Lightweight Tank Badges

Hi Alan,

You mean the fuel tank badges yes?

I have a pair with heavy bettina! Looked at getting them re-chromed - was going to cost about £250!! 
So yes - I’d be interested!

Sadly - the patina you are talking about on these badges cannot easily be got rid of - as its a reaction between dissimilar metals - the chrome on top, and the mazak below. The chap may have trouble rechroming them, or he will polish them to within an inch of their lives.

Any we make will (probably) be very expensive!

Can existing ones with poor surface condition be overlaid with chrome vinyl wrap?

Here is my collection of Lightweight tank badges I accumulated over the years.

Last year I found two pairs on Ebay Germany.

One pair is very smooth and nicely chromed.

 This one came with my Navigator , it is cast aluminium. I lost the left one during the restoration.

The rear end has been welded because the holes for the srews did not line up with the holes in the tank. I guess it was cast from an original zamac badge. Would be an alternative to cast them in aluminium which can be easily polished to a nice shine.

This is how they look like normally

What is needed is a way to rescue the existing badges. As Uli found, making new ones using the old ones as a pattern does not work - as aluminium shrinks.

To cast a new set would involve making oversize models - which I guess is the direction Al Oz was going. Once a correct scale model is made, new one could be casy. But the cleaning, polishing & chroming would be prohibitive.

Hence finding a solution to rescuing existing badges may be better?

One common way to restore pitted Mazak (sometime called "Zamak" elsewhere) and any other metal, is to strip it down to bare metal and fill the pitting with plumbers solder.  Then you go at it with needle files and polish until you get to the standard you want.  I didn't say it would be easy! 

With a home electroplating kit (Gateros for instance) you can flash plate it with nickel then more heavily with copper.  This will give to some substance to be able to refine your "re-sculpturing" of the casting with files and fine abrasive (wet and dry).

One day I'll get around to trying my Navigator tank badges and the Dommie tank panels.  If you want to plate plastic, first you paint it with a metal-rich paint.  I'd recommend guitar conductive shielding paint (which you paint the cavities below the pickups with).  The clue as to its usefulness in electroplating is the word "conductive".  I haven't tried it on my guitars yet!

http://www.chromespray.co.uk/products/

This link to a UK supplier looks tempting.  I understand it needs 2 pack lacquer for long term protection.  It should work on (say) and old fuel tank where the metal is not thick enough for defects to be safely polished out, because it could go over fine surface filler (unlike electroplating). Same should apply to tank badges.

I'm sure in another thread on tank badges (maybe H/W?) there was a comment /suggestion about 3D printing? Did that lead anywhere? 

These are a set I removed the chrome plating (sanded etc), soldered up the worst “pitting” then polished & lacquered - they came up really well considering how they looked before starting.  Since changed to a decent chromed set that came up though.

Bruce

I do know of a company that specialises in 3d printing motorcycle spares - they manage to make complex air boxes so this might be within their capability - ill ask them!

Dan

Here’s the reply about 3d printing from TOWdesigns - so it’s possible, the only trouble is they are in Australia. 

Hi Dan.

For the Norton Tank Badges, I would need samples to reverse engineer first. Depending on the size, it may need to be printed in sections and assembled. The material is ABS and print process FDM so the part would then need to be wet sanded back to a smooth surface prior sending to be plated. ABS plates fairly well but may flake over time if flexed. I had printed parts chrome plated successfully a number of years ago, and the item is still intact.

Regards, Greg

Interesting (and a little concerning) comments about applying copper directly to Mazak.  My Atlas badges were rechromed by S&T Plating (at quite a cost) and I was told that they had to apply heavy coats of copper before polishing to fill the numerous pits - no mention of a prior nickel coat, which does not mean it was not applied, but I have my doubts.  The end result is very good, with no loss loss of the badge profile.  I guess/hope that as long as the copper remains sealed from moisture, there would be no adverse reaction.