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

[<pnkmoore@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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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