openroad Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 This is probably the same for all tr`s,but do i go for bright zinc plating,or the slightly yellowy colour. ? I am doing the door locks,bonnet catch,accelerator ,seat runners etc. Cheers, Conrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Conrad It varied, but most OE parts seem to be colour passivation (ie yellow) - only certain Willmott Breedon parts seem to be in clear / silver, probably because they were used on lots of different applications and its easy to plate colour on top of clear, but not the other way round. Do be aware of the attrition rate of this process. A large proportion of your parts will melt in some way as the preplating cleaning process is very aggressive (if done properly, if not the plating will not be great). Regards Tony Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
openroad Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hi tony,thanks for that,i was going to go with the yellowy colour,so thats good.....i dont like the idea of the "melting",i cant afford to replace these parts,...thats put me in a dilemma......food for thought , Cheers, Conrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Electroless Nickel plating might be worth looking into: http://www.hard-anodising.co.uk/electroless-nickel-plating.asp -can be done DIY also Quote Link to post Share on other sites
angelfj Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) This is probably the same for all tr`s,but do i go for bright zinc plating,or the slightly yellowy colour. ? I am doing the door locks,bonnet catch,accelerator ,seat runners etc. Cheers, Conrad. This is probably the same for all tr`s,but do i go for bright zinc plating,or the slightly yellowy colour. ? I am doing the door locks,bonnet catch,accelerator ,seat runners etc. Cheers, Conrad. Hello Conrad. A small story is appropriate I think. In restoring the TR3A, we sent lots of bits and bobs off to be plated. Along the way, I learned some of the secrets to success for this type of refurbishment. The appearance of your parts is directly proportional to the amount of work you put into the preparation. Don't expect heavily pitted parts to come back smooth and shiny. Unless you contract for polishing this will not be included. it is best to discuss your expectations with the plater, maybe borrow a good finished example and bring this plus your part so he knows what you want. It is possible to prepare your own parts for plating. A small abrasive wheel and a buffing wheel with a few progressively finer buffing compounds can improve the final appearance. Remember, the zinc layer is very thin and basically transparent. Here's an example of some parts that we wanted to save and how they looked after re-plating with clear zinc. The yellow , green and other coloured zincs are NOT correct for early cars. I would say that perhaps starting with the TR5/250 the yellow, "iradite" started to appear. When we began in 2001, our plater charged $40 for anything you could fit into a 1 gallon bucket. Now, he charges $110 for the same, due to all of the environmental regs, etc. Is it the same in the UK? Edited June 25, 2012 by angelfj Quote Link to post Share on other sites
openroad Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hello frank and peter, Thankyou both for your replies,i am having this done locally at a company that does alot for us at work,so the reputation is good. i have gone with the yellowy plating as that is in keeping with a 1968 tr5. I was was worried about the so called melting,but have spoken to them and have their assurance. So happy days...untill i have to pay......but these tr`s are not cheap to restore ! All the best, Conrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
angelfj Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hello frank and peter, Thankyou both for your replies,i am having this done locally at a company that does alot for us at work,so the reputation is good. i have gone with the yellowy plating as that is in keeping with a 1968 tr5. I was was worried about the so called melting,but have spoken to them and have their assurance. So happy days...untill i have to pay......but these tr`s are not cheap to restore ! All the best, Conrad. openroad great! glad that you have that sorted cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony Millward Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Hi Conrad, The parts that I had plated (yellow), were also sprayed with clear acrylic lacquer..2 coats, for added longevity. Cheers Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
openroad Posted July 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 Good idea tony m.....thanks...........sadly tr4tony was right,my wiper wheel boxes melted,even though i had their assurance.....most of the other parts came out well....this restoring lark is very testing ! Cheers, Conrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 (edited) I would guess that Wilmot Breedon may well have originally used cadmium plating in the 60's rather than zinc as it is harder wearing and a better corrosion prevention than zinc plating. Cadmium has now as good as gone due to its heavy metal and toxic status. Here is someone in UK offering cadmium plating. http://www.cadmiumplating.co.uk/ I worked for 3 months in a plating shop as an apprentice aircraft engineer and can recall some of the cadmium plating processes. All external nuts, bolts, washers and brackets for engines, propellers and components being overhauled were put through the plating process. Steel parts were washed and brushed in a degreasing solution prior to delivery into the plating shop. In the plating shop all parts were first hung on copper wire, degreased in a hot vapour 'triclone' tank, etch stripped chemically to remove all plating, soaked in 'skalene' to remove rust and all traces of plating, then electro etched for 20-30 seconds to give a chemically clean surface. Plating was done immediately after the previous step for a set time to achieve a known plating thickness. The yellow colouring is passivation, a chemical dye that the plated parts are soaked in to 'skin' the plated surface. Passivation can also be clear. The yellow is achieved with a chromate solution. After plating all steel parts were de-embrittled/stress relieved/ heat treated at 200 deg C for at least 4 hours to release trapped hydrogen from the metal surface. I did all the nuts, bolts, washers and brackets for my TR in cadmium in 1972. The exhaust manifold clamps and other engine nuts and bolts that I did are still in great condition - not bad for 40 years on a TR. Cheers Peter W Edited July 20, 2012 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RAHTR4 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Conrad, Sorry to hear of the lost wiper wheel boxes. If of use I do have a pair of NOS Lucas wiper wheel boxes, plus a NOS Lucas rack. Regards, Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
openroad Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Hello peter,thanks for the interesting information,i even understood most of it !,i have had the passivation done,as in keeping with the original manufacturing... Richard i have sent a pm to you. Happy tr`ing its great weather for it.... Conrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tr4Tony Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 A good explanation from Peter W as to the process and good it used to be, sadly modern methods aren't the same, nor are the results from most platers. However, if you do find the right guys (usually aerospace types) then usually ! It's possible to get good results. Living near Farnborough I'm very fortunate. Regards Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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