Chroming|Chrome Plating

Chroming all kind of materials

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:23:54 GMT

Did you know that we also cater for bathroom renovators who want their plastic taps and fittings re-chromed?
A big part of our business is to chrome-plate plastic and fibreglass dashboards, grills, mirrors, door handles.
One of our customers inquired if we can chrome plate a blade of grass. The grass was where he met his fiancee 1o years ago.
Nothing surprises us anymore, but the imagination certainly went wild at exactly why people want things electroplated.
We bronzed wedding lingerie,lace on wedding dresses, umbilical cords, silk booties, dummies, body parts and even
coverd dim sums in 24 k gold. As well as helping artists with sculptures we assist people who want to preserve and protect
their keepsakes and heirlooms to turn them into keepsakes. It's all about eternalising a moment in time.
When we cover keepsakes like baby shoes and hospital bands we are preserving the moment in which these people came onto Earth.
Chrometech has also restored and covered objects tied to people leaving Earth, including a pair of sunglasses
owned by Elvis Presley, but now the property of a collector of Elvis memorabilia. We also chrome plated a rose from Elvis's casket.
People have asked to electroplate half-eaten hamburgers, doughnuts, computer games, jeans and dog collars. A director from the
crematorium asked us if we could preserve a chicken leg, in an investigation into whether human bodies will be able to be preserved
in the future. Technically we could preserve a human body, but it is morbid and imagine the licences you'd need.

Re-chroming spa nozzles and shower taps

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:32:59 GMT

I have been slack with updating the articles in my website. We have a lot of customers that are
frantically looking to re-chrome either the spa nozzles or taps. As you know we not only bronze baby shoes
but bronze any materials such as plastic and fibreglass and anything that is not metal. Below is an e-mail from a customer.
comments: Hi, I have searched Australia for replacement cover plates and nozzles for our spa jets and they don't make
them anymore and no one has any chrome look ones. They are plastic but look like they have been coated in a
gold (look?) finish. I can send you some photos to see if you are able to nickel plate these. We want to sell the house
and are desperate to have these match all the other fittings in the bathroom. I have 12 of these 40mm
cover plates and 12 x 10mm nozzles that fit inside the cover plates.
If you could do these, roughly how much do you think they would cost? Best regards, S.I.

How to chrome-plate on plastic car parts.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:20:04 GMT

Is it possible to chrome-plate anything?

Basically anything can be plated. We can also coat every conceivable
base material in a metal of your choice. The trick with the various materials is in the pre-treatment. The items to be chrome-plated needs to be sealed if it is of
a porous nature. Items made of wax, PP or PE requires a special primer prior to coating the item with a conductive layer.
Preparation of the surface is critical as a chrome-plated finish will show up and expose any imperfections. As we said in the beginning
we can electroplate anything. The question is: Has the item been engineered for the electroplating process?
In many cases, the dash boards and grills that we receive have not been designed for electroplating. This requires compromises in
order to achieve a relative good outcome. For example we may not want to plate the whole item. As such we will only selectively plate the areas that we can be sure
will be sufficiently covered with metal to obtain a brilliant shinny surface. In the case of some of the front grills where the louvers are too
wide we will recommend not electroplating the bottom side of the louvers and selectively plate only the top that is seen. This will allow more chrome onto the surface where it is required.
Needless to say this requires a lot of taping up prior to making the surface conductive. In order to avoid plating on the tape which is also made conductive, we must remove
the tape prior to electroplating. This may explain why the costs are somewhat higher than plating on metal. The same item made of metal may require max 1 hour to have an A-1 class job
performed on it. In the case of plating on plastic with our process a grill is normally plated for 12 hours at a low current so that we can achieve a uniform
deposition of copper, nickel and chrome across the whole grill. To compensate for the lack of adhesion with this process and to promote the durability, a thick coat of copper, nickel and chrome is necessary.
The average thickness of the plating on a grill is 0.2mm compared to 0.02 � 0.03mm (considered a very thick coat) with the conventional plating on steel process.
There are such things as internal anodes that can be made to order for a particular job. These however are extremely expensive and as such
are not practical. Chrometech developed its own conductive sensitising media including the various primers. Variations of the conductive media and primers
need to be fully understood in order to apply them on the many different types of items that we receive.

