Repairs on pot metal

Pot metal refers to an inexpensive alloy with a low melting point commonly used in the manufacturing of car parts and accessories.

Pot metal has a tendency to bend, crack, distort and pit over time.

Many of the components of 'pot metal' are susceptible to corrosion (from airborne acids and other contaminants). The internal corrosion of the metal will cause the decorative plating finishes to fail.

The restoration of pot metal components for vintage cars is not easy due to the nature of the alloy. It is labor intensive and could be very expensive.

We usually strip off all the decorative plating and polish the part.
The base metal is then inspected for corrosion. When the corrosion is found, it is removed by drilling it out. The voids are filled with silver solder. The part is then copper plated and placed in an oven at low temperature for a few days. (accelerated failure test).

If the part fails, we repeat the repair sequence again!
If it does not fail, the part goes back to the plating shop for additional layers of electroplate (cooper, nickel, chrome).