PDA

View Full Version : Anyone here use CASWELL plating kits?



NickP
04-19-2018, 09:02 AM
Needing to do some nitride coating on some shifter parts. Looking at the CASWELL products page, they have a Boron Nitride Electroless Nickle but I'm not certain of color/finish. Any thoughts?

Rick_L
04-19-2018, 09:08 AM
Electroless nickel plating is kind of a satin finish, not bright like chrome. It's becoming very popular for kitchen and bath plumbing and light fixtures in recent years, if you've seen any of those. There are also AN and a/c fittings available in nickel plate. Not sure how "nitride" figures into this.

A number of years ago a guy I know plated all the brightwork on an El Camino in nickel plate, along with hand brushing all the aluminum trim, which gave a similar finish. Certainly a very different look. He did all the plating himself, but I don't know if he used Caswell for the equipment - probably did.

chevynut
04-19-2018, 09:08 AM
I thought about getting one of their kits to do some zinc plating of my C4 parts but it was so cheap to have a plating shop do them that I bagged the idea.

Florida 57
04-19-2018, 12:35 PM
Thought about getting their "GOLD" plate kit for the 57 BelAir V-8 "CHEVROLET" as the early scripts according to the product data book (2-14-57) "Early production emblems and scripts were gold plated. After November 1st (approximately) these parts were made from a more durable material, gold anodized aluminum."
I have in NOS some early gold ones that appear to be a type of white metal with the casting number on the back, and some alumn. ones with no casting number. Perhaps one day as I think it would be interesting to see the results.

Troy
04-19-2018, 03:14 PM
I bought and still have the Zinc Plating Kit but haven't used it yet. Maybe some day I will. My kid bought all of the stuff to do anodizing of aluminum. He anodized some of the hardware on his Outlaw Racing Kart. It turned out pretty good but faded much sooner than professional anodizing.

Rick_L
04-19-2018, 04:37 PM
Troy, maybe it faded quicker than professionally done, maybe not. My experience is that if you anodize aluminum that has the mill finish, it fades fairly quickly. If you use polished aluminum, it looks better when new and will stay that way longer. Alloy may make a difference too, don't know about that one way or the other. The nicest anodized aluminum sheet I've been around was purchased polished, with a protective adhesive plastic sheet that stays on until it's at the anodizer. Had a dragster with the entire body made from the polished sheet, then anodized (to save weight). The finish lasted pretty good, in fact the reason it eventually got painted was to fix some dents etc.

Troy
04-20-2018, 07:12 AM
Rick,

I think my kids problem was he doesn't have any patients and didn't take the time to allow the dye to "soak" in.

BamaNomad
04-20-2018, 08:31 AM
Doctors can be that way! :D

Troy
04-20-2018, 11:11 AM
Doctors can be that way! :D

Sorry patience!!! I even looked it up in a dictionary and it said something about someone being in a hurry, so I just used it.


noun
1.
a person who is under medical care or treatment.
2.
a person or thing that undergoes some action.
3.
Archaic. a sufferer or victim.
adjective
4.
bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.
5.
characterized by or expressing such a quality:
a patient smile.
6.
quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, especially in detail or exactness:
a patient worker.
7.
undergoing the action of another (opposed to agent ).