Have any of you had a shoe plated before? Where? I have a shoe off a client horse that won a world championship that's been hanging on nail in my house. I'd like to see about having it plated and mounted. I've entertained the thought of just popping it in the forge and brushing the hell out it and simply oiling it, but I would like to do something non-maintenance.
Joey, I ve never had a shoe plated but have plated many thousands, nah millions of nails, depending on what material you want , chrome, nickel, copper,brass, oxide and the list could go on , look up metal plating in the yellow pages or on the putor and find a plating company near you. Many of the companies that used to plate with the "heavy metals "because of environmental reg.s but just ask and I m sure one of the nearby companies will steer you in the right direction, if that does n t work out call me and I ll get you a price. Ray
Try the DIY method. 1st steel wire brush the shoe. 2nd heat to a red heat. 3rd vigorously brush the hot shoe with clean brass wire brush until cool. 4th. lightly wax then buff with soft cloth it leaves a nice brass patina that is fairly rust proof. practice first with a different shoe to get the technique. I've used this on andirons and pot racks.
No one locally will do anything but chrome, and I would prefer something in brass since its easy to get brass plates engraved. Does anyone have experience doing copper plating at home? It's my understanding that its not that hard to do.
Brian, I've experimented with some of that, and it's just not quite what I'm looking for. Thanks though.
About 30 years ago I plated a revolver with an electro less nickel plating kit from Caswell Plating. If you can follow directions it's not a difficult process at all. http://www.caswellplating.com/elect...ing-kits/electroless-nickel-plating-kits.html
Joey, Call Tom Stovall, I hear tell he was a plater at one time. I'm sure he could plate a shoe for you.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if Tom Stovall had the "know how" and the materials and the equipment to electro-plate a horseshoe.
