Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Seeking Rims Re-Chromed

 

I am looking for a place in NJ to have my rims re-chromed. They are flaking and coming off. Hope you can help.

Regards,

Chris Herles
- Flemington, NJ

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Chris,

There are aftermarket refinishers that do this type of work, however - and I do stress however - these refinishing shops rarely do the type of job that the original manufacturer does. The difference in the chrome plating quality is substantial, and you never quite get that same uniform white color that you are looking for. usually, it is reddish, bluish, and greenish - and it varies between each wheel.

Original manufacturers use what is called an auxiliary anode - its an electrode that fills in each of the little holes in the wheel rim so that the chrome is evenly applied in a uniform thickness. These are fairly expensive - especially unless you are doing several hundred of the same types of wheels - so they use a simple sheet anode. When that happens, you get a lot of chrome on the edges closest to the electrode, and very little in the holes of the wheel. That results in a color difference - and - the very real possibility that you will be doing it all over again in a couple of years.

If you have chrome plated aluminum wheels, I wouldn't even think of having these refinished - its an art form - and very few companies can do it on a smaller scale and maintain quality.

Tom Baker
wastewater treatment specialist - Warminster, Pennsylvania