I have a bracket I made for my trolling motor. Might just have it powder coated, but was wondering how much it would cost to have it chromed. Can you give me any idea what that might cost? Approximately 2 square feet surface area.
Dunno about monetary cost, but a few years down the road I think you'll find that chrome + rust is a lot more "expensive" to look at than flat black + rust.
When you go shopping, shop for _really good_ chrome jobs -- cheap ones rust quick, and unless your boat is going to be a trailer queen in a storage shed, it's going to see moisture.
(By the same token, there are good powder coating jobs and sleazy ones; I've seen powder coat jobs last for years, and I've seen ones that get rust under the powder coat after just a year or two.)
It's been a long time since I had chrome done, so my recollection of prices would do no good. But, if you talk to chrome shops, explain what it will be used for, you probably don't want "show chrome". And prep is expensive. Ask them to chrome over glass bead blasted, it is cheap and a very nice look, less shiney than polished chrome. We started using chrome over bead blast in the 1970's and it proved so popular the chromer added a bead blast cabinet and began specializing in it. I think they used duplex nickel over the bead blast to bridge the satin finish better.
Most plating shops have a minimum. The lowest minimum in the Mnpls metro area was $50, fifteen years ago.
You'll want what they call "triple chrome". It starts with copper, then nickle, finally chrome. Chrome itself contributes almost no rust protection; that comes from the underlying copper and nickle. The chrome is just for color.
Zinc plating or hot-dip wouldn't be as pretty as chrome, but would probably hold up considerably better. I have parts I made for my boat lift that I zinc-plated 4 or 5 years ago and they've been outdoors
Steve, I assume you have made this from steel. If so, hot dip galvanize and then powdercoat. This works, even in salt water. Remember add .020 for the zinc and another .020 for the powdercoat in holes for bolts or clearances for other mating components. Steve
coated, but was wondering how much it would cost to
My utility trailer looks like crap and it was powder coated. My bicycle carriers looked pretty nice after years of service. One a commercial carrier and the other one something I made and had powdercoated at work when we still powder coated things in-house.
Wes
-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
Thanks for the comments, guys. I have decided that $50 will just about buy my year's pass for this lake, which just expired. The trolling motor only cost me $60. So, I'll just do some good old Rustoleum. Maybe even TWO cans! Or do a brown/green camo look. Yeah, that's it.
Wire brush in a angle grinder when it looks bad and another coat of paint. I got the angle grinder, the cup brush, the rustoleum and free time tomorrow. Now if my brother would return my utility trailer he borrowed for a couple days two weeks ago. :(
There is a reason uncle has a key to my garage and my bother finds a locked door.
Wes
PS I love my brother dearly except when I want to strangle him. ;)
opendns.com blocked it as a phishing site. Decided it wasn't worth looking at.
WEs
-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
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