Plating

Plated Cars How To – The first thing to consider when having cars plated is, of course, a plater. That is, someone who plates metal. This will be necessary unless you intend to do the plating yourself. And although some companies offer “home plating kits,” they are not recommended. David Elliott tells us they are not as easy to master as the literature would lead us to believe. So you need a competent plater. But that’s not always easy to find. Why? Because most plating companies work with large parts, or at least, larger quantities than a couple of diecast cars. One solution to this problem is getting together a bunch of friends who’d also like to have a few cars plated. The prospective plater will be much easier to convince if confronted with a couple dozen cars than one or two. Expect the per car price to be around $15-20, depending on how much prep work you’ve done. And speaking of prep work… You really need to strip and polish the cars in advance if possible. We’ve already discussed how to strip cars, and how to polish them. Doing this will further convince your plater to accept the job. Expect to wait several days for your cars to be completed by the plater. And remember, any casting imperfections before the plating will certainly show up after the plating! Chrome Plated Nitty Gritty Kitty!