Info needed: Re-silvering Headlamp Reflectors

[Lynn Eades]

That sounds like a solid road block Bob.

BTW, They were silvered. Check an old one.

[Bob Carriere]

....and chrome "anything" as become a four letter word...... nickel????


Not giving up yet......Grant has found some info I need to read up on.....

We have used strong lye solutions in 45 gallons plastic drums to derust axles with a bunch of DC batteries and chargers...... it works extremely well..... out in the open and not in the house basement...... and we live in a rural area.

Not giving up yet...... the web is a wonderful place to surf on cool evenings.

[Lynn Eades]

....and chrome "anything" as become a four letter word...... nickel????
And lets not forget hydrogen embrittlement........

[Owen Evans]

Has anyone tried this stuff?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS-UNUR7NXk

Looks like it may work, but not sure about long term? Think it's probably better to pay out and get it done properly. Besides, my parents told me never to trust a man in a purple shirt!

Owen.

[Tony Smith]

I have a General Electric Carbon-Arc searchlight and the reflector dish is Rhodium plated. There are a few spatter spots from burning carbon rods and I have looked into getting it re-plated, but apparently Rhodium is a rare metal these days worth about 5 times the price of gold.

I found that Auto-Sol aluminium polish does a good job in the meantime to bring up a brilliant reflective surface.

[Lynn Eades]

Hi Tony, in case you are planning to buy a lump of it, here is a snippet of an African mining report and a bit on safety.
it appears to have peaked at over 10 grand U.S. and immediately crashed back 90% about 5 years ago. With a big reflector your options are bound to be fewer. Go the Autosol!
The price of rhodium is up 272% since August 2016 with the platinum group metal hitting an eight year high last week.

Like its sister metals, rhodium's main application is to clean vehicle emissions and the price quoted by Johnson Matthey, the world's number one manufacturer of autocatalysts, reached $2,350 an ounce on Friday.

Recent announcement of production curtailment by Impala and Lonmin can only partially explain the huge upswing
Due to rarity, the small size of the market and concentrated supply – South Africa alone produces roughly 80% of the world's rhodium – prices are typically volatile.

Health effects of rhodium. Rhodium compounds are encountered relatively rarely by most people. There are almost no reported cases of human being affected by this element in any way. All rhodium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic and as carcinogenic.

Back to the thread. Sorry Owen.

[Owen Evans]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Hi Tony, in case you are planning to buy a lump of it, here is a snippet of an African mining report and a bit on safety.
it appears to have peaked at over 10 grand U.S. and immediately crashed back 90% about 5 years ago. With a big reflector your options are bound to be fewer. Go the Autosol!
The price of rhodium is up 272% since August 2016 with the platinum group metal hitting an eight year high last week.

Like its sister metals, rhodium's main application is to clean vehicle emissions and the price quoted by Johnson Matthey, the world's number one manufacturer of autocatalysts, reached $2,350 an ounce on Friday.

Recent announcement of production curtailment by Impala and Lonmin can only partially explain the huge upswing
Due to rarity, the small size of the market and concentrated supply – South Africa alone produces roughly 80% of the world's rhodium – prices are typically volatile.

Health effects of rhodium. Rhodium compounds are encountered relatively rarely by most people. There are almost no reported cases of human being affected by this element in any way. All rhodium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic and as carcinogenic.

Back to the thread. Sorry Owen.

No problem at all; I enjoyed the lesson.
Rhodium isn't on my shopping list. Thankfully.

Owen.