Wednesday, August 27, 2008



After a layer of primer (which helps to smoothe the surface of the object to be chromed 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 here is "conductive". This allows the chroming process (which relies on electric current to deposit pure metal onto the surface of the object being chrome-plated) 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 object.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008









Bronzed cigarette.

Most people who smoke have thought about giving it up.
We at the Bronzing Studio have a solution what to do with your last cigarette.
When you are ready to give it up, smoke only half the cigarette and put it out.
Bring it in to us and we can bronze it for you with a metal of your choice and then engrave it (My last puff, or my last cigarette )and date when you gave it up.
You can either carry the bronzed cigarette with you and when you have the urge, take it out of your pocket, look at it and feel proud of your achievement or you can mount it onto a wooden base and engrave a plaque.
Invite your friends that supported you giving up smoking and there will definitely be a lot to talk about.
















































efforts involved in chroming on plastic



We at Chrometech would love to give you an 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.

Monday, August 25, 2008


Like a panel for paint, the part to be chrome-plated is cleaned of all 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 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.
While an electrical charge is run through the part, the plating only bonds to the pre-treated area.
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.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.

Friday, August 22, 2008





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 the1950s 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.