Brightwork is the jewellery of a classic car. Bumpers, grilles, lamp rims, door handles, window surrounds, badges and a hundred small fittings catch the light and frame the paintwork. When they are right, the whole car lifts. When they are pitted, dull or flaking, they drag everything down with them — which is why we treat plating as a discipline in its own right, not an afterthought.
Good chrome is not a single coat. A proper show finish is built up in layers: the base metal is stripped, repaired and polished, then plated in copper, polished again, plated in nickel, and finally finished in a thin layer of chromium that provides the bright, cool tone and the protection. It is the copper and nickel beneath — and the polishing between each stage — that give real chrome its depth and longevity. Skip those steps and the result looks thin and fails quickly.
Metal preparation comes first
Most of the work in replating happens before any plating begins. Decades of pitting, dents and previous poor finishing must be addressed in the base metal, because plating magnifies every flaw rather than hiding it. We straighten bent bumpers, fill pitting, re-form damaged edges and polish each piece until it is flawless. Pot-metal castings — common on lamp bodies and badges — are particularly demanding and are repaired with specialist techniques before they ever see the plating tank.
What we handle
- Triple-plating — copper, nickel and chromium — to show standard
- Repair of pitting, dents and damage in the base metal before plating
- Restoration of pot-metal castings, lamp bodies and badges
- Period-correct finishes, including satin and stainless where original
- Re-plating in nickel or brass for pre-war cars where appropriate
- Polishing of stainless and aluminium trim to a correct lustre
Correct to the era
Not all brightwork was chromed, and not all chrome was the same. Pre-war cars often wore nickel rather than chromium; some trim was always satin-finished; certain marques used stainless or polished aluminium where a later eye might expect chrome. We finish each piece as it left the factory, so the car reads correctly to anyone who knows what they are looking at — and simply looks beautiful to everyone else.
Fitted, not just supplied
Replated brightwork is delicate until it is mounted, and fitting it is part of the craft. We refurbish or remake the fixings, protect the new finish during assembly, and align each piece so that bumpers sit level, grilles sit square and every reflection runs true. The result is brightwork that does what it was always meant to do: make a fine car sparkle.