Chrome plating

[330GT]

I have found using electrical wire shrink wrap very effective way to mask off parts of an item to prevent the plating process from destroying parts or having some portion plated where you don't want it to be. It comes in various diameters from a size to cover the threads on a small screw up to an inch or so for larger parts.

In particular, I've repaired or re-keyed a number of Ferrari locks. Getting the face of the plug (part with the keyway) plated without getting the rest of the exterior portion plated is the issue. By shrink wrapping the plug and leaving the face exposed solves the problem. Here are some locks ready to be chromed with the plugs and housings shrink wrapped. The rears of the housings are shrink wrapped as they have threads that could be compromised.

On my PF coupe, I should have shrink wrapped the visor rods except for the exposed ends. The middle got plated so thick that the rods would not fit back through the visors. I had to have them stripped and re-plated.

On the 330 side vent trim, I destroyed the threads on mine 40 years ago, not knowing about the stripping issue destroying the threads. Now I would shrink wrap the threads, leaving gaps by the trim where the plater can wire it up.

[tyang]

It's always a collaboration between me and the platers when replating parts. He does a good job about wrapping the threads, but we have to make sure they're wrapped even before the stripping when it comes to the threads. I've also had too much plating put on the locks where they won't slide back together. The visor rods are tricky because too much plating and there they won't install back in the visor, not enough plating and the visor clamp won't have enough diameter to clamp down and keep the visor from falling down!

Tom