It's update time. In a word, I am
DISAPPOINTED, and I will not be using Surface Techniques again. Let me state up front that several days ago I contacted Tony Wells privately and told him of my disappointment. I wanted to let him know before I went public here on this thread. He understands my position. My point is that I do
NOT hold Tony culpable in any way for the product coming from Surface Techniques Inc., I'm sure that Tony had good experiences with them. My feeling is that when Tony used them it was a long time ago, and they did a fantastic job for him. So, Tony's recommendation was a good one - it was based on his own experiences. How the heck could he know that the personnel there has changed, and with it (apparently) the level of expertise they give? I learned several hard lessons, which I will try to list here (mostly for my own benefit...I find that when I commit my thoughts to words, they seem to take a more concrete form). Anyway, at the end of this I will post just a few "before" and "after" pictures. I will also include links to my Photobucket galleries, showing overly-redundant photos that I took (just for anyone who may be interested).
My experience, stated briefly: The lathe bed and pedestal that I sent to Surface Techniques Inc. was in fact a test piece, you might say. I am a Rivett collector (so far, only for my Rivett watchmaker's lathe). However, Edward Rivett marketed a lower-quality and lower-spec'd version of his watchmaker's lathe called the Lancaster Special. I won an eBay bid for a Lancaster Special bed & pedestal for CHEAP...ten bucks plus shipping. When it arrived, the nickel plating was poor to fair, but about what you'd expect for a piece made & sold on the eastern seaboard over 135 years ago (instead of copper undercoat with nickel plating over steel, as in the case of a real Rivett, the Lancaster Special was made from cast iron). So I thought it would be a good candidate for new nickel. When I got it back, I was shocked to see the finish on the bed & pedestal visually
NOT MATCHING!. The bed was passable, I guess, but the pedestal had a wrinkled finish that contrasts strongly with the bed. I called the platers to complain, and they said they would call the next day. It's been three days, and
NO CALL. So at this point, I've decided it's not worth it to pursue it any further...I have enough aggravation in my life - I don't need more grey hairs. So....the heck with them. I'm not going to drag their name in the mud, but if anyone asks I'll just tell the truth about my experience and let them decide.
LESSONS I LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE:
1. In the future, I won't use ANY platers that are not local to me. Next time, I will find a plating company in Phoenix Arizona. That way I can go there personally and discuss the project at length.
2. It's possible that a plating company wasn't what I wanted anyway...looking back, I think I would have been better off to take it to Rick at
Rick's Restorations (they're the ones on the History Channel). Those guys are perfectionists and artists, obsessed with perfection. That being said, I wouldn't bother taking a Lancaster Special to Rick. If I was going to drive the 5 hours to Las Vegas, I would take him my Rivett lathe since I know it would come back just spectacular.
3. If I do use a plating service again, I will make sure I type up a detailed spec sheet. I made the mistake of thinking phone conversations, emails, and photos of my project detailing my project would be enough. Also, whatever details I list on my spec sheet will conclude with this sentence: ALL PARTS ARE TO HAVE IDENTICAL MATCHING FINISH. I admit it, guys, at no time did I ever say "please make the lathe bed and the pedestal match". But fer crying out loud, are you telling me I gotta say that? I mean, the two parts go together, ain't it obvious they gotta match? What kind of minimum-wage monkey turns out non-matching pieces and sends them to me? Where's the QC department? Screw 'em....:angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry::angry:
4. Maybe my most important lesson: in the future, I don't want to buy fixer-uppers that need replating anyway. When I buy machinery I'll wait for decent-to-good finished pieces (in the case of antique iron) or else I'll just buy new iron. That way, I don't have to put up with sub-par dingdongs who are more concerned with their next lunch break that turning out a superior service.
OK....enough typing. On to the pictures. First, I'll put the links to my photo galleries, then after that I'll conclude by posting a few "before/after" pictures.
1. Pictures I originally sent to Surface Techniques Inc., depicting dimensions, where to plate, where not to plate, etc.
CLICK HERE
2. Complete set of "before" pictures, before I went through them and chose some to add text (the set noted just above here).
CLICK HERE
3. Complet set of "after" pictures. A few of them appear twice with text included into the copied picture. The ones with text added are the ones I sent to Surface Techniques Inc. when I realized I wasn't happy with their work.
CLICK HERE
If you don't want to bother with the above links, here are a few before/after pictures.
Overall of the lathe bed with the pedestal still bolted on:
Another view of the bed/pedestal:
This shows the flaking state of the 135-year-old nickel plaing:
OK, moving on to the "after" pictures. This shows the passable appearance of the lathe bed (separate from the pedestal):
Here's how Surface Techniques Inc. sent the pedestal to me:
Closeup of the pedestal's surface:
Last picture...this REALLY shows the contrast between the bed & pedestal:
