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Because these brackets for my fighting chair footrest are NOT made out of steel (failed the magnet test). They are pretty heavy ... seem heavier than aluminum but I'm not sure. Any ideas?

What can I do to refinish these ... or should I consider having a machine shop fabricate? Chrome is the finish I would like.

It's an old Murray Brothers fighting chair.

Frank Murray, at one time, may have made the "hockey pucks" from stainless steel. Possible reason for heavier weight than aluminum and failing the magnet test...

Just about any metal can be plated, but how that plating is done is the biggest factor in the longevity & quality of the plating.

How long ago were these plated?

To chrome plate successfully, the base metal, in addition to being highly polished, must be perfectly chemically cleaned, then a copper strike, (ultra thin plating of pure copper to increase conductivity), then a heavier plating of nickle to completely hide the copper, and finally chrome plated.

Real cheap chrome may skip the copper strike and have only a single layer of chrome over nickle. Better chrome may have both the copper and nickle, but only one or two layers of chrome.

The best chrome is done with 3 chrome layers over the copper and nickle.

I'm guessing that you just have a cheap chrome job and need to have them redone by a quality plater...

They very well may be stainless steel. Many high strength stainless steels are not magnetic. If it is in fact stainless you may be able to polish those babies way up to shine like chrome.

Even so, your chrome should not have failed if it were applied properly with the correct substrate, typically nickel plating. Several strikes of nickle will make a better plating job.

Edit--- Capt Pat is right- very often a first strike of copper is applied.

My 1987 Murray chair has aluminum leg brackets, tell tale powder corrosion at screw locations, the rest of the chair seems to be chrome plated stainless steel, my machinist buddy did some scratch tests. Im trying to get new leg brackets and base bearings from Murray Brothers. BH

if they are stainless why not consider having them polished?
at least you wont have to worry about rechrome again

my murray chair has aluminum legs---they were in bad shape---they were oxidizing---tried chroming them--but it is failing now-not sure if i will try again or keep looking for a set of stainless---

early murray chairs had aluminum legs and chrome on bronze hardware---they later switched over to all stainless

Have you considered anodizing them? Might be a nice look.

I called Atlantic Electro Plating ... they were not interested if a magnet would not stick to them.

I sent a photo of them to Murray Products today ... will see how they respond.

Thanks for all your responses.

My Release chair has aluminum footrest legs and years ago I fooled around with polishing the aluminum using Flitz, rubbing compound, and Corrosion X and got an incredible mirror finish that lasted pretty good...I posted here about it. I may have the "formula" I used somewhere, but try searching the archives here first....any of the Faithful remember this?

UV

My Marina guy did that to an aluminum steering wheel. I think he used a very fine (jeweler's?) polishing compound and elbow grease.

Bayside Bertie,
I was at Murray Products yesterday talking with Frankie and his son Mike, Mike and Vince are running the show Frank is semi retired. I went down to see what could be done with Bob Higgins old beat up small fighting chair. The they are now making all their chair legs,pedestals and other parts out of stainless steel. Mike told me that it is almost impossible to get a quailty chrome plating job done in the West Palm area. The guy that owned Palm Beach Plating was killed in a motorcycle accident a few years ago( the shop is still doing plating but hardly any marine stuff). I had a chromer that mainly does motorcycle stuff in WPB do my pedestal for the rocket launcher (Capt Pat's referal) it was very costly but it still looks like new after 12 years. A good plating job requires lots of initial prep work, like Pat said, I had some stuff done years ago in Mass. it only lasted a few years then turned green almost over night. Good stainless like real 316 material will last forever as long as it's protected with wax or some type of sealant.
If anyone is looking for used chairs I saw some in the Just Fishing consignment shop in Lake Park when I was there about a month ago.One unlimited, 2- 130#, l -80#sized and a couple of ladder backed helm chairs.
Just Fishing.com
Pete Fallon

CaptPatrick wrote:
How long ago were these plated?

To chrome plate successfully, the base metal, in addition to being highly polished, must be perfectly chemically cleaned, then a copper strike, (ultra thin plating of pure copper to increase conductivity), then a heavier plating of nickle to completely hide the copper, and finally chrome plated.

Real cheap chrome may skip the copper strike and have only a single layer of chrome over nickle. Better chrome may have both the copper and nickle, but only one or two layers of chrome.

The best chrome is done with 3 chrome layers over the copper and nickle.

I'm guessing that you just have a cheap chrome job and need to have them redone by a quality plater...

I contacted Mike Murray at Murray Products ... sent them off to him ... they will strip and re-chrome and have them back soon. This was just more shoddy work that I had done by Saunders Yachtworks in Orange Beach AL last year.

He says they are most likely chrome over aluminum. I will get a definitive answer from him.

$625.00

Mike

just curious--if you got a price quote for a pair of stainless?

Yes Craig ...

My aluminum brackets stripped, repolished and reanodized for $625.00 versus a new pair at $1350.00, or $1950.00 for stainless.

The Murray Bros stuff is huge money ... I suppose no big deal for the guys with the million dollar sportfishing boats. But a $10k fighting chair leaves me gasping for breath.

The legs are aluminum on your chair. I saw a set that were polished. The original were anodized. To polish then the anodizing has to be removed and lots of fine buffing. I just cleaned mine real good and spray painted with aluminum paint, then clear coat. Came out looking great. Polished aluminum will need lots of maintenance. Chrome plating aluminum is not going to last. I don't care who does it.

can aluminum that has been chromed be stripped and polished?

i think any coating is going to be compromised at the wear points, where the legs and the chair fittings meet---i think polished would be the best for me-maintenance wouldnt bother me.

My Release chair also has aluminum legs. I brought them to my chrome place along with my other rechrome items. zThey told me that chrome wouldn't last long and to just do a good polish job from time to time...so that's all I did to them and they looked real good for a few seasons. Will be time to do again if/when I make it back into the water...