Resurrection of a rusted Austin A 30 grill

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:23:48 GMT

Nobody thought it possible to resurrect this Austin A 30 grill. It looked like it was ready to be buried.
It was completely rusted through. When I say rusted I mean rusted. The holes in the previously chromed grill were up to 5mm or more in diameter
and some of the metal was paper thin. There was no chrome to be seen on the grill and I assume some bloody electroplater left in in the strip too long and
stripped the hell out of it. As chrome-plated Austin A 30 grills are not easily available, the customer didn't have much of a choice and availed himself
of Chrometech's service. Chrometech restructured and fortified the grill with resin and fiberglass, filled the holes with putty, highfilled it,
rubbed it back and proceeded with the activating process prior to chrome-plating the now mostly non conductive grill. The end result was unbelievable.
The chromeplated Austin A 30 was featured in a car magazine and was brought back to life.

A car fit for a King

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:34:22 GMT

At the Motor ex there was an RX7 that has undergone a five year conversion into a brilliant piece of art. "Jealous Ahura" the name of the car
was flown from Malaysia (Apparently the car belongs to a crown prince) to participate at the Motor ex held in Sydney on July 11th and 12th. It was the first time that an an
International car took part in the exhibition. The car has 10.000 Swarovski crystals encrusted, even in wheels you can find them. The RX7 is worth about $ 250.000.

All the interior plastic car parts were chrome-plated by Chrometech. At the show you could find hot rods, street machines,all American cars and motorbikes. An auction was held on Sunday.
We at Chrometech also participated and had a great response. A lot of people were impressed with the electroplated fiberglass for the hot rods.
This opens a market and can add value from just the fiberglass parts to a shinning pride. A lot of cars were at the exhibition that had the parts chrome-plated by Chrometech. If it's good enough for the Prince to use the services of Chrometech, we must talk quality electroplating.

Chrome-plating plastic car parts for RX7

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:35:33 GMT

Exquisite quality from Chrometech

MAZDA RX 7

Why is the RX7 in high demand?

Apparently it is the rotary engine that has made this car unique.
The rotary engine got its start in the early 1950�s with a German company whose primary focus was manufacturing motorcycles.
Best of all, the RX7's huge success meant that many people discovered the rotary engine for the first time.
At Chrometech one of the most plastic parts that we chrome-plate are from RX7s.
From a customer in Malaysia we received Instrument surrounds, Centre console, radio surrounds, air-con panels, door panels,
lip pockets, dashboard blowers etc. He couldn�t find anyone in Malaysia to produce our quality of Chrome-plating. (We do not vacuum-metallize)
We electroplate (copper, nickel, chrome) on plastic and fibreglass. The process of electroplating on plastic and fibreglass is more difficult
than performing the same operation on metal.
The result is a smooth mirror finish.
The mentioned customer will fly his RX7 to Sydney to the Motor exhibition on the 11th and 12th of July 2009 at the Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush.
Please come along and you will be able to see the unveiling of the 6 best cars. This RX7 will be one of them. The unveiling will be at 11.00 am
on the 11th and for the presentation they will include a traditional �warrior� dance.
So please come along and visit us and the famous customer from Malaysia.

Chrome-plated fiberglass for Hot rod

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:37:12 GMT

At Chrometech we are getting ready for a Hot rod show and the Auto salon. We have chrome-plated several fibreglass grills, (br)plastic grills, Honda grills, Commodore badges, Chevrolet badges, gold-plated badges for RX3 (FOR SALE)

I wonder why they call a Hot rod a Hot rod. I looked up on Wikipedia and found the following information.�Hot rods are typically
American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the term "hot rod." One explanation is that the term
is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another explanation is that the mufflers were exposed and thus
there was a "hot rod" or hot muffler neck when the vehicle was running. Open roadsters were the cars of choice to modify because they were light.
Hot Rod may also refer to the connecting rods, cam, or pushrods inside the engine or to the exposed frame rails of such an automobile.
It has also been noted that burning out the connecting rod bearings was a very common failure mode for souped up four-cylinder Fords,
particularly the Model T, and "hot rod" could refer to that phenomenon. It was adopted in the 1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that had been "hopped up" by
modifying the engine in various ways to achieve higher performance.The term can also apply to other items that are "souped up"
for a particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded amplifier".�

Anyway I thought that that was interesting. Besides Chrome-plating plastic car parts, we are busy Chromeplating MTV awards.

