Stripping, Cleaning, Plating and Polishing:
When plating, the metal must first be cleaned and stripped. An experienced plater will choose the appropriate bath for a specific metal. Some baths strip metal, some strip old plating, and some remove old lacquer and many layers of paint. The correct bathing process will strip the plating off completely without damaging the metal base.
After the repairs are made, the piece then goes to the polishing department, where the polisher removes the scratches and pits in the metal, using belts and traditional cloth wheels. This is a critical step in the refinishing process of metal. There are many different processes of polishing metals as there are different metals.
Many people think that the polishing is the final stage in metal restoration, however, if metal refinishing is compared to wood furniture refinishing, the polishing of metal is parallel to the sanding of the wood. The polishing must be complete before plating is applied to the metal. A skilled polisher knows his procedures well, and proceeds quickly and efficiently, which shows in the smoothness and fineness of the finished plated piece.
