Re: Cadmium Plating (as it relates to light switches) and other minutia

Posted by DJ.Voyce on May 17, 1998 at 10:05:44

In Reply to: Cadmium Plating (as it relates to light switches) and other minutia
posted by Gordon Biggar on May 16, 1998 at 21:41:50

G'Day Gordon,
The easiest way for me to answer the bits that I can will be by inserting bits & pieces in brackets into your posting where I can help, so here we go.

: Cars would go back together much more quickly if one didn't get bogged down in details.Since cad plating seems to be done by the pound at most shops (with a minimum charge of $40, at least here in Houston), I've been scouring the Judging Standards to ensure that anything that even smells like cadmium will come off of my vehicle for plating.
{I bet that you still miss some}

: The light switch body (two pieces) may pose an interesting dilemma, about which I'm hoping the pros among you will have some thoughts.Once I started disassemblying same, I realized that the wiring to the tail lamps would have to be unattached.{There should be a bullet connector} (Someone has told me that there was only one tail lamp [left rear] when the cars came off the assembly line.Is this true, {yes I believe so}
or could a right rear lamp be ordered as a customer option?){yes I believe so}

I am told that cad plating is accomplished by first dipping the piece in question in an acid bath;
{This is correct & it's to etch clean the surface to be plated}
then the plating is performed in a similar manner.Is this true?
{No it's not, Cadmium plating is performed by a process of electrolysis whilst the item is suspended in a solution of electrolyte}
Since the base of the switch body contains a brass(?) contact plate, held in place by three rivets, will this first have to be removed before the plating is done?
{No not at all , the process will not affect either the brass contacts or the fibre board & it can quite safely stay put}
If so, can similar pop rivets (without the holes) be found to rivet the plate back into place?I'd prefer to approach the plating shop armed with info, instead of relying on a shop's flip(?) answers.I would think that portions of a metal piece (e.g., the stop pins on the Zenith carb - although removable) could be plated individually, although this technique may require "special handling" -- for an aditional charge, I'm sure!
{From my experience, the biggest problem is to make sure nothing small gets lost in the process & most shops that carry out Cadmium plating won't carry out any preparation whatsoever as far as removing scratches, pre-polishing etc. is concerned, as it's considered to be an anti-corrosive & not decorative finish (as far as they're concerned)}

: The wiring harness on my '30 Sport Coupe is frayed, appears "old" in appearance, but is in serviceable condition.The color coding of the wires appears correct.Is there a way to discern whether this is the original wiring, or something that might have been replaced 20-40 years ago?I'd like to "go with the old," unless it is not original.I understand that Bratton's has a very nice repro harness. {Can't help you here}
Continuing right along: I polished up the bracket that holds the glass sediment bowl in place (i.e., the piece that attaches to the firewall).Now that I can see what it is -- pot metal -- can the finish be preserved by using a satin polyurethene coating -- or the like -- to prevent its tarnishing over time?
{Any clear lacquer or even clear nail polish will preserve the finish for a while, but normally discolours from the dye use in your gas}
{A good idea would be to look into a home type plating set up as Tony suggested as I'm sure it's relatively simple & inexpensive & a great amount of satisfaction can be derived from the finished product, except you'd have no one to blame if anything went missing}

Engine rebuilding was so much more fun...

: Thanks for any thoughts that might come my way.

: Regards,

: Lord George
: Houston




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