Whats the trick to finding a GOOD chromer?

I need a grille and a bumper chromed, but have'nt ever had call to get anything replated. I see lots of chrome services advertised, but have heard many horror stories of bad business practices. Is there a way to avoid this? I live in Central Wisconsin and drive to Northern Illinois, but would ship if required. Can anyone here recommend a reliable shop that does GOOD work? Steve

 

ask them if they triple plate..if not move on or you'll be redoing it.

 

Word of mouth...can't go wrong there!!

 

Jon Wright's chrome in Ohio does the most amazing work I've ever seen. I didn't ever know chrome could look so good! And I'm in California...

 

there's supposed to be a really good place in tennessee (maybe Advanced Plating?),,,,someone here will know (i forgot the name,,REAL helpful i am,,huh?)

 

Call them,ask questions,then go by word of mouth..I called a bunch of shops years ago,asking what I thought were basic questions about prep,etc. Most of them couldn't answer simple questions without a big load of ********..And you can still get screwed,even with word of mouth recommendations..If you really want good chrome,fire up your time machine,go back to a time when the EPA wasn't trying to put them all out of business

 

Jon Wright's CCP...best there is -- www.customchromeplating.com

R-

 

I used to have a lot of Chroming done in Adell, Wisconsin by a fella who does some of the best custom chroming I've ever seen. The name of the business is Bison Plating his add used to be in the Hemmings, his name is Frank. I looked up his number for you on his old card, don't know if he is still there or not but it was 920-994-4013. If you call him tell him Mark Lester from 15 years ago says hello!

 

Patience.

As in Big Time!

 

And get out your big fat wallet..for a real good one

 

Not "GOOD" but AWESOME. You will never be disappointed with their work.
Advanced Plating
1425 Cowan Ct
Nashville, TN 37207
(615) 227-6900

Remember this, you get what you pay for and this statement is never more true then when you have chrome work done.

 

This place does high end work.Pricey but worth it.Locacted in Chicago. http://www.thefinishingtouchinc.com/

 

I wouldnt recomend Advanced plating
they destroyed a gas cap i was getting black chomed
they tryed to fix it after the first time when they went to strip the chrome
back off they told me they melted it
i sent them another one
when i recived it the parts didnt fit togther sent it back,
recived it back looks like sh#t
tried put it togther it dosent open all the way
called them up they said that cant do anything else for me
refunded my money
But i am out 2 gas caps for my motorcycle not easy ones to find
i have it hanging on my wall of shame


Paul Jug

 

WOW, first person I've ever came across that wasn't thrilled with their work. 90% of the chrome on my car was done by them and 100% of Dad's '56 plus all his other cars.

I've never heard of "black chrome". Can you explain?

 

It looks like chrome, but it has a black tint to it, my wife's '69 Corvette has the orginal black chrome shift knob. It scratches easily, and I honestly don't know why anyone would want it on something that risked handling. Like a shift knob.

 

Coldwar- that's a good idea re; staggering the farm- out of parts in order of critical quality.
Go to shows or better still good lookin' older rest'os with lotsa miles up & ask who. Reputable advertisers too, but get second opinions. Best i knew was a backyarder- R.I.P.
The ' do you triple' tip is also a goodie as is sounding them out with prep questions. See what they know about hydrogen embrittlement too.

 

Find some one local, aka word of mouth. Go look at their work and see their shop. If you end up having an issue, which happens with re-chroming, it will be much easier to drive across town and deal with it rather than ship parts cross country. Are you just doing bumpers and trim or pot metal?

 

Heard a few bad things about Advance over the years...they did a guy I know's grille and bumper 3 times before he gave up..each time no better than the first time..Plus,and this is probably my screwup only,a few years ago,after repeated phone conversations,I took a few steel pieces to Advance to have them stripped..They ***ured me they could do that the same day...We picked a day that was convenient to them,I took off from work,drove down the night before,got a hotel,showed up the next morning when they opened,and took in big old heavy steel stuff,nothing too weird or flimsy...And they totally blew me off,forgot all our conversations,and gave me the tough **** look...They won't ever get anymore of my money..OK,not the original question,but I feel better *****ing about Advance now..

 

Mark at the Finishing Touch is Chicago's and perhaps the regions best. He's a hands on shop owner and watches things personally. Yes hes expensive but prep is what makes great chrome.

 

I sent stuff to Advanced for a quote; thought they were on the high side, but again, a couple of the pieces were ****. I think its good to find (and support) a local shop that you can at least bring stuff back to if there is a problem. Yes, they must offer triple-plating service.

 

Advance plating for me. Wasnt anywhere near cheap tho.

 

Here in PA we hear good things about Paul's and also Librandi's near Harrisburg. The stuff I've seen at shows looks good-but that could be their best effort. I don't have personal experience, but from this post it looks like even the best are sometimes off their game. At least it's not heart surgery.

 

Advanced plating in nashville tn. They have done several things for me, all came back great and still look that way years later. Yeah they are high but well worth it.

 

I've been very pleased with Advance Plating. The last item I had done was a Duval windshield frame for my '32. It's jewelry. Plating fits in the pick two; cheap, fast or a great job...

Charlie

 

Custom Plating
3030 Alta Ridge Way
Snellville, GA 30078
770-736-1118

Not the cheapest nor fastest but Quality workmanship with personal touch.

 

Another vote for Advance Plating in Nashville, TN.

Given the quality of their work, the price is VERY reasonable.

 

Another VOTE for Advance.
They do all of mine. It hurts when you pay $$$ ... but the stuff is great and the pieces I had done on my 32 roadster 15 years ago look like I had them done last week. NICE

As a matter of fact ... I boxed up a few pieces for the 3W and sent them off to Advance Plating yesterday.

 

My rule,
From the knee up I use Advanced in Nashville
Below the knee I use my local guy

 

Pretty sure Bison is out of business, I think he retired. Custom Plating Spe******ts are in Brillion, WI and they do excellent work, again, not cheap, as most people will tell you about good plating. They're close enough for you to stop by there and get an estimate/check out their work if you want to. They do wonders with pitted pot metal, but I think they farm out the bumpers to a place with bigger tanks.

(920)756-3284 if you want to call them up and check it out.

 

I have never seen their work; however, I've heard that Paw Paw Plating in Paw Paw, Michigan does good work. You might check them out. Hope this helps.