Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => Recommended Sources for Parts and Services => Topic started by: Lynx on April 29, 2014, 11:48:22 AM
-
Has anyone used these people before? I'm having a right nightmare with them. They've lost a part I sent them. They claim they have posted it back and it's gone missing in the post but they forgot to send it tracked??! I've paid for the re-chroming and the postage but they won't give me a refund. Just said they will do me another one for free. Big deal >:(.
-
All chromers I have experience of seem to be the same, although not lost anything yet. They never give you a price estimate or anything like a real timescale.
A real CB750 aficionado I know used to use Prestige in Mexborough with good reports.
My Copy Chrome chemicals got washed away in the floods late last year, so never had a chance to try out the process.
Cheers.. AshD
-
I use Prestige plating and found them to be excellent.
I am on my third restoration now and used them for everything.
They are not the quickest, some times up to three months wait but always been worth it. ;D
-
I use Prestige plating and found them to be excellent.
I am on my third restoration now and used them for everything.
They are not the quickest, some times up to three months wait but always been worth it. ;D
What are typical prices you are paying from Prestige Paul?
How about these in the same area ?
http://www.jem-chromeplating.co.uk/
Cheers ..... AshD
-
Agree with Lynx its the part I want may not be able to find another
Yeah big F deal
Cheers
Bitsa
-
If this is R&S near Oldham then yes I've dealt with them before.
I had all my parts for my CB500-4 done by them in the mid 80s, excellent job but then they moved from central Manchester to their present location. I had a clutch cover for the 1300 done by them in 2009, it lasted about 3 months and then the chrome started to flake off, nothing I had done by them has lasted. Wouldn't recommend them after that.
This company comes highly recommended
http://www.qualitychrome.co.uk/index.php#
Hmm got to be careful what I say here but QC (local to me) plated some parts for my 750K0 and loused up my mega rare 'antimon' alloy fuel cap. I may have to use them again as I hate having to post off rare parts but IMHO they don't really live up to the hype given in the magazines I have read. Took an age too and no upfront estimate given. They have moved premises since I used them in 2011. Maybe I am not being totally fair, as chroming and all it's HSE restrictions must be a nightmare of a business to handle but it's the one area of restoration, which is the great unknown, in terms of timescales and costs. I just wish there was a place you could go with your own polished parts for them to just chrome them. OK some people don't prep properly but any decent chromer should be able to asses a part and if not prepared properly, then throw it back to the customer. I did this with a place in Hull who chromed my 400/4 parts back in '86. I prepped them myself and the guy said I had wasted my time and they would cost more than if I had not touched them. He then went on to say that the chroming costs very little it was the prep and polishing, which was the major cost. So I then told him to chrome them as they were and that I would suffer the consequences if there turned out rubbish and I he reluctantly did it. Those parts cost very little to chrome and are still perfect today.
cheers ... AshD
-
Phew, that was close. I was due to send a parcel off to R&S today... but will now reconsider. Anyone used Jacson plating : http://www.jacksonplating.co.uk/ They gave me the cheapest uote out of Quality Chrome, R&S and Jacksons
-
Ewan, i have some parts at Jackson at the moment. Was recommended by a mate that does custom work. I was sending out to Bulgaria because of price and a spot on job. But i didn't have enough parts this time to make it worth it.
Ash, this is one of the problems we have if we post. And it is all down to the prep work. Send a chrome shop a new part and it always comes back Nice.
-
cheers Trig, were they new parts you sent to Jackson's .. if not will they do the prep rather than relying on customer to do a good job ? Also , have copied comments above to R&S (with names deleted) to see what he says .
-
messgae sent to, and the response from R&S: (he doesnt know what forum the comments came from)
Hi Mark
saw some reviews of your service, which dont reflect well on you:
Has anyone used these people before? I'm having a right nightmare with them. They've lost a part I sent them. They claim they have posted it back and it's gone missing in the post but they forgot to send it tracked??! I've paid for the re-chroming and the postage but they won't give me a refund. Just said they will do me another one for free. Big deal
If this is R&S near Oldham then yes I've dealt with them before.I had all my parts for my CB500-4 done by them in the mid 80s, excellent job but then they moved from central Manchester to their present location. I had a clutch cover for the 1300 done by them in 2009, it lasted about 3 months and then the chrome started to flake off, nothing I had done by them has lasted. Wouldn't recommend them after that.
any comments ?
