Decorative or Hard Chrome Plating?
Should I use decorative or hard chrome for plating brass handrails?
Q. One of my customers wants chrome plating on brass handrails. He also expects a life of five years for these rails. Should I use decorative or hard chrome for plating these rails? J.P]
A. The first point to discuss with your customer is whether a bright shiny finish or a matte finish is required. As you are no doubt aware, decorative chrome gives you a bright, attractive finish, while hard chrome gives you a matte appearance and is less attractive to many people. The hard chrome will probably last a lot longer on the handrails, but in my experience most handrails are usually plated with a bright finish. This means a decorative chrome process should be used.
Related Content
-
3 Tests to Ensure Parts are Clean Prior to Plating
Making sure that all of the pre-processing fluids are removed prior to plating is not as simple as it seems. Rich Held of Haviland Products outlines three tests that can help verify that your parts are clean.
-
In-House Blackening of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals
Process satisfies customers’ shipping requirements while meeting stricter water regulations in times of drought.
-
Products Finishing Reveals 2023 Qualifying Top Shops
Each year PF conducts its Top Shops Benchmarking Survey, offering shops a tool to better understand their overall performance in the industry. The program also recognizes shops that meet a set of criteria to qualify as Top Shops.