Resilver headlight reflectors

[v8fordman]

Anyone know where you can get headlight reflectors re-silvered as they were done originally?

[paul2748]

Try Hemmings in "Services Offered"

[ReggieK]

I saw this add sometime back, and filed it away for future use. Don't know anything about their work, looks impressive.
ReggieK


http://www.realsteel.com/services/he...t-resilvering/

[swoopNZ]

I've heard that painting them with white paint has nearly the same effect.

[uncle buck]

Steves Restorations out of Portland Oregon offers this service and the ones I have seen that they did look great. I believe post #3 above is there ad

[expavr]

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Originally Posted by uncle buck

Steves Restorations out of Portland Oregon offers this service and the ones I have seen that they did look great. I believe post #3 above is there ad

Steve's Auto Restorations did the reflectors on my 33 Imperial. They also modified the sockets to accept a halogen bulb. An excellent job in all respects.
http://www.stevesautorestorations.com/

[john worden]

I think I had some chrome plated some time ago. Seams like that would be just as good as silver.
I'm just guessing now but I wonder if the silvering process began before chrome plating was perfected. Seems to me that chrome would be more durable than silver and the "color" nearly identical.

[Kube]

The Chrome Shop in Menasha, WI. will do it. Steve, the owner, is very ethical, does superb work and it will done when he promises.

[DavidG]

Chrome and silver do not have the same reflective qualities. Silver is superior by far.

[jerry grayson]

Originally Posted by v8fordman

Anyone know where you can get headlight reflectors re-silvered as they were done originally?

Estes-Simmons in Atlanta. 404-875-9581 Richard Perenic Depending on the size the price is about $175.00 each.

[V12Bill]

Any Jewelery shop can send your reflectors out to be re silvered. As mentioned above, silver is superior to chrome in its ability to reflect.I think that the aftermarket reflectors in my 1939 pickup are stainless steel. They seem to work OK, but I haven't been out at night yet.

[Charlie Stephens]

Talk with antique stores and see who they recommend to resilver antique mirrors. Also talk to chrome shops to see if they can recommend someone. But as David says in post #9, DO NOT USE CHROME FOR HEADLIGHT REFLECTORS.

Charlie Stephens

[Kube]

Originally Posted by DavidG

Chrome and silver do not have the same reflective qualities. Silver is superior by far.

I second that. I had a set of reflectors silvered for a '31 Buick I'd restored. Amazing difference between silver and chrome.

[blucar]

Several years ago I listened to all of the hype about the advantages of halogen over conventional bulbs in the old reflector headlights.. I did halogen thing on the headlights in my '39.. Pretty sorry results.. I'm now going back to pre-focused bulbs..
Chrome plating does not work. Silver and/or glass over nickle works the best..
Silver has excellent reflectability, the only problem is that it tarnishes, requiring constant polishing.. Glass over nickle does not tarnish and it has higher reflectability than silver.
Steve's Restoration in Portland OR does an excellent job on the re=silvering of reflectors. There is only one company in the US that does the glass coating.
I have misplaced the name of the company in Oregon that does the glass coating, I'll have to look for it later on today.. The reflector's have to be nickle plated prior to sending them out to be glass coated..

[OLD...BILL]

I had mine done by my chrome plater ( a long time friend ) in silver, now I am waiting for blucar to tell me where to go. to get glassed .....OLD.....BILL

[Charlie Stephens]

Any chance you are thinking glass over aluminum? UVIRA in oregon does that, (541) 474-5050. Same process that is used for medical mirrors and spacecraft mirrors.

Charlie Stephens

Originally Posted by blucar

Several years ago I listened to all of the hype about the advantages of halogen over conventional bulbs in the old reflector headlights.. I did halogen thing on the headlights in my '39.. Pretty sorry results.. I'm now going back to pre-focused bulbs..
Chrome plating does not work. Silver and/or glass over nickle works the best..
Silver has excellent reflectability, the only problem is that it tarnishes, requiring constant polishing.. Glass over nickle does not tarnish and it has higher reflectability than silver.
Steve's Restoration in Portland OR does an excellent job on the re=silvering of reflectors. There is only one company in the US that does the glass coating.
I have misplaced the name of the company in Oregon that does the glass coating, I'll have to look for it later on today.. The reflector's have to be nickle plated prior to sending them out to be glass coated..

[DavidG]

There are silver polishes out there with anti-tarnish ingredients and they work (in concert with all cork gaskets, not cork and rubber). I've some re-plated reflectors on cars that have remained tarnish free for nearly twenty years.

[Joe KCMO]

Why not buy new ones, they are not expensive?

[blucar]

Originally Posted by Charlie Stephens

Any chance you are thinking glass over aluminum? UVIRA in oregon does that, (541) 474-5050. Same process that is used for medical mirrors and spacecraft mirrors.

Charlie Stephens

Thank you for over-coming my brain hiccup.. UVIRA is the company's name I was trying to come up with. I wrote the info down, putting same in a safe place. Hmmmmm?
I had a very long conversation about four weeks ago with the son of the company's owner.. He ran me through all of the reflective qualities of silver, chrome and UVIRA's glass coating.
Point of info, as pointed out by Charley S., UVIRA's main business is medical and/or research equipment.. Car/motor cycle reflectors are a sideline because they are car guys.. They also have a wealth of knowledge about bulbs for vintage lights.
The majority of the vintage reflectors are brass, therefore, they have to be coated with copper, then nickle prior to UVIRA's glass process..
If for some kind of a fluke you have aluminum reflectors, there could be a problem because, copper and nickle don't want to bond to the aluminum..
There are only a few plating shops left in the U.S. that can do copper/nickle/chrome plating, do to EPA restrictions, this being the "old school" triple plating process..
I have heard some real horror stories lately about lost parts because the plating shop actually sends their stuff out of country, Mexico and/or Canada, because they can't use copper/nickle..
Be very careful who you select to do the base copper/nickle plating..

[Kube]

Originally Posted by DavidG

There are silver polishes out there with anti-tarnish ingredients and they work (in concert with all cork gaskets, not cork and rubber). I've some re-plated reflectors on cars that have remained tarnish free for nearly twenty years.

Yes sir! The '31 Buick reflectors look as new. It's been close to 15 years...