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How do you obtain a "Brushed Chrome" Finish?




Q. Greetings,

I have entered the arena of custom motorcycle building as a new hobby. My question, what process, other then chemical, could be used to provide a "brushed" chrome look on finished chrome aluminum billet parts, without fracturing the very thin existing chrome layer?

Peter Nikiforos
- Valley Cottage, New York
2003




"How to Plate, Polish and Chrome"

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Q. We recently had a request from a customer for a brushed chrome finish on a A380 aluminum diecast part:

-Is a brushed chrome finished possible for this kind of material? If so, can someone please explain the process the best way possible. I don't have much experience with plating and I want to be able to understand the process fully before we source for plating companies.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Jose Gonzalez
Quality Engineer - Newtown, Connecticut, USA
August 2, 2013


A. Jose, you're right to check this before sending out for plating because it's best to do a polish on the part prior to plating. 16 is a bit too smooth and 63 Ra, or a little higher, is on the upper end of the polish needed. Polish in a single direction with a 120 wheel or similar system and then step down to 80 or so. Use the normal precautions or else you'll run into trouble. It's pretty tricky to do for rookies so you might want to lean on a reputable supplier or at least run some samples to show the client because it can be slightly subjective, particularly if the lighting is different when you inspect versus the application or the client's facility. Another thing to be careful of is if the plating specification is thick, if so you'll need to take extra steps but usually the technique I mentioned is for fairly thin coatings. If you have a very thick coating you may need to do some plating then polish than add a little more plating depending on the specification requirements, if any. One other thing to be aware of - this finish can be a bit less protective than other finishes, so be careful what you sign up for in terms of client requirement. This particular finish is mostly used for decorative purposes. Good luck.

blake kneedler
Blake Kneedler
Feather Hollow Eng. - Stockton, California
August 6, 2013




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