How to Restore and Chrome Pot Metal (mazak, monkey metal, zamak)
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
- Follow along with us while we restore some pot metal chromed parts. This poor quality material is known by many names, monkey metal, pot metal and mazak are some of the most polite. It is a very poor material to work with.
Can we get a good finish on this challenging material? Watch and find out
If you need your chrome restoring please contact us:
Marque Restore Chrome Plating
2 Dutton Road
Aldermans Green Industrial Estate
Coventry
Tel - 02476 622 225
Email - sales@marquerestore.co.uk
www.marquerestore.co.uk
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00:00 Introduction
01:20 Stripping
02:52 Polishing
07:49 Copper Plating
11:28 Copper Mopping
16:51 Nickel and Chrome
22:05 Inspection
24:14 Results
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The most comprehensive film on electroplating I have ever seen. Camera work, editing and that awesome in the tank shot! Nice honest appraisal of 'muck metal' at the end too! In the 1940s my uncle was involved with developing chrome plating methods for the anticipated post war boom in car manufacture
Happy you liked it.
First time I’ve seen an underwater filming of plating, very nice.
Thanks 👍
You and your staff are true artists. Thanks for giving us a behind the scenes look at the process.
Thanks for the compliment
This is an insane video about the electro plating process. Very very very nice job there! I am electro plater here in germany and I know how rare information like this is! I am restoring a 68 charger and there is a lot if pot metal what needs to rechrome. I already done many parts but I sand blasted the parts because I do not know how to mix the right chemicals for the electro tank. Can you tell me the exact components what you are using for strip the parts?
Awesome video! So much information! I never thought chroming is such a complex process. Feels almost illegal to watch it for free 😅
Glad you liked it.
Zamak can actually be a good metal if it is made and cast competently. It has a very low melting temperature, but Zamak-2, for example, is hard and has a very good tensile strength and impact strength. Actually about the same tensile strength as mild steel. Zamak-3 is used to make the slides on Hi Point pistols. Although by its nature zinc is very vulnerable to corrosion. I think this says more about chinese castings than it does about zamak itself.
65 years old and retired 2 years ago from 48 years in the plating industry. Left school in 1974 and it's all I ever did. Started at William Bates Walsall and worked the vats 12 years there, plating most finishes, copper, nickel, chrome, brass, silver, gold, black and hard chrome, plating on plastic. Hand plating as in the video and running semi and fully automatic rack and barrel lines. Over the years work at several companies including 3 companies twice, where I teturned several years after leaving. Over the years working myself up to production manager for the last 25 years of my career at 4-5 companies including aerospace and automotive companies to very high specification. Last one in Coventry processed fuel heat exchangeers for airbus and Rolls Royce. Enjoyed the video and I to remember working with the dreaded "die cast" or mazak material for a lock and door furniture companies in Walsall that produced their own door handle and windows fittings and as you said the polishers had a bin by the side of the lathes to chuck the porous ones back into the system to re cast because they were full of holes. 50/50 scrap some days!! A nightmare. Brought back a few memories but Im glad I'm retired now. I'll be looking for a few more videos to watch. 👍
Happy you enjoyed it. Not many skilled platers left now.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration
Yes. Not many people want to come into the Industry. I still have mates of a similar age who are still working but obviously not for very much longer. 2 of them started with me at William Bates in 1974 and are still at it
Dinosaurs I suppose we have become. Yes I enjoyed the video. Will be looking at a few more. 👍
Thanks
@@quietman2672 If you are ever passing through Coventry you are welcome to pop in and say hello.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration
That's very kind of you. I used to work in Coventry City centre virtually
A place Called Chalcon. When I worked at William Bates for the 2nd time they were owned by a Group called Banro.
They acquired the Chalcon factory and I was sent down to supervise and set up a big automatic plating line.
Thanks again. 👍
...You're right. it's absolute garbage! However, that's exactly why we're here. We restore the old and wore-out and make it new. And if we can't, in many cases, we just make new parts! Thanks again for this very detailed video. Lord knows how much time it takes...
And that's why no one should think about questioning the cost of quality chrome plating just look at the work involved!! Wow
Chromers earn every penny and deserve it too. Not a job I'd like to do so hats off to these guys.
Very nice work , this is an artist at work . What DIY’er do not realize is how easy you made this look . When polishing these this parts it is so easy for the part to bend and get pulled out of your hand , I had a piece of stainless trim get away from me and slice my arm very bad . So DIY’er don’t let this video think you can do it yourself. Sent it to a professional like this guy. Awesome work
Great music and sound mixing. Oh, good video too.
