On that same vain, you might want to try some of the older well established hobby shops, especially Mom-and-Pop one's. Æyn --- pnkmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > I haven't had any pot-metal repair done for car parts, but I've > had it done > for my pre-war/post-war Lionel trains. Most electric train > cast metal toys > made before the mid to late sixties had body parts made of pot > metal, just > like the trim on our cars of the same era. It's been my > understanding that > the lead portion of the pot metal mix can deteriorate and cause > the pot > metal to "embrittle" or otherwise disrupt. I don't know how he > did it, but > I used to take my trains to a guy in the neighboring town and > he'd fix the > pot metal parts, some of which were not much smaller than > Imperial trim > pieces. He even cast a new steam chest for me one time too, an > "entire" > replacement, on a c. 1930 model Lionel 385 Standard Gauge > locomotive. I > describe it in detail in case anyone out there recognizes it > for it's size. > It's a large, heavy engine, and the steam chest was pretty big. > > The point I'm making slowly is that there's a whole industry of > modelers out > there working with, duplicating and casting small pot metal > parts all of the > time. I assume they would be more numerous than folks > following the same > discipline for cars. Ask around. If there's a geeky but > interesting guy > who likes old Lionel or American Flyer trains living on your > street, it's > either me or someone like me who could hook you up. Sadly, the > fellow who > did my work had a stroke and can't do it anymore, despite his > youthful age > of 60. I haven't had occasion to look for anyone else since. > > Train people are wierder than car people. I'm allowed to say > this because > I'm both, depending on what show is going on that weekend. > They'll > discourage you, tell you they don't know anyone, that's it's > died out, etc. > but he or she out there somewhere, bent over a workbench in the > basement, > ready to start casting replacement/ repaired pot metal parts > for your car. > True, pre/post war train inventories and people to repair them > are getting > scarcer by the day, but somebody always keeps the art alive. > > Patrick > Covington, LA > 1958 Southampton > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tom Scott" <shelbyguy@xxxxxxx> > To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 2:53 PM > Subject: Re: IML: Looking for a potmetal repair shop in the New > York area > > > > Robert, > > I don't know if you'll be interested in this or not but I > recently visited > > a fellow in PA who does what he refers to as 'metallization'. > His website > > is attached below. Anyway, he takes the piece down to base > metal, fills > > in the pits and imperfections, then has this coating process > that he uses > > to get a high gloss chrome like finish. I was a little > skeptical at first > > but when I saw what he was doing and what the finished piece > looks like, > > I'm pretty well convinced. The drawback is that it is a > coating and not a > > plating therefore the finish is softer. For the Flitesweep > reflector, > > this process might be a better alternative than traditional > metal > > restoration/plating. I'm going to have a few pieces coated > by him in the > > fall...including the piece you want to have done. Let me > know what you > > think. The finished piece looks identical to chrome plating. > > Tom > > > > http://www.coatofchrome.com/default.php > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Rob van der Es" <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 3:02 PM > > Subject: IML: Looking for a potmetal repair shop in the New > York area > > > > > >> Hi fellow imperialists! > >> > >> I am trying to restore a trunklid reflector for my 1960 > Imperial, my > >> fried > >> and fellow IML member Charles Rex (who also ownes a 1960 > Imp) has > >> obtained > >> a reflector from Lowell but this one is heavily pitted. > >> > >> This became visible after removing the old chrome plating. > >> What I am looking for now is a shop that can repair the > pinnholes and > >> some > >> craters in the potmetal. > >> After the repair it can be copper plated and rechromed by > any plating > >> company, but the problem is that not many know how to repair > pot metal.. > >> > >> Does anyone know a good repair shop in the New York area > that can handle > >> potmetal (zamac) ? > >> > >> Thanks in advance, > >> > >> Robert van der Es > >> > >> > >> > >> ----------------- http://www.imperialclub.com > ----------------- > >> This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. > Please > >> reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response > will be > >> shared with everyone. 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