Jointer Hand Wheels & Chrome Plating

[Carroll Courtney]

Guys,I am working on restoring a jointer consisting of cleaning,stripping,sanding,and filling.I was cleaning the hand wheels and notice there are small spots of rust.But the surface is smooth.What I'm wondering is having the wheels chrome plated to bring them back to new.Has anyone done this before,or is the cost just to high?I have look in the phone book and there are several around town,just afew hrs away.What would you recommend?Thanks Carroll

[David DeCristoforo]

Re-plating involves first stripping in a very noxious bath of goo that will also remove any rust. So no worries there. Costs will vary wildly from shop to shop. But since there is no good way to repair damaged chrome, re-plating would be the way to go if you want them to look "as new".

YM

[glenn bradley]

I would shop around and beg favors if at all possible. The hot dip will remove the existing chrome and darn near anything else so no troubles on the rust. Now, troubles with the cost? That'll be up to you ;-)

[Doug Shepard]

You might want to try getting Auto Chrome polish if there's no pitting. I've gotten pretty good results with it shining up some tool parts.

[Matt Meiser]

A possible alternative would be to wire wheel it until it looks good and then finish with a clear finish to keep them looking good.

[Lee Schierer]

Chrome will be pretty costly. I would suggest a flash zinc plating if you are just worried about rust. If you want a more eye appealing surface then have it nickel plated. Both would be less costly than chrome.

[Pat Germain]

Have you considered powder coating? It's not very expensive, it's extremely durable, and you can get just about any color you want.

[Steven DeMars]

A place like Browns plating will do the job. They typically do Harley parts. You may have to BS them and tell them they are parts for bike trailer or something like that. They do motorcycle parts ONLY, but they are the best. I had them do dummy 40 MM shells before.