How do you prepare your parts for the plating? Sand blasting?
Sure many take the time to wire wheel each and every piece - really makes a difference in some cases. My stuff often has no rust pitting so the bath that the parts go in before plating often strips a little surface rust and paint if present.
Sure some guys are using their big vibrating polishers now
How did you make sure you had all the parts together, some master list or do you do enough cars that if you forget it the first time you can have it done next time.
Normally I have more problems since I have multiples from different years and plants. So keeping all that straight can be a challenge but if something gets plated zinc, for example, that should not be its easy enough to strip it off. The end result is that I end up with a nice clean part in either case.
In general, before I do a couple of batches I take a trip to a couple of yards, strip the nuts and bolts from a couple of cars (lic plate lights, taillight buckets...... too
. Normally it does not cost me any more (other than the big parts that stand out to the guy giving the quote) to do three times more, when compared to one car.
Typically you get the "how many cars do you have comment??" but you just tell them your just making sure you don't come up short. In addition not all are going to turn our really great, so you get to pick the best then sell or keep the rest
Whats the minimum amount of stuff your plater will take? I should ask around to see what my local plating places are willing to do.
Most don't have a minimum unless they have to do a special tank just for your stuff. Instead you stack as much as they will take for a base price to get your best value for the dollars. Some guys have found shops that do big industrial batches where they sneak in some small lots (with the batches) for beer and pizza money (read CASH deal)
