No chrome, no nickel just copper. To start off with Im building a 53 Willys wagon and My thoughts are to paint it a dark satin green with all the trim copper plated. Im looking for picks of cars, advice or any ideas.
welcome to the hamb! heh.... Neat idea about the dull green with copper trim, after a few years the trim will match the paint
your picture is a dead give away, Did you not read the "way the board works page for new guys"??? Hey I own a big rock crawler but I sure dont bring it up here or use it in my questions. Thats just how it is around here. you will see. not being a dick but you need to look around first and tread lightly about the subjects you ask or bring up. you will get the hang of it if your not a pussy and just give up..
Thank you squirrel. I have been a member for over a year now and I really enjoy this forum. Im not looking for 4x4 info just looking for info on copper plating and since this is not a Cadillac Forum I should not post about my 56 four door build ether , right ?
Simple, just talk to the chrome and nickel platers and ask for the copper option. Hint, they generally plate things with copper first and then put the chrome or nickel on top of that. So, they know how to do it. But, unlike chrome or nickel, it oxides real fast and will not be shiny very long. Just like pipes, will turn either dark brown or green depending on the environment where is lives. So, if you want it to stay shiny, you will need to clear coat it as well. My lame opinion: wouldn't be my cup of tea.
In Yuma it should stay coppery looking for quite a while. For some idea of how it would look, say, in a salt water harbor, say, after 100 years....look at the statue of Liberty
Growing up in the East Bay we had a boat in Alameda, all I did was polish but now that Im in Arizona with no real humidity and keeping it parked indoors it should only need polishing now and then. I did search and found a lot of info and people talking about trying it but no still no picks.
[quote="Desert Rat";3276907]Thank you squirrel. I have been a member for over a year now and I really enjoy this forum. Im not looking for 4x4 info just looking for info on copper plating and since this is not a Cadillac Forum I should not post about my 56 four door build ether , right ?[/quote] Ya what you said. Go to a plating shop and they can do your copper bogger.
No pics because nobody does it. Likely for a good reason. Even in the desert, it will turn dark brown over time from the oxygen in the air. The salts and acids are what turns it green. Obviously, when highly polished, it is going to look a lot like the chrome or even more brass, but copper colored - very pinkish, well just like copper really. If you want it to stay that way, just clear coat it with a good automotive clear coat or plan on polishing it frequently. Unprotected polished copper will also show finger prints instantly and have to be polished off, they don't just wipe off unless you use those smelly and probably very toxic chemical metal polishers.
This ain't traditional! Done in 56-57. We cloned it. We had the copper polished, and then had the plater clear coat it. 2 different platers, 2 different qualities, one's work is tarnishing UNDER the copper. We'll redo it. We also did some ourselves, and used Imron clear to protect it. Copper tarnished real quickly, and looks terrible. Not sure I'd do it on a street car, but it would look cool! I would think the Imron protected copper would last as long as regular paint does, but it might not, due to adhesion issues putting paint directly over a polished metal.
Hey, years ago I built a 48 Willys station wagon that looked a lot like yours, except mine had the flat front. I installed a 283 Chevy, cast-iron PowerGLide,a nd a 67 Camaro rear end (this was a 2wd model). Had a lot of adventures in that car; drove it for over 15 years including a stint commuting in NYC stop-and-go traffic. Edelbrock C4B manifold, Rochester 4-jet carb, 50 Plymouth radiator, 55 Chevy left exhaust manifold to clear the steering. Built it in 6 weeks in the parking lot of the apartment I lived in while I was in the service. After a couple of years I replaced the 283 oil-burner with an early Chevy 350. Finally rusted away.
not being a dick (?) but you need to look around first and tread lightly about the subjects you ask or bring up. you will get the hang of it if your not a pussy and just give up.. fuck that shit. ask as many questions about whatever you want within the realm of HOT RODs. a copper plating question is about copper plating... doesn't matter what your car is. doesn't matter that you are new.
You tell'em fink! Hey, I remember I busted your balls a bit when you first joined....just gotta say, though, when reading your posts....you're OK with me.
