Letter 7166

Black Chrome Plating aluminum auto wheels? [Ill., USA]

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My question is...Is black chrome plating possible for aluminum auto wheels?? How would the finish stand up to brake dust, grim, etc. I've heard black chrome is not as durable as regular chrome.

If it is possible, is there anybody in the Midwest, US that can do it.

Thanks in Advance,

Don C
- Downers Grove, IL United States

The aluminum used in auto wheels is miserable stuff because it is a pressure casting rather than a wrought material. Then there is the possibility of scraped curbs. And on top of that, metallic brake dust causes galvanic corrosion if it sits on them. But if you accept all that, yes, aluminum wheels can be and certainly are chrome plated -- and there's probably no particular reason they can't be black chromed instead of conventional chrome.

Two of the site's supporting advertisers who offer black chrome plating are U.S. Chrome of New York and Highland Plating (Los Angeles).

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

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