For any automotive restoration or decorative project, the most important step in the process is preparation. Electroplating is a process that is no exception to this rule. It is very important to make sure you prepare the objects correctly and thoroughly before you begin electroplating them. In fact, the actual electroplating procedure is really the last step in the entire process. Below, we have put together a tutorial on how to properly prepare your metal parts for electroplating.
Tag: how to
How Do You Perform a Spot Weld on a Joint?
Using a stitch welder to spot weld two pieces of metal together is useful when you have one piece with round holes in it that needs to be welded to another flat piece underneath. If you drill holes in one of your metal panels, clamp it completely flat over the […]
How to Use a Vibratory Tumbler
Vibratory tumblers serve a number of great purposes in the automotive industry. This tool helps remove rust, debris or burrs from pieces of hardware without damaging their edges or mechanical integrity. They can also help polish hard-to-reach surfaces to an optimum metal shine, which is very useful when working on […]
How to Make your barn or garage find road-worthy- Part Three Restoring the Brake System
Once you have the vehicle running and moving under its own power you’ll surely want to drive it around your property to see what else it needs. The big thing that may kill the fun is the lack of brakes. In my particular case the front brakes were partially seized on and the brake pedal just went to the floor. I decided to completely disassemble the system and show how to go through the brakes on your classic car…..
How Do I Prepare a Chassis for Painting?
When you decide to paint your vehicle’s chassis, you must know how to properly prepare the area for painting. To prepare your chassis, the first thing to do is gather your materials, which include: a PRE paint solution, electric sander, stripper or blaster, lint-free hand towels, and some epoxy primer. Using an epoxy primer will yield the best results when painting your chassis. Once you acquire all the tools you need, the preparation process is straightforward.
Eastwood Tech Tip: Cutting straight lines with your Shear.
Whenever you find yourself doing metal fabrication you’ll come to a time when you need to make a razor straight cut. Unfortunately most of us don’t have a big ‘ol “stomp shear”, so we need to use a power or hand tool. It seems no matter how many times I measured, set my tools up, got comfortable, did practice runs, etc. I could never get a perfectly straight line when cutting longer cuts on sheet metal. Recently it clicked in my head to utilize an old trick when making straight cuts with a plasma cutter.
How to Repair & Remove Scratches in Glass
Owning a vehicle means experiencing scratches and dings on glass surfaces. Although excessively deep scratches in glass should not be handled with a DIY kit, as attempting this may cause optical distortion in the glass, most scratches can be removed and repaired using a surface scratch removal kit. In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to repair glass scratches using
How to Restore a Car Dashboard
Over time, the constant exposure to heat, sunlight and dust can age your vehicle’s dashboard. This can cause the dashboard to look dull and the surface to be weak. This is why it is a good idea to know how to restore your dash. Below, we take a look at […]
What is a Lap Joint and How Do You Perform One?
A common joint found in auto repair work, the lap joint is a piece where two pieces of metal overlap each other. An ideal lap weld should have a good amount of weld bead penetration without the upper edge melting back or overlaying. If the upper layer melts too much, the lap joint will be too weak and thin. Making lap welds takes a good amount of practice to get it right, so experiment with your welding angle, arc length and rate of stitching welder travel to find the best combination for you.