Plating service?

I've got a couple of parts I need to have plated- polished brass.

Anyone know any good plating service that turns things around quickly and is reasonably priced?

i have nothing to add, but did you post this on the classic board too?

I only know places here in Illinois.

I'd go ask Tom Yang. He's got a lot of experience with different platers and can probably point you in the right direction, even if it isn't the one he'd use for his concours restorations. I've found him to be a very friendly, approachable guy when I've emailed him out of the blue on some tangental stuff.

I don't mind shipping.

Concours restorations? I'm trying to save a little.

I haven't posted it on Classics. I've avoided Classics, because an addict like me can only take so much.

SVreX wrote: Concours restorations? I'm trying to save a little.

I figured. What I meant is he can probably say "these folks aren't good enough for us, but they're fast and cheap".

Pauls Chrome plating. No experience at all, but they place a lot of ads all over the place. They must be doing something right to pay for all the advertising.

http://www.hanlonplating.com/

Reasonably priced, reasonable turn-around and acceptable quality.

Graves Plating is in Alabama--and a customer of ours.

gravesplating.com

FWIW I just heard about a powered-coat-like chrome process. Apparently it sprays on with a gun, then you hose it with water & polish it?

I have no details beyond that, but it sounds intriguing.

Paul's Chrome did the bumpers and some smaller bits on my TR6. No complaints, and they did the job in a reasonable amount of time. It wasn't cheap, but they could do "bathroom" quality in addition to "show" quality.

EPA unfortunately has put a lot of platers out of business.

You mean a lot of platers have put themselves out of business through their inability to develop a business model that met the EPA standards, right?

The platers I went to didn't sit around and write up business plans and models, they just did plating, if they had someone as smart as you working for them, surely they'd still be around. The EPA and government regulation in general (lead paint, DDT, plating) is typically and historically over the top and ineffective. Wonder why we have a terrible bed bug problem? In the case of platers, the goal was to kick as many people out of business as possible. Coming up with a business "model" designed to satisfy hostile government bureacrats must not be something you have attempted lately.

Advanced Plating in Nashville does a bunch of the custom car work.

A lot of Platers were run out of business by the EPA and no business plan could save them.

It would be like saving brick and mortar travel agencies from the internet.

I'm not sure in this case it was a bad thing, considering the chemicals involved and the fact there were 1000's of small shops and said chemicals couldn't be easily accounted for.

(I've seen plenty of shops with 55 gallons of dirty thinner or used misc.auto fluids with no 'easy' way to dispose of it. I've also rented space with said drums in the corner and the landlord had to pay to get them hauled out. With the plating chemicals, it takes much more money and reporting for proper disposal.)

plance1 wrote: The platers I went to didn't sit around and write up business plans and models, they just did plating, if they had someone as smart as you working for them, surely they'd still be around. The EPA and government regulation in general (lead paint, DDT, plating) is typically and historically over the top and ineffective. Wonder why we have a terrible bed bug problem? In the case of platers, the goal was to kick as many people out of business as possible. Coming up with a business "model" designed to satisfy hostile government bureacrats must not be something you have attempted lately.

Nice summary/political rant.

The regs are there to protect "your" groundwater/wellwater from pollution. We have former plating sites around here with plumes that spread for miles and are still in remediation after 20 years.

SVreX wrote: You mean a lot of platers have put themselves out of business through their inability to develop a business model that met the EPA standards, right?

Sounds like you need to go into the platting business with such amazing insight into the industry.

I think what SVreX meant is that USA environmental policy ( supposedly representative of the US public) is no longer willing to tolerate the dirty work that serves the world. We want to make Ones and Zeros and sell stocks and houses. Actual fabrication of tangible goods is too dirty for our part of the planet and should be outsourced to the rest of the planet.

There is no right, wrong or easy answer to this dilemma...it just is, and like all things, will sort itself out in a few generations.

I did a tour of Hanlon in Richmond, VA with my Spitfire club. We talked briefly about the EPA issues. Yes, it's a PITA, but not entirely suffocating. They've managed to survive for a few reasons. 1 - it's a family owned business run by brothers, started by their father many decades ago. 2 - they are located in an industrial area with minimal zoning issues. 3 - Richmond is not exactly a thriving metropolis, so they may be some incentive for local bureucrats to be lenient towards companies that employ people where much of the business comes from outside the area (imported money, if you will).

On this side of the fence, we may argue the EPA is too restrictive and hurts businesses. Others would argue otherwise. The truth lies somewhere in the middle...

Per Schroeder wrote: Graves Plating is in Alabama--and a customer of ours. gravesplating.com

The Mothership just handed out the Prime Directive.

Dashpot wrote:

plance1 wrote: The platers I went to didn't sit around and write up business plans and models, they just did plating, if they had someone as smart as you working for them, surely they'd still be around. The EPA and government regulation in general (lead paint, DDT, plating) is typically and historically over the top and ineffective. Wonder why we have a terrible bed bug problem? In the case of platers, the goal was to kick as many people out of business as possible. Coming up with a business "model" designed to satisfy hostile government bureacrats must not be something you have attempted lately.