Chrome-plated bra and undies

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:06:58 GMT

Once upon a time in pre-Victorian Europe apparently mostly the aristocratic men wore lace and the women were plainer.
But today�s men and women alike wear lacy and sheer underwear.
It may be in the form G-strings, Thongs, Tangas or whatever they call them

Chrometech can Chrome-plate on any material such as plastic, fibreglass, resin cotton, silk etc. Lacy undies are made of Cotton
and Lycra to hug and stretch in all the right places.

Many of us are blessed with healthy backsides worthy of an award.
That�s exactly what we did; an award for an underwear company
I don�t know what the occasion was to create this award, but it sure attracted some comments when it was in our showroom

Our Logo is �You name it we Chrome it�
This could be a breakthrough for the fashion industry to electroplate something in chrome.

For men with balls of steel

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:08:25 GMT

For those of you with balls of steel (males or females) this groin protector or Hector protector would certainly be a status symbol.
Before the wedding of our daughter the guys has a buck�s night and went Paintball shooting. Everyone had a good time. The guys are tough and all came back with bruises, this game must hurt.
Everyone bought a groin protectors. You must protect your family jewels with chromed reinforced protectors. If some of our great amorous sporting legends would keep
their tackle in this protector, instead of letting the mongrel run loose, they would have avoided some embarrassing headlines. I think sports people should start a new sporting
novelty and bring those protectors into Chrometech to have them chromed. Imagine a bunch of cricket players groping into their undies at the end of the match,
and ripping hector out of the crotch (hopefully with no little bits stuck to it) and then auctioning them off for charities.

Now that would be an intimate memento.

What do you think about Chrome-plated Hector protectors? Give me your thoughts. Do not forget to check out the photo on http://chromingplastic.blogspot.com

Ancient electricity

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:15:57 GMT

AT CHROMETECH IT'S NOT ALL WORK AND NO FUN

Please see the photo in my other Blog and you know what i mean
http://bronzing.blogspot.com

The most likely use for electricity among the Parthians would have been the electroplating (sometimes referred to as bronzing) of figurines, an advance on the art of gilding which dated back centuries before them. The battery could have been used to apply a voltage
between a metal statuette and an ingot of gold while both were immersed in an electrolyte. Gold would have been transferred through the liquid to be
deposited as a thin film on the figure�s surface.

Similar clay pots have been found at other sites near Baghdad. They are a salutary reminder that our conceptions
of mankind�s historical development are often based as much on ignorance as on knowledge of skills of a particular period.

Static electricity was known to the ancients: they knew, for instance, that when amber (in Greek elektron) was rubbed,
it would attract light objects such as dust and hairs. So the technique of generating electrical current -which is electric charge in motion-, could have been
an equally haphazard, isolated discovery centuries before it�s generally recognised initial use. Neither finding seemed to lead to further technological
development or insight into the causes of the phenomenon, however, although some enthusiasts have claimed
that the Parthians- and, before them, the ancient Egyptians � used electric light.
There are, indeed, enough soberly accredited anomalies of technology from the past to keep us well aware that some
of our ancestors did develop their technology- and to astonishingly high levels.

At Chrometech we specialize electroplating on non-conductors; any base material but not metal. In order for us to electroplate
or chrome-plate the organic materials, we need to make it conductive with a conductive paint. Then a small hole needs to be drilled to assemble
the wires to conduct the electricity.

We really bronze (copper-plate, chrome-plate or some people also call it chroming ) about anything. Our logo is
If you can imagine it, we can bronze it. Or if you can imagine it, we can chrome it.

In about 3 weeks I will have a new webpage with a photo gallery so that I can show you what we actually can and do bronze in copper,
chrome or 24 k gold.

We get a lot of phone calls from women asking us about the price for full body bronzing. Sorry ladies that�s not what we bronze.

