Posted this in Off Topic but, figured I'd get a better response here.
I have a few parts on my bike that I need to get re-plated. Anyone know a good place for this that won't break the bank. I've gotten a couple of quotes but, they are almost twice what it would cost to just replace the parts. I need front and rear brake calipers and brackets redone as well as a couple of small parts on my springer front end. Any suggestions?

 

Browns? http://www.brownsplating.com/

 

Browns is one of the places that quoted me $300.00 per caliper to re-chrome. Way too much. I understand that they do quality work but, almost twice the price of a new part is crazy.

 

Basically your screwed...US chrome company's cannot compete with stuff that is plated overseas...the cost to depose of waste materials legally... has driven most of the small places that you could get a good price at out of business. Unless you want really nice "show chrome" replacement is usually the cheapest way out.

 

The trouble with re-chroming is that it costs way more to take the old chrome off than to chrome a plain steel part....this is why it is almost never a good thing to attempt.

 

I don't know how much you like chrome but another option is to powder coat the parts to match the bike.
That is what I did to my old chrome and I really like the results.


Just something to think about.

 

Sand-blast and powder coat them. You can color-key them to match the bike if desired. Like others have mentioned, you can't just remove the chrome from alloy parts like you can steel and that's one reason it's so expensive. Just purchase new ones or blast-in-paint. I've taken to trying to replace bad chrome components with polished aluminum. May take a little more elbow grease to keep shined-up, but that finish will be there forever.

 

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it. I cleaned some of the parts up real good and am spraying them with black plasti dip to see what they look like. If I like them black, I'll strip them down and have them powder coated. That's the nice thing about plasti dip, you can just peel it off and go again. We shall see.