Okay...
Here's my take on the pitting, and I'm NO expert...yet
Chrome plating is a triple plate process...right? We get the part, clean it, buff and polish the part until it is as
smooth as we can get it (crap in the tank...crap out). Then it has to be degreased and scrubbed. Any polishing
compound left...no plating will stick. Then it's copper plated, usually about 30-40 minutes. At this step, we can
take care of the pitting (to a point). There are 2 options... buff all the copper plate off and what's left in the pits,
will remain. Copper plate again. Buff again, and keep doing this until the pitting is gone or almost gone. The 2nd
option, after copper plate, heat the piece and solder the pits. Buff again and replate.
Now, the million dollar problem...(and I've pulled out most of what hair I have left)... If the piece is a coin
bezel, It's going to be pot metal. Plating has a tough time sticking to it. Repairing it is not and option. Any heat,
it turns into a melted pile of goo. Too much buffing friction, it warps. The pits are there, probably because of the
effort, time, and nature of the metal. I will never promise to remove all of the pitting...I can't... and the last thing
I need, is to destroy someone's bezel, on a rare machine, trying to do so.
Oh... after all of the above... then you nickel plate, another 45 minutes. Buff again.
Then, when all is "right with the World"... off in to the chrome tank... oh, and yes....buff again.
and I wanted to try my hand at plating....what was I thinking!!!!