Why reflectors are not chrome-plated

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:09:56 GMT
A lot of people want to have their reflectors chrome-plated.
Please read below why we don�t chrome them.
Reflectors have originally in the old days been silver plated which produces white light. Continual polishing though
was a bit of a bugger. So they decided to give the silver a "flash" of rhodium (a platinum metal). This stopped it from tarnishing. Silver plating in those days
needed to be polished prior to the rhodium flash = labour cost. Thereafter it required an additional cleaning process prior to the
rhodium flash = more labour and process costs.
Silver started to get expensive, so they turned to nickel instead.
This still required a rhodium flash to stop it from tarnishing. Instead of rhodium on top of nickel they could have
used chrome. However using chrome would have given off a blue light which has a different wave length to the white light produced by silver, nickel with or without
the rhodium flash, thus reducing greatly the distance that the light would travel = no good for driving around at night! In the meantime
reflectors are made of plastic and not steel.
Like everything else in life people endeavour to produce smarter, cheaper, faster and better. "Vacuum Metallising" solved all these problems.
In the process they were able to reduce the environmental impact caused by the plating process. Importantly though it gives off a white light!
Vacuum metallising covers the substrate with a very thin coat of aluminium. This is then coated with a weather and UV resistant lacquer. The whole process is carried out under vacuum. Aluminium is then evaporated and deposited onto the substrate, which would be the reflector.
The set up for such an automated process is extremely expensive and are mainly tied up with large in-house production facilities of car manufacturers. Recommendation: try to find a "job shop" close to you.
It's not all bad news though: Should you have any item made of plastic or fibre glass and you require a hard wearing and durable surface
that will be handled a lot, then our process is the way to go with an average of 150 um of copper, 30 um of nickel and a generous coat
of chrome (usually measured in angstroms)1 angstrom = one hundred millionth of one centimetre. Don't ask me how many angstroms there are on the item, I really don't know!
However we make sure that there is no nickel exposed. This is also referred to as a "nickel blow".
We hope to have addressed your question adequately.

Anything is possible to chrome-plate

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:50:58 GMT
Electroplating was invented as early as 1805 but was later rejected by the dictator Napoleon Bonaparte. This caused the inventer
to suppress any further publication of his work. Untill today many people think it is impossible to electroplate on plastic.
Although chrome-plating on plastic is a difficult process and very labour intensive Chrometech can make it happen.
We coat the items to be chrome-plated with a conductive paint. After that it will be immersed into the plating copper bath for several hours, sometimes up to 24 hours.
After the copper bath it will be in the nickel and last but not least in the chrome bath.
Our business has been operating since 1993 in Australia
and as far as we know we are the only company that can and do chrome-plate on plastic. We do not vacuum-metallize as most people do.

Gold-plated car engine

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:16:06 GMT

Gold-plated engine part. It never stops amazing me to what extend car lovers go. This is not the sort of thing you find in your average car.
This engine has been electroplated with 24 k gold. (Some people must have a lot of money.)
Why not give your car a cosmetic look? This is not the average work we normally do. At Chrometech we are very creative and oblige to the customers wishes.
Our Logo is" If you can imagine it, we can chrome it."
You will be surprised what other interessting things besides plastic car parts, customers bring in to us for chrome-plating.

Sentimental Akubra Hat

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:56:19 GMT
BRONZED AKUBRA HAT.
The trademark name �Akubra�, which is an Aboriginal word for head covering has become an Australian Icon.
The shape is identical with the landscape of outback Australia, with a sharply rising and falling, rough, or jagged surface
I believe they made over 20 different styles of hats for the new Film �Australia�
Our customer was not part of that Film. He traveled across Australia for many years taking accurate measurements of land areas
in order to determine boundaries, elevations, and dimensions. The Akubra has protected millions of Australians against harsh conditions
like sun, wind and rain.
The hat was on his head 6-7 days per week and became his best friend (beside his wife that traveled with him) On his retirement the wife sent
the sentimental worn out hat to be Bronzed.
The Bronzed hat is now a showcase with many stories to be told.
Why not Bronze your sentimental items?

Selectively chrome-plated glasses

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:56:39 GMT

Famous science fiction film. �Neo was a young software engineer and part-time hacker who was singled out by some mysterious figures who wanted
to introduce him into the secret of 'the matrix'. The cops also seemed to be after him, and he took
a chance on discovering what he always suspected: that the world was not quite what it seemed to be and
that a sinister conspiracy is at work.�
You might remember a bar scene where Cypher said (about his drink):
"It's good for two things, degreasing engines and killing brain cells."

