Plating, Polishing, Powder Coating, Ceramics

[LoneGunman]

As some of you may know I'm a part time gunsmith, my specialty is firearm platings and coatings. It's logical for me to expand into other areas of the plating and coating business as my equipment is not always being used for firearm refinishing. So I asked Eric if it was permissible to post a service on here and he said it was okay.

I can apply the following platings and coatings, I can also polish pretty much anything to a high degree of polish (I do a good amount of harley and MC parts).

1)Electroless nickel

2)Nickel Boron (boron nitride codeposited with nickle) It has the lubricity and corrosion resistance of nickel plus the boron makes it extremly wear resistant.

3)Hard chrome- hard chrome is an industrial plating used for building up shafts, areas subject to extreme wear. This is not a decorative plating and cannot be polished to a high degree, it's a matte silver/grey in color.

4) Decorative chrome

5) Anodizing in most colors

6) Faux Cadmium - car restoration guys know what cadmium is, I'd like to live at least another 40 years or so, so no real cadmium, this stuff is a perfect copy and it does protect against corrosion like the real deal.

7) Yellow Chromate- think carburetors

8) Black oxide- "parkerizing" , the finish on your Snap-On industrial tools

9) I can also apply a sprayed on thermally cured ceramic coating that is currently being applied to pistons and other engine parts. I use it mostly as a firearm coating, it beats every spray on coating I have tried and I have tried them all.

10) Powder coating in various colors- I cannot do fades or patterns, I can do one color applications.

Disclaimer for #9, I have applied it to pistons, the first set I did was around a year and a half ago, no complaints but I have no way of verifying if it actually does what the manufacturer claims. You want it and I will apply it to the manufacturers specifications but like I said, I have no clue if this stuff actually does anything.

I'll run this end of the business the same way I have always ran my firearms refinishing business. I HATE hype and bu11shit, it seems every guy out there (at least in the gun refinishing business) comes up with some "proprietary" name for an off the shelf product that is available to everybody.

I don't believe in doing that and I am not ashamed to say I use someone elses product. ANYONE with the right equipment and the smallest amount of mechanical ability can do what I do. I target people who do not have or do not want to get involved with obtaining the right equipment (no, I do not cure coatings in my oven) or do not have the desire or time to make all the mistakes I have made.

My ceramics coatings are purchased from Cerakote
http://www.nicindustries.com/cerakote.php

All my plating supplies are purchased from Caswell's

http://www.caswellplating.com/index.html

If anyone decides they want to try doing some platings or coatings on their own please do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it. I don't plan on making a killing doing this stuff, it's always been a small thing I enjoy doing that pays for tools and machines. I have not listed prices because there are too many variables, email me with what you need and a pic of what you need it on. Make sure you tell me you are a garagejournal member so I can charge accordingly.

 

[Blacknwhitepit]

Sounds like a great Idea. I am very interested.

If I sent you stripped old tools, could you put a new chrome finish on them?

I've also got some impacts I wanted to Parkerize.

So how do you charge? By the pound?

How much do you need to strip tools to be re-chromed?

Thanks,

-BWP

 

[LoneGunman]

Of course replating tools in chrome is something I have been working on, unfortunately I am not ready to offer that yet. The problem is the existing chrome, yes there are chrome strippers but they are nasty stuff. I think I figured out a way to do it but I need to test it out.

PM sent for the sockets

 

[nissan_crawler]

I'm interested. I have to build a bent curtain rod (basically a shower curtain rod) to hold a canvas curtain for this closet. It'll just be some 1/8" plate on each end, and some heavy wall steel tube for the rod.

I don't really care what coating, nickel or the hard chrome would be fine, whatever works better. I just don't want paint, as the shower curtain hooks I'm going to use would rub paint off quickly.

 

[LoneGunman]

Nissan, I could not do that, The plating system I use is meant for smaller sized objects, headlight bezels, firearms, ETC, I'm limited to around 3' in length. Powder coating would work but again I'm limited by size as my curing over is only 6' high by 2' wide. I'd like to eventually build a larger oven so I could do MC frames and truck bumpers.

I could probably find someone local to you who could powder coat it, if the hooks are coated also wear would not be an issue, even if not I think you'd still be okay, the PC is some pretty tough stuff.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Yeah, there's a place here that powder coated all my heating vents (old house, new ones don't fit) for only $5 each. I could have them do it.