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Great Nickel Plating for Scooter Exhaust and Fireplace Tool Handles Needed

March 7, 2011

To all you Finishing Experts, Thank You. Great site!
To anyone who can advise me.
I hear plating in CA California crappy as all the enviro. regs, probably crappy in a lot of places now etc.

I want to have 3 scooter 2-stroke exhaust pipes 70-90cc (some water cooled, some liquid cooled) Nickel Plated in most durable thick Nickel plate possible/feasible.
The pipes are new as I hear they won't dip them if they have been run/burnt 2-stroke oil inside/makes sense.

My question is what do you suggest I tell Plater to do- your site says THICK/HEAVY COAT OF NICKEL (OR MANY COATS?)
Heavy copper coat first? etc? etc.?

Most important question is Where/what shop should I go to, I hear Nevada has good plating shops, less regulation etc.?
And of course I do not want/need most costly as this is not expensive Chromed Harley, but my scooters are nice, just want value and long lasting, I mean does not necessarily have to be polished/pretty just durable and will stick on and never rust etc. Value most important.
Will I save $ on having them Nickel Plate, but not polish them, or not polish them well?
But maybe I should do it as if it costs a bunch anyway, why not pay extra to have them polished?
What's your take?

Any suggestions on shop and what I may want to advise them for pipes. Don't want to tell them their job, but in case they do not do Pipes too often I know you know plating probably better than they do.

Also I have some Fireplace tools Pokers, etc. that I want the handles Nickel Plated, and maybe these should be more pretty/Polished than Ex. Pipes.
Same questions above also apply to Fireplace tools.

Also have some billet aluminum motocross and jet ski stuff I want Color Anodized, so same questions above apply to this as well.

I had a friend who works at CA chrome shop chrome my van bumper and it rusted and pitted badly within 1 year, so I am afraid of CA local plating etc.

Thanks much,
Scott

Scott Hansen
Scooter Hobbyist - Laguna Hills, California, USA

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There are plenty of plating shops which do high quality work which will satisfy you. Talk to the high-dollar hot rod guys, they will send you to the right places.

Never tell a good shop how to do the work. Rather,
tell them the result you want. And be prepared to pay for high quality work.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
March 11, 2011