was a kid you could buy self-adhesive chrome bicycle handlebar tape - but I haven't seen any of this for many years ...
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10th May 2016, 9:00 am | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 676
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Re: Plastic plating?
I remember that!! possibly now gone up market and migrated to craft/art shops?
Kev |
10th May 2016, 9:22 am | #5 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Cottesmore, East Midlands, UK.
Posts: 858
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Re: Plastic plating?
Oh, there's still plenty of chrome tape around - Ebay, for instance.
You might also try Speed Tape, a shiny aluminium tape used for temporary patches on aircraft. It's a bit more substantial and has terrific "stick". Cheers, Frank |
10th May 2016, 9:53 am | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,996
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Re: Plastic plating?
I have here a roll of aluminium-faced insulation-sealing tape - it's "Idenden" brand, made by Bostik:
http://www.bostik.co.uk/construction...-Foil-Tape/306 which sticks extremely well, and can be gently burnished to look rather good. I've used a strip of it to 're-chrome' a somewhat age-worn chrome trim on the dashboard of an E-type Jaguar. |
10th May 2016, 10:23 am | #7 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Oban, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 1,129
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Re: Plastic plating?
Not sure if this will work but worth looking into...
If you have a used bath of etching fluid (ferric chloride), shake it up to distribute the dissolved copper deposits and place the plastic into it. I 'believe' that the plastic will take a coating. IIRC this is how they 'plate' plastic anyway. From there you have to follow the normal electro-plating methods used. Rather hit and miss (I suggest) but perhaps the only way |
10th May 2016, 11:04 am | #8 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Plastic plating?
Ho! Do they do 'engine turned' finish as well?
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10th May 2016, 11:15 am | #9 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Plastic plating?
Hmmmmm ......
Thanks all. These letter are often broken or missing - my current technique is to 're-cast' them by dipping an original into a little blob of molten candle wax and then placing the broken letter into the hardened female 'mould' and running a bit of Aradlite in to it .... but any moulding plastic would do I suppose. Some motor shops supply new plastic lettering - but these will probably never be of the correct size and font/script. E.G. Gerry Wells [RIP] used to recall that he was responsible for the 'raked' 'U' and 'H' on the Bush script ...... !!
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10th May 2016, 2:36 pm | #10 | |
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Re: Plastic plating?
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10th May 2016, 3:11 pm | #11 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Plastic plating?
Good lad .... just testing !!
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10th May 2016, 5:38 pm | #12 |
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Re: Plastic plating?
"Lad" I am so chuffed!
Back on topic, electroless nickel is what they use to prime non conducting surfaces for further plating, I have heard it is a tricky process as the container with the solution in can plate its self all of a sudden. |
10th May 2016, 7:23 pm | #13 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 3,051
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Re: Plastic plating?
Apparently, colloidal graphite can be used as a base on which to plate, so aquadag or similar might be worth experimenting with.
I believe that most plastic badges and the like are finished using vacuum deposition - not easy at home! |
11th May 2016, 10:20 pm | #14 |
Hexode
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 386
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Re: Plastic plating?
Looks like you could use:
http://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil.html It is available from: Hobbys or Hannants in the UK There was a company on the Bath Rd just outside Heathrow Airport that did professional plastic plating (very good) I don't know if they still exist, if they do it will be expensive. Good luck Trevor |
11th May 2016, 10:25 pm | #15 |
Hexode
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 386
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Re: Plastic plating?
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12th May 2016, 9:36 pm | #16 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Plastic plating?
Thanks Trevor!
This may be the way to go.
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13th May 2016, 10:29 pm | #17 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,934
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Re: Plastic plating?
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