You can clear copper with Glisten PC, a POR 15 product. I've clear bare metal with great results. This is made to go over all metals surfaces. I wouldn't use auto clear, it may peel off. http://www.por-outlet.com/shop/ -Saint
if you can find a good powdercoater they can clear it for you no problem. we had a guy who on the side woud make art. cranes and ducks and stuff out of metal and then copper plate it and then have up clear it. he worked at a place the plates so im sure it wouldnt have been an issue. i thought abotu doing some parts my self this way and when asking a guy who works at another plating shop he said they dont use copper there, just nickle i think than the chrome.
If the regular platers don't want the job, you might check with some antique restoration outfits.. There was a lot of lighting in houses that was brass and/or copper, and they may be able to fix you up. The advice about clear-coat or clear powder coating is good advice. Roger
pm me in a couple of days, i my mate has some air cleaners done in copper. I will take some pics for you and post them, they where plated about a year ago, they still look fine, no clear coat. They have not been on a motor, they are just sitting, but they still look good. I dont know what they would look like if they are in the elements.
Brass is a bit harder than copper, but I think what you're asking is "Would brass plating hold up against the elements better than copper?" I don't think it would. Brass and copper tarnish and corrode in a very similar manner, being as they are different mixes of the same basic metals. They will turn to a brown patina in sunlight and clean water exposure, and salty or chemical-laden moisture will start the green-colored corrosion of later stages. Roger
Copperplating is fairly easy I am told. Isnt there a company who sells plating kits? Caswell plating or something. Hot Rod Packard? Were you born stupid or did you have a bad accident? Don found it www.caswellplating.com
I am a Coppersmith (www.circlecitycopperworks.com) and work with copper all day long. If you decide to do that I would recommend letting a bumper shop do it so that the prep work under the copper is correct for longevity. I can't really recommend doing something like this on anything besides a show car. There are a lot of clears mentioned here that would help protect it. The problem is that eventually its going to patina no matter what you do which will require you to strip, polish and reclear. Anything, like the bumper sitting for a day unprotected or even one finger print on it before clearing is going to cause it to patina even under the clear. It would definitely look cool. If you don't mind it having blemishes here and there then go for it. I have seen a few guys copper plate items on there cars and it looks great even if it has patina some in my opinion. Its just not something that you would want to do if you expect it to be perfect for a long period of time like chrome plating does. Just my 2cents.
I'll remember that next time you let some poor sap havit for not being traditional or asking a dumb question. I seem to remember the same advice being given several time when some one would ask a question about a part for a rock buggy or mud truck. THE HAMB SEEMS TO BECOMING A FUCKING RAT ROD PLACE RATHER THAN A HOT ROD PLACE, FUCK THAT!
Pretty sure if I was thinking about copper plate I'd go with gold plate instead. The money is in the prep and you'll save the difference in copper polish not bought. The old gold plated Breck hair spray cans were actually gold plate...very thin but real gold, and your wife's thrown away a bunch of them!
Talk to someone who restores zink die cast objects, hood ornaments, light besels, radio facias, stuff like that. They use copper plate to build up and polish out pits. I tried plating some art work with copper sulfate disolved in distilled water using a battery charger. Worked, but the copper was kinda powdery and easily rubbed off.
brass will hold up better its a mix of copper and somethign else mybe zinc but it will be better for sure
Thanks guys, I have no idea where to start, you have all been so help full, well almost all , after looking at those range hoods that El Tortuga posted I think the tarnished look will look great with the dark green paint and I have found a local chrome shop that would love to do this for me. Im so sorry about the Internet drama but this is not a "rock buggy or mud truck", this is a 1953 Willys wagon 4x4 with large tires that Im trying to build in what I feel is a traditional hot rod style and I am not here looking for help with the build just copper plating. I lurk around here every night for all the detailed info and builds and thanks again for your help.
FYI my kitchen counters are covered with copper. They are a bitch to keep looking clean. The smallest drop of anything wet leaves a dark stain that only comes off with elbow grease and Barkeeper's Friend cleaner. You could not pay me to put bare copper on a vehicle.
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