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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

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Can "black-chrome" be done to aluminum?

Hello, I'm working on building a BMX bike from the early 80's. The first time I saw "black-chrome" was on a BMX bike made of 4130 chromoly. The finish looked like a black mirror. My bike is made of 6061 T6 aluminum. Is it possible to "black-chrome" aluminum?
Thanks, Allen

Allen Nave
BMX bikes - Dayton Ohio
July 26, 2009

Hi, Allen. Aluminum requires a different pretreatment cycle than steel, and not every plating shop is set up to plate aluminum . . . but the answer is, sure, aluminum can be electroplated with any finish you like, including black chrome.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
August 3, 2009

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