Cadmium plating

[Sidehacker]

I need to restore a couple of inner dashes and I want to send them to someone who is tried and proven so I don't have any problems. I want them done as original and that usually means by someone who has done it more than once or twice. Any suggestions
THANKS GUYS IN ADVANCED

[Chris Haynes]

Cadmium plating is not magic. Items are tossed in a drum and go thru the process. H-D certainly didn't maintain a color standard on their Cad plating and Parkerizing. I have seen many NOS parts with variations of color. Simply Google Cadmuium Plating and the name of a major city in your area and I am sure you will find someone. You also pay a minimum charge so whether it is two parts or the barrell full you pay the same price.

[Steve Little]

Hi sidehacker. There are properties used to make cadmium that are carsonegenic, and most of the platers around the world stopped doing the process because of Council, State and National laws.
Here in Australia we had 2 military facilaties that still did Cadmium plating. They have since closed this service because it was primarilly used to service the F1-11s which have since been scrapped in favour of composite planes.
When these military facilities were still doing cad plating, I spoke to the guy who actualy did the plating.
He told me to send a sample of the colour cad that I wanted and he would do his best to match it. By his definition it would seem that they have some control over the colour.

[Sidehacker]

Cadmium plating

First off thanks to both of you but I guess I didn't make myself clear. I know how the process is done , I just want some one who has done it to inner dashes before so the part is prepared correctly. I live in Idaho and the EPA has such stringent disposal of chemicals in this state that we have no plating facilities of our own. We must go to Salt lake or Oregon . I just want someone who has been tried. This is the only way I have of finding someone who thru word of professionals can do what I need. The last time I got info from you Steve , if you remember, I had just finished painting my frame and you sent in the photos of the tool box mounts so I had to remove the new, supposedly correct repo 2.25 in wide toolbox mount and I bought one of yours. I should be done with my second new paint job some time this week. It's tough being a perfectionist. Ha Ha. But I would have hated having the whole bike together and then find it out cause I would have done the same thing . Let me know if you have a name and or a number .

[Chris Haynes]

Why all the worry about the look of a part that will never be seen? The Cad plating is only a rust preventive. The MoCo certainly didn't care about a quality standard in regards to shade of Cad.

[Rollo]

Send it to Scott at Historic Finishes PO Box 55 Fort Atkinson, WI 535538 (920) 397-7372 www.historicfinishes.com. He does small batch plating in cad and parkerizing. He knows what he is doing and knows m/c parts, especially HD parts.

Tom (Rollo) Hardy
AMCA # 12766

[exeric]

Chris is right. Cadmium plating will always look the same when it's fresh and new. It's only after a few years of exposure that it develops different colors, or shades.

[Rubone]

Send them to Perry Ruiter for a complete professional restoration...
http://www.ruiter.ca/mc/services/dashbases/index.html

[exeric]

Hi sidehacker. There are properties used to make cadmium that are carsonegenic.

It's the cadmium itself that is so dangerous. That is why red, and yellow paint, and the resulting mixtures are so expensive. Also, a lot of raw cadmium came from Rhodesia, (now Zimbabwe) and the government there is totally corrupt, and evil hence much of the industrial world has gone elsewhere for cadmium, and settled for poor substitutes. Cadmium also has a natural lubricity which made it great for protecting against rust, and inbhibiting galling.

[Steve Little]

It's the cadmium itself that is so dangerous. That is why red, and yellow paint, and the resulting mixtures are so expensive. Also, a lot of raw cadmium came from Rhodesia, (now Zimbabwe) and the government there is totally corrupt, and evil hence much of the industrial world has gone elsewhere for cadmium, and settled for poor substitutes. Cadmium also has a natural lubricity which made it great for protecting against rust, and inbhibiting galling.

Eric. That is an excellent and interesting bit of information. Brings hope that forums can be used for fresh concise information.

[Sidehacker]

Tom and Rub,
Thanks so much that's the exact info I was looking for.guys .
Chris,
If I don't do something to the best of my ability, I feel like I let myself down. I know the inner dash can't be seen but whoever gets the bike after I'm dead will be able to say what a fine clean machine they have. Lol thanks everyone. FNA

[Sidehacker]

I got hold of Perry in Victoria, Canada and after seeing a couple of his rebuilds, I sent one of my inner dashes to him. He not only does an excellent cad plating he does a complete rebuild that was extremely fair in price and it looks very impressive , I am assuming that mine will turn out as good as the one he showed me.

[NiteOwl]

I had mine done by Perry last year, absolutely top notch and attention to detail. . . It was a real nice bonus that he turned out to be only 15 minutes from me !

[vph-d]

Perry has done 2 dash bases for me, and I am happy with his work.
VPH-D

[len dowe]

I had the base plated and built it myself. it wasn't that hard