The selectively chromed glasses they used for the drinks were Chrome-plated by the Bronzing Studio- Chrometech in Castle Hill.

Our services are regularly used by
� Fox Studio
� Warner Bros
� Model Makers
� Artists
� Sculptors
� Car lovers (Chrome-plating plastic car parts)
� Sports coordinators
� Event coordinators

Steven Menzies bronzed Albion head-gear

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:05:05 GMT
Steven Menzies, who is so recognisable on the field because of the headgear he wears, >br> played his last premiership game in Brookvale.
We at the Bronzing Studio had the honour to chrome-plate Steve Menzies famous Albion head-gear
along with his signature and mounted it onto a wooden base with the Sea Eagles Logo.

We create "one off" corporate and sports awards and capture personalized impressions of your company.
The bronzing process protects for all time your special memories and mementoes I will upload a picture of Steven Menzies special boot award in a blog to follow.

Hot Rod show

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:52:25 GMT
It's been one or two weeks since my last blog.
Sunday 16 November 2008 I exhibited my chromeplated plastic and fiberglass car parts at the Hot rod show in Horsley Park.
At the Show N Shine show as they called it (Our Logo "Let your pride shine") I saw a lot of amazing Hot Rods, vintage and classic cars.
Besides the cars there was a lot of activities and also a live Rock �N Roll band.
A few weeks before the show I promised to chrome-plate a piece of fiberglass for a club member. When he saw the chrome-plated piece
he said " I never expected it to look that fantastic, I haven't even seen steel as shiny as that"
I had my Chrometech sticker on the car and a guy came up to me and said " Oh, I chrome-plated my door handles with Chrometech
about 10 years ago and I use the car everyday and the handles are still as good as new"

Bronzed Pillow case

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:20:38 GMT
Pillows were originally used mainly by the wealthy, and have been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs.
The difficulty of sophisticated dyes and sewing techniques led to the development of pillows as an art form, with highly
decorated pillows becoming prized commodities first in China and Persia and later in Medieval Europe.
Traditional Chinese pillows are often hard boxes made from stone, wood, metal or porcelain instead of stuffed fabric.� (Wikipedia)
I wonder if the artist was inspired by the Chinese? Actually she did an art work themed �Feel The Music�
We at the Bronzing Studio Bronzed the pillow case in a Nickel finish and the artist inserted a sound system.
Wrap it around your stomach, feel the music and be connected. Be innovative, bring your items to the Bronzing Studio and we transform your ideas either in copper, nickel or Chrome.

A touch of Luxury

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:18:42 GMT
Acquire A Touch of Luxury with Chrome.
Chrome always impresses with its smooth finish. But look how fantastic it is with its mirrored finish.
Chrome-plate your dash, grill, door handles, mirrors and it will transform your car into a spectacular show piece.
Real electroplating (copper, nickel, chrome) on plastic involves many complicated processes of many steps. Isn�t it reassuring
to learn that we have over 42 years of experience in chroming on plastic and fibreglass? Could you get excited about that?

Own a masterpiece

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:20:35 GMT
Yes People At Chrometech Help You Own A Masterpiece.
You have probably searched in Google, car forums, looked through car magazines to find an alternative to chrome �look-alike�
We believe that you are aware that it is very difficult but possible to electroplate on plastic and fibreglass.
The basic problem in attempting to electroplate onto plastic is, they are electrically non-conductive. We need to apply a conductive
paint because plastic cannot be immersed in a plating solution and coated in the same way that metal can.
We have nearly 45 years experience in electroplating.
If you want some information on �How to� feel free to get in contact with us.
You can read our articles on our website, read our blog on Google:chromingplastic.blogspot.com

Re-chroming die cast (2nd part)

