Zinc and Cadmium Electroplating...

Hey all...

I have an auto-restoration shop- and have a local plater willing to do small batches of parts for me. He does Bright-Zinc, Yellow Zinc, Cadmium, and Black Oxide.

I will be sending a batch of XJ Hardware (from the bike I'm parting out) to be bright-zinc electroplated soon, so I can swap it out onto my bike as I work on it.
If anyone on here has items they would like plated.. let me know. The bigger the batches, the lower the cost for everyone.

An entire bikes worth of hardware (nuts bolts washers, brackets, clamps, etc..) would only be about $25-$30

Here is an example of a batch of Studebaker parts I had plated. They started out as rusty, dirty, old-used parts. Think of what the hardware on a 50+ year old car looks like- and compare it to this:

 

Where exactly are you located?

 

Winston Salem, NC

 

Thanks. I may take you up on the offer at some point in the future.

One quick note: Most of the (non-chrome) stuff on the XJs was zinc plated; the British were really big on cad plating.

 

I prefer the bright zinc myself.. real Cad-plating is dull and not very appealing. It also doesn't hold up to many harsh cleaners used on aluminum or engines. it will spot and turn white.
The zinc seems to hold up very well

 

Oh, I totally agree. Which is why I might be sending you some cad stuff off my Norton over the winter.

 

It's a bit industrial looking, don't you think?

 

...beats the H*ll outta RUST!! :lol:

NOTE: The photo above is CAD plate. I use it on my "Restorations", but for custom/modified ... where exactly "original" is not a prerequisite.. I use Zinc.

Here are parts from my Cub-Cadet done in ZINC. The smoother the surface- the more it looks like chrome:

 

I would just dump the nuts & bolts & replace with S/S, that seems like a lot of ag'

 

QUALITY SS bolts (316- anything "less" is junk) in Metric sizes here in the States are quite expensive. It's also difficult to source them in small lots.. IE.. I need (3) of these, (4)-more .5mm longer, (1) really long with a washered head... etc... by the time you explain all that to the counter-man.. he's not giving you a discount. :x

It's not so much the nuts/bolts... as it is about the brackets and other "Yama-honda-saki only" items that typically rust.

 

Bracket & model specific parts, I'm right with you, I have found a shop here for S/S bolts, cheap & nothing too much trouble, but I did struggle for a long time.

 

"(316- anything "less" is junk)"
learn me up, why is 18-8 junk ?

 

18-8 is nearly the same as 316, you're just calling them out in English versus SAE method. 316 has a bit more resistance to finish then the 18-8 and is a bit better... but negligible for our fastener use.

 

Will they do chrome plating at the shop in Winton Salem? I have been looking for one in the Raleigh area, none to be found.
Anyone know what the gold color plating is on some Yamaha carb parts. My Venture has the carb linkage plated in some gold colored stuff.

 

For what it's worth I have been using an Eastwood zinc plating kit and am very satisfied with the results. It gives me the freedom to plate as I go and as needed. It leaves a gray finish, but when buffed with a soft wire brush, it looks new. I am an absolute believer. And it is fast. Two to four minutes gets it done. The anode bar seems to last a long time. I am sure it's not as good as Studeman's pro plater, but a good alternative for a motorcycle.

 

Can you apply different finishes with the Eastwood kit?

 

18-8 (same as 304) is 18% chromium, 8% nickel.. this is mid-range stainless. It will still rust if harsh chemicals are used- or if the edges of bolt-heads are scratched.

316 is "food-grade".. I think it has molybdenum in it- this makes it very resistant to rust. You can clean it with caustic soda, sulfuric acid, hydro-chloric acid , etc.. and it will remain as bright as the day it was made.

I was lucky to have worked in a corn-processing plant as a outside contractor many years ago. They used 316 fasteners on every processing machine. They broke the machines down for cleaning every week. They never re-used a bolt, nut or washer... they just threw them on the floor- and they were swept up and tossed. On "breakdown day".. I would gather up all the stainless fasteners they took off... at one time, I had (5) 5-gallon buckets full of stainless hardware..
Wish I worked there now...

Ray

 

no...

There is a guy in greesboro- Guilford Plating.. but you better have really nice cores- their prep-work sucks. I use a plater in Texas.

That is "yellow-zinc".. it is the same as bright zinc, but they put an etching coating on it that turns it yellow. It is marginally better than bright zinc.

 

whew, so if i don't use battery acid, lye, or muriatic acid to wash the bike i should be ok
had me worried there

 

You shouldn't use stainless (A2) bolts on aluminum parts. The aluminum will corrode wich can mess things up when you want to take the peaces apart. In case you consider it must be A4.
A2=304
A4=316