53 chevy hood bird ornament repair

[bad4587]

hello fellas, Question/s? I have a pitted 1953 chevy hood bird ornament that needs repairing. Whats the best process to repair and prep for chroming? Should i attempt repairs myself, send it out for repair and if so who do you guys recommend in/or around Albuquerque, NM for repair and chroming? thanks in advance for your time and recommendations....bad4587

[chevyrestoguy]

Chevrolet made most of their heavy trim items like your hood bird out of potmetal, and that can be a challenge when it's time to rechrome. Potmetal is a very inexpensive to manufacture because it's a very low grade of molten metal poured into a mold. Because of it's cheapness, it has some characteristics that suck. For one, it deteriorates from the inside out, and that's the pitting you see.

All is not lost, though. There are chrome shops that specialize in potmetal, but many do not. It's very labor intensive because the part has to be stripped, and sent through the copper tank and repolished many times in order to build up and fill the pits. I have found a site on the web that makes a product that the home user can use to fill the pits. Check it out:

www.muggyweld.com

I haven't tried it yet. If you go this route, keep us posted. There's lots of guys on this site who are in the same situation as you and I.

[bad4587]

thanks chevyrestoguy! I checked out the site, interesting and seems pretty simple. I have an extra bird ornament i can experiment with. I found out theres no chrome chops in Albuquerque..sucks!!! I'll have to find the closest chrome shop and send it out once i'm done with the muggyweld. It'll be a while but i'll keep you guys posted.

[chevyrestoguy]

Yeah, I know what you mean about having no chrome shops in the the area. I live in Southern California, and because they have to use cyanide in the chroming process, the EPA chased those guys out many years ago. The ones that are still around charge big bucks.