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:13:10 GMT
Our novel approach to re-chroming die-cast:
1. Stripping off the loose (peeling) electroplated surface either by electro chemical reverse current or wet &dry sanding.
2. A light bead blasting to assure that all the cavities are clean.
3. Etch prime (preferably two pack).
4. High (two pack.
5. Rub back the original contours with wet & dry. (Finishing off with # 1200) Should you have the need to re-apply the High fill,
you must re-coat the rubbed through die-cast surfaces with Etch primer.
1 � 5 is the labour of Love. This is the part that you do yourself or find someone that really really cares for you to do.
It is not that I am lazy and we will do it if money is no object. The problem is that it is difficult to judge how long the preparation work
will take and therefore I can�t quote or if I do quote it is just too expensive.
I then coat the article to be chrome-plated with a thin acrylic resin, make it conductive and subsequently chrome-plate. The acrylic resin
will stop the di-electric interchange between the base copper coat and the die-cast. You are more than welcome to give me a call or e-mail me concerning the above

Re-chroming die-cast

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:53:55 GMT
Re-chroming die-cast.
Re-chroming die-cast has always been a bugger.
Chrome-plating the second time around after it has been pitted is rarely successful.
Reasons being: As you polish or grind the pits away you are removing the fine crystal structure of the die-cast.
The more you polish or grind away the top surface, the coarser the grain structure becomes. During the electroplating process, this coarse grain structure allows more of the electroplating chemicals to penetrate the die-cast. This then will cause gassing and you could experience the bubbling effect of
the chrome-plating in matters of days. Building up the craters with copper, in most cases is not successful. Not only do you have
the issues with the process chemicals being trapped but the di-electrical properties between copper and zinc will accelerate the corrosion.
Tomorrow I will write about our novel approach to re-chroming die-cast.

Chrome-plating on plastic and fiberglass

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:48:25 GMT
What Everybody Should Know... About How To Chrome-plate On Plastic.
As you might not know, electroplating or chroming on plastic and fiberglass is possible.
Gain advantage of our Chrome-plating services at Chrometech.
Now, I know what you are thinking. I have been searching for chroming on plastic and fiberglass
Wow! How untrue.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to show off all that shine and gain prestige?
Don't you feel that you deserve nothing but the best?

Chrome-plating GTXY dashes

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:36:43 GMT
A customer brought in 10 GTXY dashes because he didn�t want chrome look-a-like.
He said � been there done that�.
We at Chrometech are the automotive customising arm of The Bronzing Studio
and can chrome-plate plastic and fibreglass, interior and exterior car parts such as dashboards, grilles, door handles, air vents and mirrors.
Our workmanship is of the highest standard. Chrometech has been commissioned for work by many owners of automobiles from the likes
of Bentley, BMW, Ferrari and Maserati. Whether it�s restoring a bike or modifying a car, Chrometech�s bright work can make your pride shine.

Is your car ready for all that shine?

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:01:38 GMT
Is your car ready to take all that shine? I bet you never knew that chrome-plating on plastic and fiberglass can be done? Impossible you thought!
"We thought that we better let the car enthusiasts know that it is possible to electroplate that plastic and ad that shine on the much loved car"
Last year we electroplated hundreds of dashes, grills, bumper bars, mirrors, arm rests, tail-lights and all other plastic and fiberglass parts.
We have done several Mustang dashes that needed to be cut and modified as part of the RHD conversion. After many hours of preparation
for re-plating, the dash is suspended in a chemical solution that contains the copper/nickel/chrome solution. The item is gently agitated
in the slightly (40 degree celcius) warm solution while a low-voltage current is passed through the solution from an anode on to the piece to be electro-plated

Absolutely stunning chrome-plated honeycomb grill

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:36:23 GMT
Absolutely stunning.
Be better than the rest. Have your plastic car parts electroplated. Yes you heard right.. electroplated,
not vacuum-metallised. Electrifying right? Enjoy being better than the Jones. Our expert team at Chrometech
can help you achieve that shine. I am sure that you would like to know our electroplating plastic chroming process.
We are the only company that can electroplate on plastic. We need to seal the item, e.g. if plating on wood, plaster
or cloth, the item must be made inert so as not to react with the acidic electroplating solution.. Then the item needs to be
made conductive, like conductive ink.(produced in-house) Next we electroplate via electrolysis. The initial copper coating will be followed up with Nickel, Chrome or Gold.
If you want to know more how to chrome-plate on plastic, feel free to contact us or we would be more than happy
to show you around our factory.

