Hardware Treatments

In other restorations (Toyota LandCruiser 1969) I have had the hardware restored via a gold colored zinc plating treatment, it was super cheap, matched original for like $60 for a 5g pail of hardware. Not my choice for my A body. Recently someone posted a pic of some hardware that he had treated with some kind of gray product although the pieces looked like natural steel and I'll be damned if I can't find that post lol. I'd like to hear what you all are using to restore old hardware beyond wire wheeling.

Thanks and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here you Go, here are some photos and links to the Zinc Plating Process that you can do on your own with basic materials and a low voltage battery charger.

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The Process
Mix together 300 grams of Epsom salts, 100 grams of zinc sulfate, 200ml of white vinegar and about 1/3 bottle of corn syrup into 4.5 liters of tap water and stir with a paint stick until everything is well dissolved. Place the anodes into the solution.

I use distilled water, more pure.

In place of the Zinc Sulfate I just go to the home builder's store and get a roll of that 4" wide Zinc tin that they have in the roofing department. You take the Zinc tin and cut it up into small strips and put it into your mixed solution for 48 hours, it breaks the Zinc down and absorbs it into the solution so now you are already for plating. Pour the screened solution into your plating bowl or tank, surround the outside edge of the plating tank with a band of the Zinc to hook the Positive cable of the battery charger to. 3 volts or less is best, older battery chargers have that trickle charge that works well. Negative clamp wired to the part you are plating. Solution flows from Positive to Negative to Plate your part. Rinse with distilled water and buff it up lightly.

Here is a link to copy and paste, if you want more info:
Zinc Plating with Common Materials

Can throw your parts in a plastic tub of Vinegar household cleaning 6%, for 48 hours to derust your parts then wire wheel clean ready to plate. Or there is the Battery Charger Electrolysis operation that works in reverse of the plating process to get the rust off. Get your parts clean however you see fit. Sanding works well, sand blasting pits them up, media blasting OK.

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The Corn Syrup gives it the shine, they say Karo Clear Corn Syrup works the best.
Have Fun . . .