Restoring hardware

[Enemy Ace]

Has anyone replated their hardware or does everyone send it out? Yellow Cad plate is inaccurate for the T-6, hardware should be silver. Has anyone prepped and replated their hardware? I would like to do this and some guidance would be very helpful.

[Stoney]

In 1984 I used a Co. in Oakland, CA that did the cad 1 plating, don't know if they are still there.

[bdk]

I have in the past. Most of the plating businesses folded up in SoCal due to the environmental regulations and the decline in aerospace. It is easier for me to just buy new stuff and live with the gold cad. Of course I'm not doing a 100 point restoration with cotton insulated wire either.

Any place that does the Type II, should be able to do the type I. My understanding is that the Type II is just a secondary process done over the Type I.

[Chunks]

This has been discussed somewhat recently here, I think Greg Vallero mentioned a company in Dallas, TX that was doing it. You may try a search, I'll try to find it later...

Chunks

[shrike]

The gold finish is indeed a secondary process. Getting the silver finish is just a matter of asking for it that way.
We have about 100lbs of hardware replated every month using two different places. PM me for details.

[Enemy Ace]

I was actually hoping someone had made a small plating setup that I could replicate so that I could re plate small batches of parts in my hangar as I work on different things.
I believe some old timer gunsmiths have small plating benches that they use to do small parts but I don't know about Cad plating, I think they normally use silver and nickel.
I have purchased some books on how to do plating, Lindsay's metal working books are very helpful, but I am more of a visual learner, not enough pictures for me.

[bdk]

I think that Vultures Row has set up their own plating tanks and baking ovens.

[shrike]

Eastwood and Brownell's both have brush-plating set ups, but Cadmium isn't an option,

[bdk]

There is a MIL-SPEC that needs to be followed regarding baking after plating to avoid hydrogen embrittlement. Make sure you understand that before you begin!

[The Inspector]

And don't forget PPE if you're going to futz around with Cadmium! The stuff is deadly poisonous and like most nasty chemicals we use and are around all the time, they are trans dermal so wear gloves other than latex or surgical as they are porous. A serious respirator is a necessity too (not a party mask, they are absolutely worthless!) as a guard against inhaling the fumes during the plating process which will also kill you oh, by the way! It's a good idea to wash & scrub the heck out of your hands after handling newly plated stuff.

We tried stylus cad plating a couple times @ BFG/TRAMCO but had, at best so-so results.

[bdk]

Inspector, you really know how to ruin a guy's fun. Next you'll be telling me to stop eating old white paint chips.

[Matt Gunsch]

some of the enjoyable things you need to do silver cad is muratic acid, cadnium anodes, and liquid cyanide, the last 2 are not user friendly, and if you mix the first and 3rd, you just created your own personal gas chamber.

[Deuelly]

I use "The Works" drain cleaner. Slosh your hardware around in it for about two minutes and rinse. It removes the yellow dichromate coating on the cad. I've done batches of a couple hundred bolts in plastic drink bottles in about ten minutes.

[RobC]

Deuelly, How do you do your fiberlock nuts? You can't put them in that stuff, can you?

[Deuelly]

RobC, I've done the newer fiberlocks with the plastic but never the older one's with the actual fiber, Garlock type material.