Ewan
Not really anything I can say these forums are used by people who would rather moan via a keyboard than contact us direct. With this I mean yes a part has gone missing in the post and this person was quite willing to accept the terms and conditions of making sure there is adequate insurance in place in case of any loss or damage so why when an item gets lost in transit it is suddenly my fault and not the postal service who lost the part neither does this person mention that as a gesture of goodwill I would also chrome his front wheel at a discounted price or the fact that I have been in hospital and off work and still kept in touch to make sure he was kept in the picture. As for the part lasting 3 months this could quite well be true as no chrome plater is perfect and when you are working with complex chemicals occasionally this can go wrong although not very often but again unless we are informed of a problem how can we be expected to put it right again hiding behind a keyboard. Also I cannot check back as it was my father who was here then and he has since died so I cannot even ask him. I do feel though that your mind has now been poisened and for you own piece of mind you had probably better to look else where. In the meantime I shall be looking into the forum as there is no way I am having my fathers memory tainted in this way
Regards Mark
-
From a 'behind the keyboard moaner' ;)
One thing the chromer in the 80's said to me is that I would not be able to guarantee that all the chrome and nickel plating was removed from the parts I prepped myself. To make sure this didn't happen, I dipped the prepped part into an acid copper solution ( copper sulphate/sulphuric acid). You then get a copper finish on all of the steel exposed parts but anywhere there is nickel (or chrome) you get silvery area's. It's dead easy to buff off the copper afterwards and you then know all the old plating has been removed.
I think one problem also is that chromers don't appreciate that the original Honda parts were not highly polished and in some cases just a cast or blasted finished ( e.g. Honda rear brake arm). For originality they should still have linish marks etc but many chromers want to get a perfect finish ( like on old brit bikes). Problem is with thin parts, there just isn't enough thickness to polish to such a high degree and you can get a really thin part back.
I suppose postage is always a problem and often quite hard to prove the worth of the contents. I sent some circuit boards I had build worth £1K by RM Special Delivery Insured, and they lost them. Trying to claim compensation was a nightmare because I had made them. Whilst still chasing up, the customer rang me, a month after posting, to say they had arrived that day!
I wonder who David Silver uses for his 400/4 restos ? I know I saw on his Facebook that it was one of the most difficult aspects of the project and just not economically viable to get done in the UK. I agree, often a part after chroming, if costs are broken down to resale value of the original part value + chroming costs, is greater than the cost of a NOS part.
Cheers ... AshD
-
The bottom line is do not use them, especially on very rare parts, recorded delivery or good courior should remedy the lost in post excuse
but no body in their right mind would use firms like that , i have had problems similar with powder coating firms
pete
-
So despite not having the best rep, I've gone with the local boys at Cumbria Metal Finishers. http://cumbriametalfinishingltd.co.uk/ At least lost in transit shouldnt be an issue. I'd really being trying to find somone who was going to be able to do a quality job, wouldnt have a lost in post potential and who wouldn't take months to turn the job around .... but just couldnt get there. Maybe powder coating would have been an easier option.
-
What I would like to add in reply to R&S's response is, I did send my stuff to him insured and tracked but he didn't send it back to me like that!
-
A quick update on this. I have bought a replacement rear brake arm for £20. He's going to do that obviously, but also my centre stand grab handle and handlebars. They're not that bad but as it's free, I might as well. As long as he doesn't loose them :-\).
-
A quick update on this. I have bought a replacement rear brake arm for £20. He's going to do that obviously, but also my centre stand grab handle and handlebars. There not that bad but as it's free, I might as well As long as he doesn't loose them :-\).
So what was the outcome , did they come good in the end !!
Cheers ... AshD
-
Hi Ash. They still have my spare brake arm, frame handle and handle bar. Been about 3 weeks now.
-
I'm been asked to make a comment by Steve concerning a recent job by Mark @ R&S Electroplating, I decided to give him a go because he is based in Manchester, so no postage/returns where involved.
The 1st batch took 3 weeks, July 2014 (£200) which I was happy with
The 2nd batch took 4 weeks, August 2014 (£300) which included the 16 inch very blistered wheels. Very very impressed with the wheels.
I did mention to Mark that its a winter project, and I was in no rush.
I will be using rschrome.co.uk again
Alan
-
I've got Collins Chemical Blacking a mere mile from where I live. Nice guys, very good, do stoving, powder coating, and plating with just about anything. I wait until I've saved up a box of stuff for chroming and then tote it down. They always do a good job, although their idea of time would baffle Doctor Who sometimes, but then they're hardly alone in that. They do a lovely job on the refurbed 400F gear linkage assemblies I sell.
