| Bryan Jensen |
12-20-2005 07:02 PM |
you get what you pay for...
You're almost better off sending out chroming jobs out-of-state anymore. With all the California Pollution and the EPA breathing down our necks, most plating shops have gone out of business because they can't afford all the special water-cleaning equipment.
I know all this, because my grandpa (now 88 years old) was the President of one of the biggest distributors in plating and buffing compounds as well as buffing and polishing equipment. He's retired now, but the company still is running here in Santa Fe Springs. To KNOW I'm getting a good polishing or plating job done...I ask all owners straight up if they use Jackson Products compounds in their jobs. If they have no idea what I'm talking about...I'm out of there like lightning.
Back in the 70's the EPA started hacking down on the water pollutants that chrome shops were dumping into the sewer line. So what would happen would be an EPA inspector would come in and say the owner would have five years to install new water-cleaning equipment, or they'd be shut down. Now for many plating shops...this was more than the guy would have in his car, house, boat, and wife!!! So what 98 percent of all the shops did was keep running until the EPA would come after the five years was up and cement up their sewer and water lines!!! Well, without those lines...you're outa business really quick.
Long story short...my grandfather said there were close to 300 plating shops in Southern California. Now he says there's only about a couple handfuls at most still here in operation. We have to use special types of polishing and plating compounds unique to meeting California's pollution regulations. This means (unless you go to a top-notch plater) the quality of a plating job will be a lot softer...in basic english you'll be getting a flimsier plating job than you would out-of state. HOWEVER, I know of a few good outfits still in operation around here that do jaw-dropping good quality work.
THAT, and after something is chrome-plated in a bath...the water is now caustic. WERE UNIQUE HERE, It has to be loaded onto a truck and dumped out at a hazardous waste dump or here in the desert.
The only chroming and plating shop here in SoCal I use is Brico Metal Finishing in Downey!!! Just sent them some little brackets and my power steering pump to be plated. They're probably the last place here that really does a good quality job anymore. Anywhere else, good luck.
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