Can Mazac be re-chromed?

[woo]

My 948 rear lights are a bit tatty. My local classic garage tells me they are made of mazac (I don't know if that's the correct spelling), has anyone had any success re-chroming mazac?

[Cam]

I think they can be done. Roger (Harry Mango) has recently had some rechroming done and will be able to tell you more...

[HarryMango]

Hi Woo

Most of the minors chrome trim (light rims, grill surrounds, badges etc) were made from Mazac which is a die-cast zinc based alloy. This can be successfully restored/re-plated but you need to find a decent electroplater who deals with auto-chrome. There only seems to be a handfull of these in the country; most general platers will not touch Mazac or monkey metal as its generally known.

I'm currently having an early bonnet motif done along with a front bumper blade. As is often the case with craftsmen though the lead time is getting longer & longer but I dont mind waiting to get a decent job done.

You need to find a plater who meets the requirements of BS EN 12540-2000 formerly the British Standard for Chrome Plating but now adopted throughout Europe. This is a heavy layer of Copper (preferably polished again), a heavy layer of Nickel then the Chrome Plating. Of course as in all bodywork the quality depends on the preparation so all rust/corrosion removed & item fully polished before you start ( the European Standard is for the plating not the preparation).

This is not a cheap process but as mentioned in other threads you get what you pay for.

Hope this hasn't put you off.

Rog

[Alec]

Hello Moo, <br>the problem with Mazac is that it tends to pit when the chrome fails, so whether that will polish out is the problem? (In case you are not aware, the chrome finish depends o&shy;n the base finish, so the parent metal is polished to a mirror shine before plating) To my knowledge it can't be built up with welding. I don't know that Mazac requires all the copper\nickel\chrome process that steel definitely requires for a long lasting job. But the advice to seek a good plater is sound, and they will advise you.<br><br>Alec

[woo]

Thanks for the advice so far. If there is any small pitting could it be filled with Isopon or something like that before re-chroming?

[Alec]

Hello Moo,
yes it can be filled, but the plating won't take to those areas, I would doubt that even metal loaded epoxies would work.

Alec

[woo]

Thanks for the input folks.

[Kevin]

I wonder if the pitting could be lead loaded and then polished to bring back the smooth surface.

[Scott]

I wonder if the pitting could be lead loaded and then polished to bring back the smooth surface.

I've heard of solder being used successfully to fill the pits prior to rechroming, so I'm guessing that lead loading would be similar (if not the same).