Motoring emblem

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:20:05 GMT

Novelty size Motoring emblem.
A customer brought in a fibreglass emblem 600 mm in height to be chrome-plated.
We are the leading specialist on electroplating on plastic and fibreglass and any other non-conductors.
Customized work that has been performed at Chrometech included work for Bentley, Maserati, Ferrari, BMW,
Mazda and chrome work for motor bikes and car motoring enthusiasts.
We make your pride shine at Chrometech.

gob-smacked crowd with all that chrome-plated plastic

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:49:29 GMT
Do want a gob-smacked crowd at the show?
Do you want the cream of the crop when it comes to quality?
To complement the colour of your car why not add a dash of chrome to it?
We at Chrometech will chrome-plate all the plastic of your car.
The finish, as you'd expect, is flawless. Many car lovers think it is impossible to electroplate
on plastic but we at Chrometech achieve the impossible
. Make your pride shine.

A Little about Chrome Plating

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:31:26 GMT

Chrome plating is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object but here at Chromtech we only do non metalic objects.
The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, or increase surface hardness.
Bright chrome is often used as a decorative feature on consumer products such as cars.
There are two types of Industrial chrome plating solutions:Hexavalent chromium baths whose main ingredient is chromic anhydride.
Trivalent chromium baths are not yet common, due to restrictions concerning color, brittleness, and plating thickness.
Components are placed into the chrome plating vat and allowed to warm to solution temperature.
Sometimes the component will enter the chrome plating vat electrically live.
Industrial chromium plating is also known as "Hard Chrome" or "Engineered Chrome". A typical hard chrome vat will plate at about 25 micrometres
Formerly most decorative items affixed to cars were referred to as "chrome", by which phrase was actually meant steel that had undergone several plating processes to endure the temperature changes and weather that a car was subject to outdoors.
The most expensive and durable process involved plating the steel first with copper, and then nickel, before the chromium plating was applied.
Prior to the application of chrome in the 1920s, nickel was used. In the US for the short production runs, prior to the entry into the Second World War, plating was banned to save chromium and the decorative pieces were painted in a complementary color.
Just after the Second World War, some American cars initally came off the assembly line with wooden bumpers -- not due to economy or rarity of the metal, but due to labor action at the plating shops.
In the last years of the Korean War, the banning of chrome was contemplated and several cheaper processes (such as plating with zinc and then coating with shiny plastic) were considered.

fake chrome-plating

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:39:18 GMT

We are getting a lot of work from unhappy customers who had their parts (look -a- like chrome coated)
There is definitely no substitute for electroplated chrome.
Below is an e-mail from an unhappy customer that had a badge done in �chrome look- a - like�
Hi Guys I'm over in Perth and I was wondering do you do plastic chroming and if so I had a Chevy Grill Badge
chromed over here for my VZ SS Thunder Ute and the job was disgusting I refused to pay for the job and they even
broke a lug of the back of the badge so I was wondering if say either I send over to you a new badge and you plastic chrome
it for me or would it be easier for you to buy one over there and chrome it and send it over to me as I have to buy a new
one anyway and I will pay for the whole lot before you send it over of course.

efforts for chromeplating on plastic (step 3)

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:14:37 GMT
After a layer of primer (which helps to smooth the surface of the object and prepare
it for further treatment) and a session in the drying oven, a blast in the spray booth sees
each component treated with up to four layers of a conductive compound. The important word is "conductive".
This allows the chrome-plating process (which relies on electric current to deposit pure metal onto the surface
of the object being chrome-plated or electroplated) to occur once the object is hung in the plating tanks and a jolt
of current sent through it. That's why thick copper wire is used- to deliver the heavy current from the transformer to the object.

efforts in chrome-plating plastic

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:38:42 GMT

We at Chrometech would love to give you and idea of the effort involved in chroming on plastic.
General preparation includes disassembly of multi-part components (such as glove box lids) and the
repair and smoothing of older chipped or damaged components. Many vintage, rare or irreplaceable car parts
require crack repairs and surface smoothing before the chroming process can begin. Most plastic car parts
from tail light bodies to gearshift surrounds can be given the treatment. The first real production step at Chrometech
is the wiring of the objects. Components which are to be plated are mounted on thick copper wire which allows them to be
immersed in the plating tanks. Some larger or smaller objects, such as an instrument cluster, require two or more wires.
At this stage, parts of each object which are to remain unplated (such as the see-through faces of instruments)
are carefully masked so they don�t cop a coat of chrome.
Step 3 to be continued tomorrow.

