Re: IML: Looking for a potmetal repair shop in the New York area

[aeyn <mr85000@xxxxxxxxx>]

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
> >>
> >>
> >>
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