Last year I posted a bit about Ken Sabin, who has done all the plating on our
car. We had mapped out a plating strategy for the inner shell, but I had not
commissioned the work for the BN2-m due to other more pressing expenses (e.g.,
blown head). I just got the grille back, and it is FANTASTIC.
Ken worked with an already plated grille with somewhat rounded inner grille
bars. We decided to go with the original grille as a prototype for re-doing
the better one I have. He stripped the inner piece to raw brass, then applied
one copper plating, which he detailed, followed by two thin nickel
applications. After the final nickel plating, he lightly abraded the sides
with media, and 'scotch brited' the front to simulate the original finishes
found on 100-4 grilles (raw brass on the sides, stroke sanded on the fronts).
The final chroming mapped to the nickel, and the final result is incredible. A
beautiful contrast to the mirror finish of the outer shell.
Ken admits to one material flaw in his work. There are no imperfections,
unlike the original grilles. He also doesn't do flyspecs.
If you want to follow up with him, his number is 518-325-5000 (Sabins Metal
Finishing). He's located in Hillsdale, NY. (No personal financial interest,
just admiration for top grade work).
Allen Miller
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