Great video! These pot metal parts were fairly easy ones to run through the process. Show us a video with some really nasty pitted up parts. That will show your audience a better reprisentation of why having parts replated is so rediculously expensive. Great videos,keep it up!
This guy is a professional 👍
spent 40 years doing that the old cannings polishing machines the laybare strippers brings back memories
I can see you know what you are taking about.
Very good tutorial of the process. It definately help us to understand how we can improve our product. Thank you very much for sharing.
Fantastic transformation!
Thank you!
very very nice with the camera in the tank. absolutely cool.
Happy you liked in-tank shots.
When I had my 1958 Buick Special, I couldn't get anybody to touch my mazak parts for restoration. You did a great job here, I imagine the customer is thrilled even with the odd marks showing. :)
I hope so.
Good job man.Keep walking!
Thanks, will do!
Fantastic job.
Fantastic and informative video.
You guys are on top of your game and you demonstrate great pride in your work,
something that is sorely lacking in society today.
I salute you and I want to thank you for taking the time to collate and upload such brilliant content.
I wish you were around the corner so I could send my plating to you!
I am going to check shipping rates from Australia!
Our pleasure! My dad lived in Australia for a few years and did polishing and plating in Moonee Ponds
Very informative mate! All of your videos that I've watched are this way. The BEST I have seen on YT. Second to none. Keep them rolling!
I have a question if it's possible that you could include in an upcoming video information on setting the appropriate current level when plating and cleaning parts? That would be very interesting. Cheers.
Thanks, will do!
This was the one stage of the plating process that I hadn't actually seen yet. Seen the before and after, but not how you pulled it off. Nice job!!!
It is a particularly difficult material to work with on account of it being made from rubbish.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Now there is a tough and dangerous job! beautiful work
Thanks
Had a few jobs done by these guys, they are extremely good at what they do & on top of that a very nice bunch of people.
Many thanks for the kind comment
That was really good
I like the cardboard guard on a buffing wheel. It looks like it does a good job.
It does.main job is to stop sparks. Also it gives if something hits it.
Very interesting to learn that the pot metal degrades the way it does.
Also had no idea that there were two different copper plating processes involved,ie cyanide and the other electric chemical process.
Very informative, thankyou for the very interesting tutorial.
Glad to help
That abrasive stitched mop is handy so you know where we can buy or a link to it i might make it tho is it on a hard surface or soft the abrasive on it😊
thepolishingshop.co.uk
Can lead filler be used on pitted mazak parts?
Cool video
Thanks
Excellent work we can never get the perfect pot metal piece in the workshop. The electrocleaning just before the nickel/chrome always tarnishes in the dull areas where we can’t reach . And without the electrocleaning the adhesion is not good enough.
It is not an easy process.
Great video, how long did this job take, start to finish, to complete?
wanted to show you something I saw online about replating zinc cast or whatever name it goes by.
Muggie wield.
Just wondered if you can across this and what your opinion is.
It appears that disaster can be repaired
Thanks
Gerry
Great video! What are the large bubble balls floating on top of a lot of the treatment tanks ?
Insulation
amazing process . great detail in explanation, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Cheers! Just wondering if in the UK there is a big push to move from hexavalent chrome to trivalent chrome? Im in California and im afraid the plating shops days are numbered out here. Doesn’t look good. Also thanks for these great videos!
Yes there is. In fact it has already been banned in the UK and EU. We have had to apply for a special licence to carry on.
At 26:30, regarding porosity, could you us some kind of vacuum chamber to force the air out or autoclave to force the first coating into the pores ???
Brainstorming is my profession. : )
Door handles, emblems, and all sorts of various interior parts made of this pot metal were common on cars when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. The exterior parts would start pitting and corroding after they were just a few years old especially in regions where they’d salt the roads in winter.
Yes. It is made of rubbish
Nice job! Would it be better if we polished parts like that ourselves using hand rotatory tools with abrasive wheels, felt tips, and polishing compounds? Before sending them in to be plated?
It needs stripping properly before polishing (not grinding the palting off), or it will cause problems. Once stripped thay can be polished.
Felt abrasive mops. Any links to where we can purchase these ?
thepolishingshop.co.uk/
I would swear that trim is from a 1968 Chrysler Town & Country, those big grab handles go on either side of the tailgate window and those other pieces look like roof rack bases and the trim that goes around the woodgrain on the sides of the wagon. What I'm trying to figure out is why someone would chrome all that side trim since it was covered in woodgrain stickers from the factory...
