Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive
(Hard Chrome Plating)
by Randy Taylor, Advanced Tooling Corporation.
November, 2006Changing Brass to Black
Q. We have a brass base coffee talble with glass top. Can the base be painted or plated black?
A. "Painted black" No doubt it can be painted or powder coated, and that may be the simpler choice, especially if you're not all that particular about the end result, so long as it looks nice.
"Plated black"? Well that's a more challenging task and it depends on a number of things. For example, the condition of the brass metal, ability of the table to be disassembled, the accessibility for polishing and hand working, finding the right restoration house to do a quality job, and your willingness to pay a healthy price for all the work.
There are numerous black coatings available, "black chrome, black nickel, black copper, black conversion coatings for zinc and cadmium, black oxide, most are commercial wet processes but there are some antique shops that do black coatings. Good luck with your decision.