Yellow Zinc Plating
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Zinc-Chromate Conversion (Passivation) is what you're looking for.
For the brave, you can do it yourself: http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/zinc.htm
Also, check around to local plating companies. This process is extremely simple, and you just throw a bunch of parts in a bucket with solution. No difficult prep or whatnot, just roughing up with a wheel before the zinc dip.
Yellowducking also had some parts done up for his RedBull build. Might want to ask him.
For the brave, you can do it yourself: http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/zinc.htm
Also, check around to local plating companies. This process is extremely simple, and you just throw a bunch of parts in a bucket with solution. No difficult prep or whatnot, just roughing up with a wheel before the zinc dip.
Yellowducking also had some parts done up for his RedBull build. Might want to ask him.
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416 Posts
I do!
If you lived local to me I'd replate your small parts for a small fee. But you don't.
I brought a small 4lt zinc plating kit some years ago. I've been zinc plating various original parts on my bike for about 6 years now. Prep is not as simple as just a wire brush. For a decent finish the parts need to be chemically clean. But as said above, it's not hard. Once plated off in the bath for about 45 minutes cold water rinse and passivate in Sodium dichromate (about 30 seconds dip) for the golden irredescent yellow chromate finish, rinse off and dry in the sun a few hours until the chromate is completely dry and hard.
All the zinc parts that I've done over the years are still free of any white rust.
I've recently brought a copper and nickel kit for those "shiny" parts.
A good hobby to have when I couldn't be bothered finding a company to do it for me.
If you lived local to me I'd replate your small parts for a small fee. But you don't.
I brought a small 4lt zinc plating kit some years ago. I've been zinc plating various original parts on my bike for about 6 years now. Prep is not as simple as just a wire brush. For a decent finish the parts need to be chemically clean. But as said above, it's not hard. Once plated off in the bath for about 45 minutes cold water rinse and passivate in Sodium dichromate (about 30 seconds dip) for the golden irredescent yellow chromate finish, rinse off and dry in the sun a few hours until the chromate is completely dry and hard.
All the zinc parts that I've done over the years are still free of any white rust.
I've recently brought a copper and nickel kit for those "shiny" parts.
A good hobby to have when I couldn't be bothered finding a company to do it for me.
There has been interest in this and I found a guy in New Jersey who does this type of plating. I have yet to use him, he is away for 2 weeks and will Email me when he returns home after vacation. I'll be sending him some stuff to do then.
His addy:
*edited op request
His addy:
*edited op request
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87 Posts
What is this yellow zinc plating? Is that the gold color on the frame and brembo 3 spoke wheels on a 2000 machine?
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1,667 Posts
No. You ever notice how some of the screws you remove have a yellow-bronzish tint to them? Its pretty much a different color of galvanization. It shouldn't really wear off but it does. I guess the best way to describe it would be to look at lets say... a rotor bolt. They're exposed to the elements like water and heat. Now pop open your tail section and take a peek at the bolts holding your oil breather expansion chamber to your frame. Those are how they should typically look when new.
I give terrible examples... sheesh.
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1,262 Posts
Oh yeah I can vouch for rezincing steel fasteners and brackets. A mate has a 1994 916 which he took from looking amazingly clean to freaky clean by rezincing a lot of the nuts and bolts. $AUD20.00 or whatever for as many as he could take off the bike at any one time.
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133 Posts
Jims an old friend, a good guy, and an awesome drummer...
We had some "multipurpose" tools zinc plated:
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MW Ultimate Chain Tool (1098/1198/SF)
MW Ultimate Chain Tool (Small SSSA)
MW Ultimate Chain Tool (1098/1198/SF)
MW Ultimate Chain Tool (Small SSSA)
Yes, he is out on the road w/ Project/Object playing some old Frank Zappa stuff until mid January sometime......he seems to be quite a renaissance man... plating, music, VWs, etc...
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