The Hodaka Club Forum

Are the factory bolts zinc plated/ some chrome plated? any one having luck with zinc plating at home?

I bought one of those home plating kits. I was not satisfied with the results. I thought the result was to white and it provided almost no rust protection.

I have been buying these, they look decent.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/M6-SMOOTH-TOP- ... 2749.l2649

Zinc plating is pretty cheap, I collect up hardware and it cost around $25-30 bucks for a big size coffee can full. The time consuming part is prep. I bead blast all the parts first. Pretty sure the only chrome built are on the upper triple clamp.

Here’s some done parts and some I’ve been collecting and prepping for the next run.

I made a home plating kit. It's easy to do. There are many Youtube videos on how to do it. I use vinegar for electrolyte, a six volt MC battery charger for power, and zinc roofing flashing for electrodes.

I have never done anything as small as nuts and bolts - as each piece being plated must be wired to receive an electric current. Wiring a bunch of nuts and bolts would be very tedious. I have had great success on larger pieces like axles, brake stays, brake cam levers, etc.

Larry S

I second what Socalhodaka said about chrome bolts. The only ones I have seen are the upper triple clamp bolts, the handlebar clamp bolts and the large bolt that holds the top triple clamp to the steering stem.