Nice summary/political rant. The regs are there to protect "your" groundwater/wellwater from pollution. We have former plating sites around here with plumes that spread for miles and are still in remediation after 20 years.

Spoken like a guy who's never driven a car with any chrome plating. Sure, it's fun to get up on a soap box if it makes you feel good about yourself, but the bottom line is if you have ever driven a car that had any chrome plating (bumpers, seat belts and other interior pieces, engine parts, etc.) on it, then you really don't have any ground to stand on and maybe you should get your water from Mexico. And I'm sure guys like you are the first to dump a bunch of weed killer on your lawns so you can keep up with the Joneses. I for one have numerous paint cans, thinners, etc. in my basement that I refuse to get rid of until I can do so properly, this is not true of your average homeowner, who far outnumber plating shop owners. So no need to send the EPA gestapo to my house.

My central point remains: The EPA has driven most of the small platers I knew out of business. This is what one plater told me right before he went under. Any business has to do what is proper and what is industry standard and those who aren't should be held accountable, but the cost and time of complying with regulations got to be too excessive. And those of you without first hand government experience who don't have a clue should just shut your pious pie holes and stop wondering why everything you buy at Walmart is made in China.

Hey, can I open my pious pie hole? I work for the EPA and have first hand experience with being historically over the top and ineffective.

I'll just add this little bit of fact: Regulation is a direct reaction to monitoring. Using science etc, monitoring either does or does not demonstrate a need for control. As it relates to business, control is required where environmental damage or health degradation occurs either due to standard operating practices or negligence. The various Clean Air/Water Acts require EPA to respond with regulation. Monitoring then does or does not show the effectiveness of the regulation. Repeat.

So, despite what anyone thinks, EPA does not "drive" people out of business. They go out of business because they can't or won't adopt protective regulation. Generally, for plating, this means handling your waste properly rather than dumping it down the drain. Many operators can't be bothered.

I've never met one citizen that has thanked me for the clean air and water or for keeping their kids a little more healthy, but I've met plenty that have suggested that they were bullied by the government boogeymen.

There's no mystery why things are made in China: cheap labor, no environmental controls, and no lawyers. Take a gander at the air and water quality over there and in a few years, after bioaccumulation, has a chance to work its magic, take a look at the cancer rate, child IQs, asthma, birth defects, bird, fish, reptile populations... But I'd imagine that they can get their MGA bumpers re-chromed locally, so it's probably worth it.

plance1 wrote: My central point remains: The EPA has driven most of the small platers I knew out of business.

You made your central point a long time ago. As a businessman who has at many times had to deal directly with various regulatory issues (including hazardous chemical waste disposal), my central point is that I disagree.

The EPA is a royal PITA sometimes, and often over-reaches. Same with all government.

This has ALWAYS been the case. Business is about learning to survive, compete, and profit in an ever changing environment.

If all they can do is plate, they need to go get a job working for someone who can run a plating business.

I've struggled plenty, but the bottom line for me is, any business that can't develop a business model that makes sense in their industry (especially as related to safety, health, legal issues and environment) doesn't need to be around. Good riddance.

For some reason, the EPA hasn't managed to close all of them. I have no problem doing business with an upright company who is functioning legally and responsibly.

oh, thanks "new reader" for making my case.... especially with all of the typical bureaucrat buzzwords and phrases...

"Its protective regulation", "we don't drive people out of business" or "its "for keeping kids healthy" (my favorite) and for the circular logic used by most of you people "regulation is a direct reaction to monitoring" but "monitoring then does or does not show the effectiveness of regulation" lol! What came first guy, the chicken or the egg? Another favorite is where you admit its all about "a need for control". No wonder you work for the EPA.

Hey, why don't you move to China then where you could really make a difference, they need you over there!

SVreX wrote: You made your central point a long time ago. As a businessman who has at many times had to deal directly with various regulatory issues (including hazardous chemical waste disposal), my central point is that I disagree. The EPA is a royal PITA sometimes, and often over-reaches. Same with all government.

LOL! I love it when people say they disagree but then go on to restate my point. Love the talk about business models, but I noticed you didn't mention that your business is plating. You people crack me up. Anyone capable of a logical thought out there? Guess what, all of the small plating shops go out of business because of some silly, overzealous bureacrats like the one above's need for "control" and "monitoring" and guess where your next chrome MG bumper is going to come from????? China my friend, where as our "new reader" pointed out, has zero controls! So go ahead EPA, be unresonable and clamp down on businesses that you find unfavorable all you're doing is pushing companies to other companies to other countries where, as it was stated, has zero controls and the net effect on the overall planet will be much worse. Oh well, as long as its not in our backyard I guess the problem is solved right???

You're a laugh. Keep being the victim. You play the role very well.

And I guess "old readers" that are "new readers" with "new user names" must "endure" the "internet tough guys" and their use of "quotations" and ???? marks.