What are your thoughts on making molds from original pieces, casting them in aluminum and then plating them. I have a trim piece (the corral) from a 1966 Mercury Cyclone that is impossible to find a replacement for and mine is cracked and pitted horribly. Thanks for taking the time to make a great video. Cheers from Texas
Aluminium is problematic to plate. See our video czcams.com/video/Q1jY8IsLbB0/video.html. Brass would be much better for casting.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration thanks so much for the reply. I’ve had adhesion issues with plating aluminum Harley parts in the past but not once thought of casting in brass. Thanks again! Be safe and God bless you and yours.
Magnesium is the metal that breaks down over time hence the pits …even in the tanks it can fizz
Looks like a great job done on the diecast metal, despite the defects.
Have you ever thought of filling the holes with solder or something like that
It might save a lot of polishing and help remove some of the defects
Great job as usual. Well done for all your hard work
The problem is getting the solder to stick to the zinc. We do solder up pits sometimes, but when there is a lot of them it is unfeasable and expensive.
The only guy i know IN THE WORLD ..is James Ruther in the USA. He can do everything to pott metal. Welding ,repairing.
youtube.com/@jamesruther2879
@@ChromeandCarRestoration interesting video. Thank you. When you do solder up pitting, what alloy solder is used? Thanks again %
czcams.com/video/NbvugejqeUI/video.html
Good work done on repairing diecast metal or as the Americans call it pot metal
From my experience you have to bore out the pit to clean metal then plate a layer of cyanide copper on the pot metal, then silver solder the area with silver solder with external flux and good direct heat then you DA sand the solder to material level and re cyanide copper the part to seal it. Once it's acid copper plated you cannot solder it because the plating will blister. Got to get it right first step, it's a pain but can be done
Very fine work...what's the name of your company...Gluttons for Punishment ? What do you guys do for an encore...restore British cars, repair Italian car wiring, fill in pits in windshields? The magnum opus of pot metal twatwaffelry has got to be 1969/1970 Mercury Cougar front grill and taillight assemblies... ask me how I know. It's comforting to know that there are folk who can still do this.
Just took a look at the Mercury. That is a terrifying amount of pot metal.
Amazing work. Only question I have, for restos like these, would it be cheaper, as well as better, instead of trying to repair that horrendous pot metal, create a sand mold, and make new castings out of aluminum or other materials, maybe even using lost wax molds for the really intricate stuff?
Seems there might be a tradeoff in the labor time to repair vs casting new, and plating a higher quality duplicate, with the quality I am seeing of your craftsmen doing this work, you could take things to an even higher level.
Keep up the amazing work!
I like your thinking. Re-casting in brass would be good. Aluminium gives a whole set of different problems and may not plate
Nice work! Chrome isn't really a noble metal since it's the hard oxide layer that prevents further corrosion.
Thanks for the correction.
Does striping in sulfuric eat at any of the zinc/pot metal ?
Yes if you leave it in too long
Brilliant job as it’s on Massack , well done are you in the U.K. ?
Thanks. Yes we are in the UK. Coventry.
Great video and also the one on bumpers but would be better without the music. Would rather hear your narration or the shop noise. The music is distracting. Very educational videoes.
Ok thanks!
I love the copper finish. How durable is that? Even though it might tarnish, is that a patina that will protect the material below, or might it allow accelerated corrosion?
Once moisture gets in between the copper and steel it will accelerate the rusting massively
@@ChromeandCarRestoration Like in a way that makes this not good for cars sitting outside?
does chrome plating come with different tints? Like could it look like it has blue or gold in it or is that a bad job.
Chrome is the colour of chrome metal.
So you guys dont use acid dip for pot metal. I thought if you electroclean pot metal it opens up pores. Im confused i also do pot metal but have problems all the time any guidance would be great thanks.
Anodic electrocleaning is recommended for pot metal and then activation in fluoride for the lead/ magnesium if your rinses are very short skip the activation after the anodic cleaning rinse and plate
Question, is it possible to fill those small pits with lead?
