Whatever type of bumper or auto component you need repaired and replated for your antique, vintage or classic muscle car Best Bumper Supply can meet your needs.

Steel bumpers are hand straightened by experienced craftsman and the repaired areas are ground to a 150 grit finish. Quite often, on older models, the nickel plate that is the base layer under the chrome will be degraded and must be removed either abrasively or through the use of a reverse polarity sulphuric strip tank. After the old plating layers of chrome, nickel and sometimes copper have been removed, the polishing process begins.

Ideally the backs of the bumpers are sandblasted to remove dirt, rust, tar or other debris. Then the face of the bumper is polished to 150#, then 180#, then 220#, and finally a sisal buff (when necessary) to bring the bumper to a mirror finish prior to plating. You may note that all polishing is done prior to plating. This is because hexavalent decorative chrome is a finish coat unlike hexavalent hard chrome, which is what hydraulic cylinders and gun components are made of, and can be both polished and buffed after plating. Hexavalent decorative chrome is a final finished product when electroplated onto a part.

After polishing, the steel part (ex. Bumper) must be degreased, cleaned and acid activated so that the nickel/chrome plate will adhere properly. The part is then decorative nickel plated for forty-five to seventy-five minutes depending on mass and current density. Again this decorative nickel is not the hard nickel that is used in gun components and other industrial applications.

Quite often, for show chrome on problem bumpers, after nickel plating the part is removed fro the plating line and returned to the polishing room where it is sisal buffed again to really help build a depth and brightness to the finish. The part is then returned to the plating line where the process starts again with degreasing then acid activating and nickel plating a second time for another thirty to sixty minutes.

Finally, after inspection, the part is ready to be chrome plated. This is a very critical time. If any of a myriad of problems occur like the work bar breaking electrical contact momentarily, the part touches an anode, the electrical current is too high or low, if the plating time is incorrect, or if we have a high current density burn the part must be stripped and the process starts all over. Hexavalent decorative chrome is very unforgiving! That is why professionalism and craftsmanship are so integrally important for everything to work correctly. Best Bumper has the professional craftsman on staff to achieve these goals. The part is chrome electroplated, cleaned, inspected, wrapped and authorized for delivery or pickup. Customers should always paste wax chrome parts before installation and keep them waxed.

Chrome is electromagnetically attached to the component. The chrome bath is a static bath and chrome cannot go into a low density area or into an inverted angle. That is why bumpers are designed using a convex curve with very few concave (low density) areas.

Stainless steel moldings are gently straightened and bright polished. These kind of moldings are typically very thin and only minor damage can be repaired properly.

Zinc die cast (also know as "Pot Metal") can be replated but it cannot be properly welded if broken. This is attributed to the characteristics of zinc die cast. Originally it is a molten metal that is poured into a form or mold and later the raw metal is struck with copper cyanide to increase the conductivity and then it is acid copper plated followed by nickel plating and finally chrome plating. Zinc die cast is difficult to replate because all of the undercoats of copper and nickel must be removed and the reverse polarity stripping process also eats into the base metal. It is very difficult to strip zinc die cast metal. Also, because of the nature of zinc die cast, it doesn't degrade form the surface down (like rust on steel) but rather degrades (rots) throughout and these rotted areas become air pockets that reveal themselves as you polish into the part. In conclusion, zinc die cast can be rechromed but not rebuilt.

Aluminum parts are straightforward and can be repolished to a mirror finish.

Wheels

At the factory where they are plating literally thousands of the same design of wheel, the manufacturer fabricates an anode specifically for that particular wheel in order to force the chrome into the low density areas. Without the anode for each specific wheel, it is a hit or miss endeavor to attempt to replate them. Some plating shops use modified copper cables in an attempt to simulate the original anode with varying degrees of success.

Best Bumper Supply prides itself on Quality, Service, Price and Integrity and this policy requires us to not chrome plate wheels.