MTFCA Forum

Does anybody in Model T hobby do small parts chrome plating?

Jim B

You may already know this, but Model T parts were nickel plated from the factory, not chrome. I have had good luck using a Caswell nickel plating kit to plate my own small parts (after I clean and polish them of course, and no, I don't plate parts for other people). Here is a link to Caswell's website:

https://www.caswellplating.com/electrop ... izing.html

We have a small shop a few miles away that does great nickel for me. If I take it there already polished it saves some money. Nickel has gotten more expensive than it was when I did most of my small parts. I would think there are several plating shops in your area that could do what you want. A smaller shop might be more welcoming to the little stuff.
Hope you find what you need.
Rich

Don't go to a regular chrome plating shop. The nickel they use doesn't stand up like the old stuff does. I have a couple of plating shops I use, and all I need to do occasionally is wipe it off with a soft cotton rag.

You might consider DIY. There are several YOUTUBE videos showing how its done. Look at several before you decide go/no go. Besides all the chemicals you'll need a good voltage source. Here is one video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi-tK1jwO-k (skip the ads)
I'm thinking of re-plating some coil box terminal bolts in copper for fun - sounds easy and a a learning process to do nickle.