Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - December 2008 - (Page 49)

SPECIAL FEATURE STORIES Custom Plating Specialist, Inc., in Brillion, Wisconsin, has put shiny plating on a variety of metal items from old tools that a company plated as a reward for a long-term employee, to antique tractor ornaments to a radiator for a La Salle like the one Archie Bunker used to reminisce about. Custom Plating Specialist, Inc., can also repair the pot metal trim found on some vintage motorcycles. Company owner Terry Meetz says that a growing number of the jobs he is doing lately involve parts for collectible motorcycles. For instance, he did all the plating on a replica of the “Captain America” motorcycle. The company’s appeal to vintage bike collectors is logical for two reasons. First, Terry sees interest in collecting bikes growing as gas prices rise. Secondly, Custom Plating Specialist, Inc., was started for car collectors, so it’s natural that bike collectors followed. Twenty-three years ago, a company that was plating parts for Terry’s father’s Thunderbird restoration business decided to get out of the chrome-plating trade. Terry knew the plating work was still going to be needed, so he decided to buy the business. “I had to learn a lot,” he says. “Luckily, it paid off in the long run, because now I’m busy 12 hours a day five days per week.” Being from Wisconsin, Meetz sees some pretty rusty motorcycle parts. When a piece is heavily pitted, the question becomes, “Can we fix it and how?” Terry says he can’t bring “dead metal” back to life. “If you poke it with an ice pick and it goes through, the part may not be fixable. You get that once in awhile.” RESTORATION TIPS Copper is soft and polishes to a high sheen. Its level of brilliance determines the chrome's final appearance. Surprisingly, it’s the pits on back of a piece that concern Meetz the most. “If it’s pitted on the back, it will be pitted on the front, even if it doesn’t look bad,” he says. “On the front, where the bike was waxed, less pitting will show, but people didn’t wax the back of the trim, so a lot of times the back is the worst.” Chrome Plating Chrome plating is based on an electrolytic process. The parts being plated are placed in a tank filled with a liquid electrolyte that conducts electricity. This makes a DC circuit. A bar of plating material is the anode (+) and the piece to be plated is the cathode (—). When the circuit is switched on, current flowing from anode to cathode and carries tiny pieces of plating material to the part. The plater changes the plating material, electrolyte and amperage to plate different metals. Although chrome is a costly metal, very little is used. The true expense in plating is in preparation of the motorcycle part. Meetz pointed out that two similar parts could vary in plating cost if one has more pitting. Terry doesn’t count each pit. He inspects the piece and uses 25 years of experience to set his price. WALNECKS.COM I WALNECK’S CLASSIC CYCLE TRADER® | December 2008 49 http://www.WALNECKS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - December 2008

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - December 2008 Contents American The Buzz w/ Buzz Walneck Motorcycle Tips w/ Mike Brown 1988 Harley Davidson KLH 883 When Fools Rush In - You, the Law, and Your Next Restoration Project 1963 Parilla 125 Wildcat Test Chrome Plating by John Gunnell 1955 NSU 250 Max Events Listings & Advertisements Bench Racing w/ Mark Zimmerman British Biker of the Month Port-A-Chopper K-Model by Buzz Walneck BUB 2008 by Somer Hooker European Japanese Motorbikes & Scooters Memorabilia Antique Cycle Clubs The Vard - America's Lost Motorcycle Parts, Accessories, Want Ads How to Place a Word Ad How to Place a Photo Ad Area Code Directory How to Subscribe Let Us Help With Your Event

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - December 2008

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