From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Progress report on the chromium plating job, comparing the quality and promises of the Chromo Process Syndicate versus Canning's system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\3\ Scan099 | |
| Date | 11th December 1929 | |
| X4516. TO R.{Sir Henry Royce} FROM HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} Copy to Ser. Mor. Sir Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} HY{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer}3/T.11.12.29. PROGRESS ON CHROMIUM PLATING. I thought that before you go away you would like to know exactly how we stand on the Chromium Plating job. All the necessary apparatus is on order with the exception of the Electrolyte for the chromium bath. The apparatus and equipment will be the same whichever electrolyte we finally decide to use. I regret to say that the early promise of the Chromo Process Syndicate's method has not been maintained, and the sample set of parts which they have plated for us is of rather poor quality, and not good enough for our use. The parts are also getting worse with age, and the appearance is much worse than when they were first plated. We had already been told this would happen by the Electro Chemist who runs the plating plant at Wolseley Motors, and we are afraid that his statement is turning out to have some truth in it. Furthermore, we find that their claims regarding the heavy electro nickel deposit are not substantiated, and that they cannot put on the heavy coat of nickel in anything like the time they stated. We are now in close touch and co-operation with Cannings, who have given us some very good test-pieces; they now have a set of chassis parts which they are plating for us, and we will put these through similar tests to the parts which were plated by the Chromo Process Syndicate. Canning's system is the one almost universally used in this country, and it is being very successfully used at Wolseley Motors, where they have an up-to-date plant which is producing work which would be of good enough quality for our use. We expect that by the time the whole of the necessary equipment is delivered, that we shall have come to some definite conclusion as to which electrolyte to use, and we are confident that we shall be successful in producing a satisfactory finish eventually. HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} | ||