Screwdriver finish flaking off

[natas2000]

I just got a small set of Stanley Professional screwdrivers. They look like they were opened and sat in a drawer so no marks on them. No tips damaged.
But on 2 or 3, I see a slight peeling on the blades. Its not a lot but its there.

I want to know if these are sprayed on finished or dipped. Its like peeling chrome but its not a chrome finish.
Is there a way to redo these or would I have to wire wheel them?
I want to restore them if I can.

They had black tips from the factory,

 

[Mintgrun]

My guess is that they were electroplated. Why do you say it is not chrome?

Try rubbing on the black spots with a piece of aluminum. It'll probably make them less noticeable.

 

[natas2000]

It doesn't look like chrome, some German tools do this I've seen but it looks more like they use a silver paint. I have some somewhere and would need to look for them.
I'm sure its not nickel, could it be zinc?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Hard to tell from here, and one photo, but I had the same reaction as Tom. Looks like thin, poorly applied chrome plating to me. Possibly nickel, if the drivers are older (pre-war). I have all kinds of vintage tools with peeling chrome, and all of them from reputable mfgrs. They all have a peeling paint vibe. Bad batches. QC issues. I don't have any Stanley Professional screw drivers or know anything about their production. A catalog might help.

 

[d42jeep]

It looks like typical chrome peel to me. It’s not particularly uncommon on older screwdrivers that may have been stored in a humid environment.
Rusty example.
Cleaned up.
—Don

 

[Mintgrun]

Someone may have tried shining it up with a wire wheel, which will change the appearance of chrome, depending on what kind of wheel they use. Abrasive wheels can do that too.

A friend of mine had a yellow-handled Stanley Professional screwdriver that had belonged to his father and he said it he really liked that style, so I started picking them up while shopping around and he's got close to a dozen now. My dad had a set of the Workmaster series like Don's, so I decided to grab those too when they're in decent condition. Now, I have a collection of a dozen or so. All of the above-mentioned screwdrivers are chrome plated.

It's a pain when the chrome starts peeling off of tools. Especially when it has sharp edges. I use a razor blade to slice off any flaps of chrome, so handling the tool feels better.

The aluminum-rubbing trick feels like cheating, but it's funny how much better it can make something look (temporarily). I've only done it a couple of times.

Here's a thread about them, which includes an Adam Savage video, where he shares his appreciation.

Do I have a problem (with my Stanley Screwdrivers)?

Always had a thing for the Stanley Workmaster screwdrivers. The big handles are nice to use and they're decent quality overall with a nifty vintage look. I have a half dozen that are on the pegboard at all times. As I find them I squirrel them away but I didn't realize how big my collection had...

www.garagejournal.com

Tom

 

[Provincial]

Chrome plating doesn't adhere well to steel. Neither does Nickel, which was used for the finish layer before Chrome became practical. For a quality plating job, the first layer is Copper, which is used to get good adhesion to the steel. This is followed by a layer of Nickel, for build-up, which is cheaper than Chrome, and sticks well to the Copper. The top layer is Chrome, which sticks well to the Nickel, and is more expensive.

Modern techniques allow better adhesion of the Chrome directly to steel, but still isn't all that good.

Screwdrivers weren't expensive tools, and didn't get the quality of finish that they deserved.

 

[natas2000]

This is the Stanley "professional Line" from the late 80's to the mid 90's. Same as the the "Workmaster" ones above.

Are theses chrome?

 

[d42jeep]

They are very similar and I believe that they are chrome plated.
-Don

 

[Lesserstore]

This is the Stanley "professional Line" from the late 80's to the mid 90's. Same as the the "Workmaster" ones above.

Are theses chrome?

They are the last variant of the Workmaster/ Professional style. It's possible that they used nickel instead of chrome.

 

[natas2000]

That's them but I thought chrome or nickel is shiny, which these look bright but not shiny to me. And I've seen new ones in package and they still to me don't look shiny.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm starting to get the impression that if you can't see your own face in a highly polished mirror-like finish, you don't think a tool is chromed. Very few vintage chrome-plated tools looked like what some guys call "full polish" today, originally, right off the line, let alone with some age on them. I have no stake in assuaging your doubt about the finish on your flaking drivers. Just trying to help.

Maybe think of this in reverse. If it's not electroplating (chrome or nickel), what else are you proposing it could be? Not natural steel. And certainly not paint.

Have you looked through catalogs from that era on IA/ITCL as I suggested? I don't collect that modern, so I won't swear by it, but vintage catalogs often describe composition and finish.

 

[MShaw]

The one cute thing was the "boron steel". Boron is added to steel to enhance it's reaction to heat treatment. So you can get equal hardness with a lesser grade of steel. Turning a cost reduction into a positive!!! Still great drivers though. I own several.

 

[natas2000]

I'm starting to get the impression that if you can't see your own face in a highly polished mirror-like finish, you don't think a tool is chromed. Very few vintage chrome-plated tools looked like what some guys call "full polish" today, originally, right off the line, let alone with some age on them. I have no stake in assuaging your doubt about the finish on your flaking drivers. Just trying to help.

Maybe think of this in reverse. If it's not electroplating (chrome or nickel), what else are you proposing it could be? Not natural steel. And certainly not paint.

Have you looked through catalogs from that era on IA/ITCL as I suggested? I don't collect that modern, so I won't swear by it, but vintage catalogs often describe composition and finish.

I'm just trying to find the best and easiest way to get the job done. Some of the easy stuff takes way to much time for me right now.
And I don't want to just polish this because I probably would need to do all of them to make them match. Which might not seem like a lot of time but ends up that way for me.
I've seen screwdrivers and other tools dipped or sprayed with coatings, so maybe its not "painted". But you kind of dip a tool in when you want do nickel.
I did see a guy use nickel on steel and it did look dull but nice. It might be the way I would try. Not sure you if you can tape off parts and still electroplate things,