-
Hi .. Did he give you a price breakdown? Particularly on rims.
These were the prices a fellow 250K0 restorer paid (I also think Quality Chrome near me quoted 100/rim)
Quote from: AshimotoK0 on July 15, 2014, 12:13:04 am
Hi,
Anyone used these people for chroming.
http://www.classicsandchrome.co.uk/1.html
A fellow CB250K0 restorer has used them and gave a good report.
Cheers ... AshD
Regarding This post. I asked the guy to confirm the prices he paid for rims, as I thought his prices were too good to be true, and he sent me his invoice which was 100 quid each not 50 he told me initially. They were really ropey to start with though and I mean ropey!!! He also paid the following: kickstart 20, downpipe 35,handlebars 30, 2 mudguards 165 the pair, chainguard 55. This is for a '68 CB250K0
Think I may give Quality Chrome a bash again to save paying any delivery /loss in transit. they are about 7 miles from me.
cheers ... AshD
-
looks like we're developing a rule of thumb here ... shop local ;)
-
That mudguards quote sounds cheap. The chainguard is more or less what Collins charges.
-
Great that the RS stuff turned out OK. He came on here upset about comments someone made, a few months ago,a bit like Neil did this week. Shame he has not come back and joined us as a contributing member (as Neil has), as it would be nice to have a plater company come on here, enjoy our business and form a good relationship at the same time plus a bit of the old Bitsa/Trig banter :D. The guy who did my 750K0 painting a few years back, Andrew Parnaby, has it about right, he's passionate about what he does, an avid biker and on the occasion I have been to see him, he always has a gaggle of bikers round there chatting and having a cuppa with him.. surprised he ever has time to get on with the job. He's such a nice guy that I can't imagine anyone falling out with him or not resolving any problems amicably. As I have said before though, there is difference between a hobbyist and someone doing it to earn a crust. Many of the 'trades' are so steeped in EU legislation (plating/refinishing) that is must be such an (expensive) nightmare running that sort of business, You are bound to get the occasional genuine ar**hole for whom nothing is good enough and gets you down. Plus, in my book everyone is human and can make a mistake. It's how he corrects it and deals with people that makes the difference. Hope the RS guy sees this to assure him we are set of the 'good' guys on this forum really!
Cheers ...Ash
-
I got my bits back from R&S yesterday. These are the replacement rear brake arm that went missing the first time round and the handlebar and main stand lift handle he was doing free. They had them over a couple of months but have done an excellent job. They are perfect and I am very happy :). I would definitely use them again but probably best to agree a time scale as the do seem to have a lot of work on.
-
I wasn't going to join this forum but SteveD CB500F convinced me top give it a go so here I am.
As some of you are aware there have been various discussions some good and some not so good and with some help and diplomacy all issues have now been resolved. I can see that the forum is a good place for help and advice and would welcome any questions or even better the chance to quote for any chroming that you require ( I will donate as I'm promoting my business ). The one issue of a missing part was in all fairness the fault of the Royal Mail and we have since revamped our booking in system and policies for the insurance of goods whilst in transit and been made clearer and easier.We handle over 15 parcels a day involving various carriers and touch wood no problems have occurred also some clients arrange to have their own carrier collect from us.. Hope we can all be friends and start again with a clean slate.
-
I'm glad you decided to join us Mark and look forwards to hearing your input on some of the plating discussions.
Steve
-
Yes welcome from me too Mark. We definitely will gain from your experience on here, I have been thinking for ages that we need a plater with advice to pass on, on this forum. We are a friendly bunch on here really and I am sure you will gain business by coming on here to join us. The son of the guy who owns Quality Chrome in Hull, works with me and he was telling me about all of the new EU legislation that's coming in, the other week. Must be a nightmare keeping up/paying for it plus you have to deal with Joe Public, which is sometimes rewarding and sometimes a pain in the ar*e.
Cheers .. AshD
-
Fire away with any questions also we are only a small company and up to now are not subject to the new legislation but that can change at anytime but at the moment all is well
-
Nice to have you here Mark, and I'll definitely be trying you out in the not too distant future.
Question for you - I have a set of very solid genuine Honda HM341 4 into 4 exhausts that have suffered surface pitting to the chrome over the years....
How do you deal (if at all) with prep & replating of complete exhaust systems & what's the process you undertake. Happy for you to PM me a quote if it's the sort of work you undertake.
