Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Should I enamel an antique fruit shop scale or chrome plate it?

Hi, I'm restoring an old fruit shop scale and undecided whether to chrome the fruit bowl or enamel it. Are there different types of chrome processes and is it safe to store fruit in it? Are there any questions I should ask the chrome dipping company?

Fay Roditis
restorer - Australia
February 17, 2011

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Chrome will work fine for many fruits, but it may have a bit of a problem with the juice of a few that are very acidic.

Next, calling chrome electroplating "dipping" is fighting words to most platers. It is a far more complex operation that probably should involve a copper-nickel-nickel-chrome plated surface for shine and longevity.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
February 18, 2011

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James - I worked in a multi-purpose job shop which replated car parts as a small side line.

One day a potential customer walked in with a car part he wanted "dipped". The foreman spent quite some time with this guy explaining that the process involved much more than dipping. The customer insisted and insisted that he was going to get his part dipped, right then and there, while he waited.

Finally the foreman took the part, dipped it in the chrome tank, handed it back to the guy and walked away.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
February 21, 2011