So have any of you guys purchased some Cups from Don yet? I want some Chrome PF Cups and the newest Strolling Chop Cup. What is your take on Chrome Cups?

Good Luck Don!!!


Bruce

Hey Bruce,

I'm with you on the Strolling Chop Cup, its my favorite Chop Cup. Don sure did a awesome job on the Copper/Brass., I like that combination. I will be getting the Strolling Cup in every metal an finish, I just cant get over the shape and feel of it. As far as Chrome goes I love it. It so shinny and easy to clean. I have a set of chromed PF Cups and love them.

Jeremy

Jeremy… I agree the Strolling Chop Cup rules!!! I have a question for you, is the chrome finish pretty durable on your PF Cups? Is there any sign of chipping due to Cups banging together? I am considering Chrome PF Cups myself… I also want to know the difference between the different chrome they offer.

Bruce

Bruce
I got my set from James Kernen. The Chrome seems to be very durable no chips yet. I too need a schooling on the different types of Chrome, Don Help!

Jeremy

OK, some Chrome knowledge:
Chrome can be considered a "top coat" or a final coat on metal. Chrome is applied OVER the nickel. The nickel is applied over a copper plate.
So there are a variety of factors in the look and color of a finished chrome job, first, the color of the nickel plate. The White Chrome I produce is using a very strong whitening agent to make the nickel plate as white as possible. The Bright Chrome is not as white, and the Black Chrome is actually darkened.
The Chrome top coat on the Bright Chrome and Black Chrome is very strong and durable and you are not likely going to chip it in your lifetime. It certainly will not peel - peeling chrome is caused by an inferior nickel plating job - ususally because that first copper plating step was skipped. (Yes, we even copper plate the copper cups before the nickel plate - it ensures a good nickel plating job.
The White Chrome is processed by a different plater than my other chrome finishes. This plater uses a cyanide strike process that creates a VERY strong and resilient finish, but it is also very expensive, which is why I have not produced that many cups with this finish. I was a little shocked by the cost and only did a small batch of Foxy 2.5s.
But, any plater will tell you that the real secret to a beautiful Nickel Chrome plate job is the quality of the surface you are starting with. We polish to a mirror shine each and every cup prior to plating to a make certain that the final result is a smooth even finish.
One other thing that is a real concerns for me is the interior of the cup. The interior of any chrome job will be nickel plated, but not necessarily chrome plated and glossy. First, it hasn't been polished to a mirror shine, second, the inside of a cup is "in shadow" so it's just not going to be chromed like the exterior. Third there are those nagging burn marks where the electrical contacts were placed (it is electo-plating after all and contacts have to go somewhere). Fourth there are almost always what look like dried puddles left over from the nickel bath.
I solved all these problems by STRIPPING all the plating off the inside of the cup and bringing the interior back down to raw copper. I don't want the inside of my cups to be shiny and reflective - that can kind of spoils the trick... and I want the inside surface consistent. Blasting the inside of each cup with a glass bead gun solves all those problems and the result is kind of sexy too... Shiny chrome outside, pink copper inside... oooo it's nice. And if the inside of the cups get finger prints or tarnish in them, just dip them in a vinegar and salt solution and rinse with water and dry, and the inside looks brand new.
Hope this helps you understand the varieties of chrome plating available, I'm experiementing with a Nickel plating right now that is electro-less, which means no contact marks and so far the results are pretty good. It's not Chrome per say, but it is a nickel fnish that looks pretty good.

Don… Thanks for the thorough explanation on the chrome process; I feel that I have a grasp on it now.  The process on how you are finishing the treated Cups makes a lot of sense.

I hope you are finally getting some sleep!!!

Best of luck,
Bruce

I purchased a set of the silver mini PF cups. This argentium silver is a really neat material.

These are delightful cups. They are in the database, but I haven't posted the description on the web site yet.

We had an open house about a week ago. Lots of people saw the cups.