Many thanks,
James.
-
Welcome Mark,
I'm glad that you have joined. I will be seeing you again before Christmas with another batch of rusty bits.
Alan
-
Welcome Mark
Didn't take you long to mention pipes James ;D I should think baffles would be an issue.
I on the other hand have a solid set of HM300's that could do with being re chromed. ;)
Mick
-
I think a lot of chromers won't do exhausts as they contaminate the chemical baths. Or they do them just before the chemicals are due to be changed. But Mark's the man on this. What's your opinion on re-plating wheels Mark. The 'Quality Chrome' guy near me says he will not do them if they are corroded near the spoke holes because of possible weakening/enlargement. They are 'scooter boys' by the way!!
Cheers ..Ash
-
Welcome aboard Mark. I'll quite possibly start a new restro next year. I'll be in touch.
-
I think a lot of chromers won't do exhausts as they contaminate the chemical baths. Or they do them just before the chemicals are due to be changed. But Mark's the man on this. What's your opinion on re-plating wheels Mark. The 'Quality Chrome' guy near me says he will not do them if they are corroded near the spoke holes because of possible weakening/enlargement. They are 'scooter boys' by the way!!
Cheers ..Ash
its true if the wheels are to corroded around the spoke holes you cannot do too much polishing but we have a good success rate with them so upload a photo via our website and lets have a look
-
For general quotes on chroming just fill in the request a quote page on our website along with any photos and I'll always quote asap
http://www.rschrome.co.uk/page_2643277.html
-
He loved chroming motorcycle parts and is missed greatly at our works and we now do even more motorcycle parts. On the subject of chroming aluminium we no longer do it due to the many problems that can arise from the process
-
I can thoroughly recommend Mark and the guys at R&S, they did a lot of stuff for me in 2006 when I was restoring the F1 and did a great job, fast and friendly service and the parts that they chromed are still going strong.
Cheers
Dennis
-
What's your take on customers doing their own prep work Mark, as I have access to the large polishing machines, like the ones chromers use.
My reason for asking is that way way back in '86 I had my CB400/4 smaller parts rechromed by a company called Alliance in Hull (don't exist any more). I prepped all of the parts myself and removed every trace of nickel and polished them so they actually looked almost as bright as the chrome. The guy at Alliance told me I was a fool and that I had done more damage than if I had given him the parts untouched and they would actually cost more for him to re-prep and plate. He told me the real art and time consuming bit was the prep and that this accounted for a high proportion of the cost. I was a bit miffed so told him to chrome them anyway and I would suffer the consequences if they turned out sh*te. He plated them, they came out perfect and they were amazingly cheap to have done and the turnaround was a week (normally several months). I moved house and the bike was stored in my brothers barn for 22 years. Some of the chromed Genuine NOS parts I had fitted unfortunately micro-pitted in storage but non of the parts I had done by Alliance suffered any corrosion.
Forward 23 years and I had quite a few parts for my CB750K0 done by a local chromer here in Hull (used by a lot of the classic magazines) who did all of the prep work. They polished the hell out of the thin items and I just wish I had prepped them myself. My method of prep is to remove all of the old plating by reverse plating and then rough finish on a linisher. Then I dip them in acid copper to reveal any areas of nickel remaining (if any). This copper is easily buffed off and then I polish on the industrial polisher I have access to. That way if I trash the part in polishing/prep, then it's down to me.
I appreciate that not everyone has access to the equipment / chemicals I have at my disposal.
cheers ...AshD
-
What's your take on customers doing their own prep work Mark, as I have access to the large polishing machines, like the ones chromers use.
My reason for asking is that way way back in '86 I had my CB400/4 smaller parts rechromed by a company called Alliance in Hull (don't exist any more). I prepped all of the parts myself and removed every trace of nickel and polished them so they actually looked almost as bright as the chrome. The guy at Alliance told me I was a fool and that I had done more damage than if I had given him the parts untouched and they would actually cost more for him to re-prep and plate. He told me the real art and time consuming bit was the prep and that this accounted for a high proportion of the cost. I was a bit miffed so told him to chrome them anyway and I would suffer the consequences if they turned out sh*te. He plated them, they came out perfect and they were amazingly cheap to have done and the turnaround was a week (normally several months). I moved house and the bike was stored in my brothers barn for 22 years. Some of the chromed Genuine NOS parts I had fitted unfortunately micro-pitted in storage but non of the parts I had done by Alliance suffered any corrosion.
