Post
by chrisnoel » Mon Nov 26, 2012 9:38 pm
zink is known as a sacrificial coating and actually it does do it's job quite well. Have cleaned lots of hardware myself by soaking it in vinegar. Lots of times the stuff I start with looks like it'll be a goner for sure but once cleaned the original zink sacrificed itself quite well and kept the metal from pitting underneath.
Problem is paying for new zink to be plated on has proved to be quite inexpensive but uterly worthless. Apart from looking good when you get it back it will not hold up to having a tool put to it even once.
Have resorted to spraying silver header paint on my most recent hardware restorations and found it holds up pretty good.
Next time I restore something worh paying for re-plate work I'll go for the cadmium.
