Priming & Painting Cadmium Plated Parts

[Charlie D]

I plan to pick up a few parts from the plating shop tomorrow. They are being cadmium plated. The only part that I know was cadmium plated on my ’55 Studebaker project was the hood latch assembly. I decided I wanted the seat tracks and a few other parts plated also.

The only parts that I want to paint are a striker plate and its shim. What research I have done online indicates the aviation industry uses the cad plating quite a bit. The web sites state that one of the properties of the cad plated parts is being a good base for paint. The plating company says they usually put a gold-colored alloy on the cad plating and those parts are painted all the time.

I just thought I’d ask if anyone has actually primed and painted cad plated parts. The finish paint is SS acrylic urethane. My plan is to wax and grease the parts and spray with one coat of SPI epoxy primer. That would be followed up the next day with a 1-1-1 epoxy primer seal coat and two coats of the SS.

Thank you for any advice/experience you can provide.

Charlie D.

 

[Overspray]

Curious .. If by chance the plated parts are such that originally they were done as such from the factory and are meant to be seen as such, then why after replicating the OEM cad plating are you attempting to then prime over that and then painting and to what logical end ? If for appearance and longevity both, then the plating has just accomplished that and the painting over that system is needless. However with that said, if you want to extend the lifetime appearance and durability issue of the new plating, then clear coat over the parts with a good high U.V. protective clear coat, then scuff with a 3M pad gray pad to return to original luster, then move on.

Of course this is all stated taking for granted you actually received from your plating shop a true, acid / arsenic based plating process which is few and far between or a clean n quick dye acid only base electrolytic plating which is more readily available due to EPA reasons.

Who was your plater. We always use Van Nuys Plating as found to use the true acid/arsenic process and the folks are polite, careful and helpful. Great true Hexavalent Chrome done as well instead of the dye job Trivalent plating that so many other shops do because on EPA restrictions and regs.