Forward 23 years and I had quite a few parts for my CB750K0 done by a local chromer here in Hull (used by a lot of the classic magazines) who did all of the prep work. They polished the hell out of the thin items and I just wish I had prepped them myself. My method of prep is to remove all of the old plating by reverse plating and then rough finish on a linisher. Then I dip them in acid copper to reveal any areas of nickel remaining (if any). This copper is easily buffed off and then I polish on the industrial polisher I have access to. That way if I trash the part in polishing/prep, then it's down to me.
I appreciate that not everyone has access to the equipment / chemicals I have at my disposal.
cheers ...AshD
We dont mind anyone preparing there own parts ready for chroming all we say is beware of two things firstly all old chrome, nickel etc really should be chemically stripper prior to polishing as when we come to chrome them any trace of old plating can cause peeling etc and secondly polishing is a skillful job that takes years to perfect but as long as you are confident then yes we dont mind
-
As I mentioned in another thread before my previous account was mysteriously deleted, I have used R&S twice and I am very pleased with the results, the RD exhausts were done 2 years ago and are still like new and the 400F bits in the bottom picture came out well, the only little moan I have is they took 10 weeks when I was told 3 to 4 weeks.
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]
-
Well I dropped off a stack of parts today for my T120 Bonneville to be Chrome Plated........£230 and three weeks the man said so I'll keep you posted.
Unfortunately R&S don't do Zinc/ Cad plating so can anyone recommend somebody who does in the North West? No rush - just want a good job doing at a fair price.
-
Update on R&S Electroplating..........picked up the parts and very pleased with the quality. They took a bit longer than expected but I wasn't in any rush (and had told them so at the outset). A rear rack was in the box which wasn't mine so I handed it back and perhaps in future I should include a list and/or photos of what I give to them just to make sure its all kept together.
None of the parts were irreplaceable, but I should have given a valuation against each so R&S could decide if it was worth their efforts to clean, polish and replate. I had two front brake covers (T120 8" dish shaped) which cost £25 each to do, but one was still pitted and isn't really of much use so I basically wasted £25.......especially as I could buy a replica for about £25 anyway, so that's food for thought if you are having any parts re-plated which aren't critical for your rebuild etc.
From the couple of phone calls I made to check progress it was obvious that R&S have plenty of work on their hands which is no bad thing, but its best to add a few weeks to the programme.
I felt the price of £230 was a bit steep but not having anyone else to compare to or get a quote from didn't help but as I said, the quality was good so I would certainly use them again and recommend them to SOHC Forum Members.
-
Glad you like the chrome work MCTID and can I just point out the rack that was in your box was quite simply a part that had fallen in by accident it was a spare one we have that was hung on the shelf and of all the places to fall was in your box ( in other words it doesn't belong to anyone so no harm done )
-
Would also like to say that it was mentioned that there was no rush so we obviousely got all the rush jobs out of the door first
-
Thanks for the reply, rschrome. All of us on here welcome dialogue with suppliers, it's so much better than one-directional grumbling!
-
That's why we joined to try and offer help and advice if there is a problem better to talk about it on here that call people behind there back giving them no chance to defend themselves also its a good way to advertise
-
To R&S Electroplating.......I wasn't having a dig at your Company or your levels of service........I just made some salient points that other Members of the Forum might want to take on board before they send any parts to you for plating in the future.......which might help them and you.
I certainly made some mistakes which others can learn from.......one of the benefits of this Forum.
I am well pleased with the quality of the plated parts and as I said in my post, I would recommend R&S Electroplating to others.
-
I would certainly use Mark at RS Chrome again, having meet him a few times, he is good to deal with and he is realistic as to what can and cannot be achieved.
Thanks again Honda CD175A (sloper) restoration
Alan
-
Nice tank Al. And a nice bit of chrome work ;)
-
Nice tank Al. And a nice bit of chrome work ;)
+ one on the 'sloper Al. Problem is, every time you post it makes me yearn to own one again but it's the lack of supply of the std pipes that holds me back.
and yes it's great to have a chromer on here offering advice and guidance .. can't be the easiest of businesses to run and keep everyone happy, so good on you Mark for not only joining us on here but continuing to post.
Ash
-
Mark ..What finish do I need to prep exhaust clamps for a CB750. I have blasted them with grit and I can bead blast (dry) if required. What are we talking in terms of cost to rechrome a set of 4 prepped correctly to your requirements..
Cheers ..Ash
[attachimg=1]
-
Got your PM Mark cheers ... Ash