I have a rare emblem (yes, Zamak), that have a lot of pits in it, but I have no issue with it to fill it myself and prep it. Only the deplating and plating process is a issue at home😅
The problem is in getting the lead to stick to the metal.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration Is there a solution for? Like, first copper, then lead, then again copper?
czcams.com/video/6sms21BOAr8/video.html like this video :)
Pit repair with copper. Plate pit locally and sand copper on surface, repeat until flush.
czcams.com/video/MBg00xp1mLY/video.htmlfeature=shared
hi are you still doing golf irons? if you are what is the cost of 10 irons please? good job as always
Hi Alan. Yes we are still doing them. Usually they cost £38 - £46 each ex VAT depending on what process you are having done.
If the It's an emblem and it's heavy, it's a zinc die casting, not the other metals. It corrodes and deteriorates just like your cheap faucet does.
Music is a little loud with your narration but great video. Instant sub.
Many thanks
Decades ago in america a selling point of chromed items were referred to as being triple chromed. What is triple
Chrome?
It means copper / nickel / chrome layers. It is mainly marketing, the weather protevtion is from the nickel layer. The use of copper is plating is similar to the use of a high build primer in paint.
What is the contents of the electric cleaner for the pot metal as this is the crucial step to remove all oxides. And is that anodic ?
Cleaner is both anodic and cathodic.
Why do you do CN copper before the acid process? Will the acid react with or eat into the base metal?
Yes. Zinc dissolves in acid.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration I used to work in a shop with both cyanide and acid plating. We had a divider in the center of the bay and two isolated drain systems to prevent spills from mixing under the floor and killing everyone in the plant. Good times!
yes
@@stickyfox. mine are in seperate tanks 20 ft apart
Can the pits be filled with solder and filed to shape?
No
I am planning to do at home Chrom plating on aluminium headlight reflectors. Can you guide me?
Aluminium is difficult to plate and requires special pre-treatment see czcams.com/video/Q1jY8IsLbB0/video.html.
Chrome is the wrong finish for reflectors, it should be silver or it will not reflect the light.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration have seen this video, can you give details to setup a small home plating unit. What chemicals to use in each process.
Everything gets smaller when you grind material off. Is it not possible to use some kind of filler to keep original dimensions?
No
I'm trying to find someone to re-chrome my tail light bezels but so far I haven't found anyone, then I found your channel. But unfortunately I'm in the US and you're in the UK. By any chance do you know of anyone in the US that you can refer ??
Just a side note they are for a 1965 Pontiac Tempest and not available new.
I dont have any links with US chroming companies.
Ooohh...shiny.
Yikes! I'm wondering just how you filmed the in-tank shots of it fizzing away.
Action -cam. Waterproof housing.
@@ChromeandCarRestoration Balsy dunking it into those chemicals, but great shots.
@@Mike-FoxsAbroad Thanks
What are the floating balls for?
Insulation
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼😎
czcams.com/video/MBg00xp1mLY/video.html
Sorry, I forgot to put the attachment in the last comment
Gerry
I don't know why, I call this stuff "Gunn Metal". No matter what I think this metal is better than the "chromed plastic" which came later.
Can placing a charge on these parts help? I think I read or heard something like that, somewhere, sometime.🙂
What do you mean by placing a charge?
Calling Pot Metal "Absolute Rubbish" is being kind. People come from other parts of the US, particularly where it snows, to Southern California to find old cars and parts that are not corroded. However, pot metal does corrode and have pock marks even here. The process seems very laborious, but the idea of putting a thick copper layer on the metal to fill in the imperfections, and then level the surface is genius. When it is time, I will have the pot metal trim on my 1959 Ford Fairlane plated. As it is right now, some of the trim pieces are worse than the ones you showed from the Chrysler.
It is a rubbish material. Even with us doing a lot of work the base metal often lets the job down. With steel and brass there is lots you can do to improve it, with this rubbish you are very limited.
1957 DeSoto Fireflite, auto cost new $2700.00. Cost to plate the potmetal complete , over $10,000.00. The bumpers: $2600.00. The stainless steel? Not completed as of today.
i run a chrome plating shop in tennessee. 47 yrs us the same process. still a lot not covered. had to show it all in a short video. i give my customers a tour
The part with the heavy pitting at the start of the video. You haven’t shown the steps as that will need more work
It went through the same steps as in the video.
don't forget to remove the muzak music - that's also crap
Doesn’t look like a DIY type of project.
You are correct.
very interesting, shame about the annoying music
DAMN that 'music' is ANNOYING!!!
Oopse
been doing chrome in tennessee for 47 yrs. use almost same process had to show it all in ashort video
Hi mate I've got a rear cortina mk1 bumper that needs doing, it's a bit rusty but not bent or dented, can you give me a rough price?