electroplating/chroming plastic

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:50:41 GMT
Like a panel for paint, the part to be chrome-plated is cleaned of all paint, chrome or whatever.
Chrome is vaguely similar to paint in that conventional mods-like body filler- are used to fill gaps in metal.
Once clean, any chips, nicks, cracks or pits are repaired with a filler and sanded smooth,
and copper electrodes are glued to pre-drilled holes.
The process of chroming is called electroplating and the bright, reflective finish is achieved by applying
several layers of an electrically conductive media to the surface. While an electrical charge is run through
the part, the plating only bonds to the pre-treated area.
To have a part, be it in plastic, timber, glass, porcelain, fibreglass or whatever you want chrome-plated,
all you need to do is disassemble the parts and get it to the Chrometech guys. They prefer to clean the parts
themselves using solvents that won't harm the part or the finish.
The part is given about 3-4 coats of primer which bonds to the base material and allows for 3-4 coats of plating.
The part is then copper, nickel and then chrome-plated for a minimum of eight hours to assure a solid coat covers the entire part.

shiny chromed plastic car parts

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:45:50 GMT
The super-shiny colourless stuff that most of us know
as chrome-plate has been used on cars for decades.
Not only does it look good, but it protects steel bumpers
and other bits from corrosion.
Cars of the 1950s are probably the best known for their
use of chrome, with shine dripping from everywhere from grills to radio knobs.
But contrary to popular opinion, the use of chrome isn�t
restricted to steel bumpers and headlight rims.
Chrometech opens up a whole new universe for car modifiers by applying
chrome to just about anything that can be unbolted or unclipped from your car.
We can repair small chrome items on older cars, but more and more of our
work involves components such as bonnet vents, door handles and plastic
interior components.
In fact, anything from bars of chocolate (!) to champagne corks
to kiddies shoes can all be chromed.

The Chrome Age

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:29:56 GMT

The Chrome Age
Chrome-plating is back in style and this time, it�s not just metal.
Take a look at the top cars at shows and on the street and you�ll see
chromed wheels, chromed bumpers,grilles, plastic trim and all sorts
of chromed accessories from interior fittings to body parts and engine bits.
The advent of plastic chromed bumper bars, grilles and exterior mirrors gradually
saw chrome work disappear from the exterior of production models but the latest
electro-plating technology allows just about anything to be chrome-plated,
either partially or wholly. Today customers are chrome-plating all those parts
that are plastic. Even fibreglass isn�t immune to chrome!

chroming car and bike plastic parts

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:48:01 GMT

Do you want to be better as the rest?
Do you want to stand out?
Do you want to impress your girl-friend?
Let your pride shine.
Chrome plate all of your plastic interior and exterior
car parts and you definitely are in to win with all that chrome.
Why not arrange a visit to our chroming place.
A few weeks ago we had about 30 members of the Gold Wing club
at our factory to show them how we chrome-plate on plastic.
It was a fun day with Pizza and soft drinks.
We would be more than happy to arrange a visit with your car or bike club.

chroming plastic car parts

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:27:53 GMT

What is it about cars that men go crazy about?
Is it because a nice car is a "babe magnet"?
What is it with men and cars?
Is it a competitive thing among men to see who can
do the best job in restoring a car to its original state and better?
We at Chrometech make your pride shine.
We are the leading plastic chroming specialist
in Australia that transform that ugly black dash
into a sparkling chrome plated dash that everyone will envy.

Chroming about us

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:36:54 GMT

We are the largest electroplaters of non-conductors
(all surfaces excluding metals) in the Southern Hemisphere,
located in the heart of Castle Hill Trading Estate in Western Sydney.
In-house we have more than 40 years experience in the field of electroplate Chroming
and the management of electro chrome plating plants both in Europe and Asia.
Our innovative developments in Australia have also widened the application
of electoplate chroming to the international film animation market.
The Bronzing Studio-Chrometech performed special effect electroplate chroming and bronzing
for filmsincludingSuperman, Star wars, Matrix and the Terminator
We are a member of the Australasian Institute of Metal Finishing
and are in industry partnership supporting environmental change
in the electroplating industry.
To operate in our industry we hold licences with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sydney Water and Poisonous Goods