Re: Okay, puzzlers, ponder this one

Boo Boo wrote: 
On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 05:35:36 GMT, WaIIy <eIvez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 22:26:54 GMT, Ernie B.
<ebaresch_REMOVE_@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:55:55 -0800 nick c wrote:


Geeze Ernie, production drawing decimal tolerances were generally listed as being +/- 0.000 max. Manufacturing couldn't handle greater than that.

Numerical Control does amazing things these days, so I'm told. Did you ever watch the _American Chopper_ guys hog a wheel out of a solid aluminum block? Smooth as a baby's *** and ready for the chrome shop.

They don't chrome aluminum wheels. 


BZZZZZT, wrong. It can be done and takes a special process. Not just any
chrome shop will try it or can do it. A friends shop used to do it. Here
is a quote I found online from somebody that knows something about it:

I read Wally's post thinking he meant to say, as a rule, they don't chrome aluminum wheels. I have mixed feelings about the copper plating, which I think is not really a plating but a copper *strike* because Chrome bonds best on copper and generally copper *strike* is sufficient for bonding. However, the use of Copper, though it be separated by zinc and nickel from aluminum, would still bother me.


"The essential thing is that aluminum alloy must be zincated before it
is plated. Then it ideally should be electroless nickel plated. Then
copper plated and buffed. Then duplex nickel plated and finally chrome
plated. Some of the best sources for information on this would be "shop
writeup" columns in the plating journals like "Decorative Plating of
Aluminium Wheels" by Borruso ,Sizelove, and Zaki, published in Metal
Finishing, June 91 and "Chromium Plating Car Wheels" by the staff of
Plating and Surface Finishing, Oct 93, and the suppliers of the
processes."


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