Decorative Chrome Metal Plating

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There are many reasons to perform metal plating services on objects. A lot of times, objects will go through this process to increase the object's hardness or resistance to chemical damage. Other times, it is used as a decorative effect. If an object is going to be metal plated for a decorative appeal, then it will probably be plated with chromium.

If the object is described as having "show chrome" then this type of plating probably involved a high-caliber quality of chromium. The objects are usually copper or steel to begin with. When the final product needs to be a high quality "show chrome", then the original copper or steel must be buffed to an extreme shine before any other metal plating is done.

Sometimes the next step in "show chrome" quality it is actually a coating of nickel. The best process will apply a very thick coating of nickel, or two layers of nickel. If a fender or grill is described as being "triple-chrome plated" or "quadruple-chrome plated", do not be fooled. There are no standard definitions to the descriptions, so aggressive salespeople will sometimes describe three layers of any kind of this process as triple-chrome.

Usually chromium type of plating is applied for decorative purposes, but if it is used for functionality, the application is referred to as hard chrome metal plating. The hard chrome type would be used for situations that call for increased oil retention or wear resistance. Most often hard chrome types would be applied to pistons or rods. Hard chrome plating can withstand hardness testing, whereas decorative a chromium type would shatter like an egg if a hardness test were attempted. Decorative types of chromium merely adds to the aesthetic quality of an object.

Occasionally an auto body shop will advertise color chrome. In actuality, there is no such thing as color chrome type of this. If this type of service is offered, then it will probably be tiny pieces of aluminum mixed in with very translucent paint. The effect will look like what colored chrome might look like, but it is not the element chromium being applied in a metal plating process, and this distinction should be made.

Chromium metal plating is a very involved task that requires much tedious labor. The process includes thin layers of application with much buffing and polishing in between each application. The time involved makes the cost a bit high, but it should be, and any deal that seems too good to be true probably involves a lower-quality metal plating process.


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