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Lightweight Tank Badges

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I am investigating Lightweight Tank Badges. I Understand there is a shortage. SO does anybody need them? What is the availability? Has anybody any thoughts on re-manufacture?

Please contact me direct so I can pool information. 

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Hi Alan,

You mean the fuel tank badges yes?

I have a pair with heavy bettina! Looked at getting them re-chromed - was going to cost about £250!!  So yes - I’d be interested!

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Sadly - the patina you are talking about on these badges cannot easily be got rid of - as its a reaction between dissimilar metals - the chrome on top, and the mazak below. The chap may have trouble rechroming them, or he will polish them to within an inch of their lives.

Any we make will (probably) be very expensive!

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Here is my collection of Lightweight tank badges I accumulated over the years.

badges1

Last year I found two pairs on Ebay Germany.

One pair is very smooth and nicely chromed.

badges2

 This one came with my Navigator , it is cast aluminium. I lost the left one during the restoration.

alu badge

The rear end has been welded because the holes for the srews did not line up with the holes in the tank. I guess it was cast from an original zamac badge. Would be an alternative to cast them in aluminium which can be easily polished to a nice shine.

corroded badge

This is how they look like normally

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Nobody has contacted me direct, and I see there is no shortage.

End of Subject.

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What is needed is a way to rescue the existing badges. As Uli found, making new ones using the old ones as a pattern does not work - as aluminium shrinks.

To cast a new set would involve making oversize models - which I guess is the direction Al Oz was going. Once a correct scale model is made, new one could be casy. But the cleaning, polishing & chroming would be prohibitive.

Hence finding a solution to rescuing existing badges may be better?

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One common way to restore pitted Mazak (sometime called "Zamak" elsewhere) and any other metal, is to strip it down to bare metal and fill the pitting with plumbers solder.  Then you go at it with needle files and polish until you get to the standard you want.  I didn't say it would be easy! 

With a home electroplating kit (Gateros for instance) you can flash plate it with nickel then more heavily with copper.  This will give to some substance to be able to refine your "re-sculpturing" of the casting with files and fine abrasive (wet and dry).

One day I'll get around to trying my Navigator tank badges and the Dommie tank panels.  If you want to plate plastic, first you paint it with a metal-rich paint.  I'd recommend guitar conductive shielding paint (which you paint the cavities below the pickups with).  The clue as to its usefulness in electroplating is the word "conductive".  I haven't tried it on my guitars yet!

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http://www.chromespray.co.uk/products/

 

This link to a UK supplier looks tempting.  I understand it needs 2 pack lacquer for long term protection.  It should work on (say) and old fuel tank where the metal is not thick enough for defects to be safely polished out, because it could go over fine surface filler (unlike electroplating). Same should apply to tank badges.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oYNgYZ1kU4

Might be of interest, what is involved, how thorough things have to be, and even then things may not work out.

Today tank badges would be plastic and probably stuck on. WHAT!!!

GRAHAM

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I'm sure in another thread on tank badges (maybe H/W?) there was a comment /suggestion about 3D printing? Did that lead anywhere? 

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I also came into this subject via 3D printing. Yes it is possible BUT BUT the basic 3D printers use a flat bed to print on. The badges are curved and quite a bit longer than the average printer can cope with (unless some one knows otherwise) so 3D printing? can be done in plastic but then you have to get it chromed, painted or what ever than you have to sell 300 to make it viable!! From what is said so far on this thread I am 'standing by' on this subject as too hard to do, but having the subject on here does allow the pooling of interest results etc. Perhaps we need to go and 'beat up' Ulrich so we can steal his!

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I do know of a company that specialises in 3d printing motorcycle spares - they manage to make complex air boxes so this might be within their capability - ill ask them!

Dan

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Here’s the reply about 3d printing from TOWdesigns - so it’s possible, the only trouble is they are in Australia. 

 

Hi Dan.

For the Norton Tank Badges, I would need samples to reverse engineer first. Depending on the size, it may need to be printed in sections and assembled. The material is ABS and print process FDM so the part would then need to be wet sanded back to a smooth surface prior sending to be plated. ABS plates fairly well but may flake over time if flexed. I had printed parts chrome plated successfully a number of years ago, and the item is still intact. Regards, Greg

 

As Andy says, dissimilar metals will give an electrolytic reaction to a greater or lesser extent, but that applies to all forms of plating.  Never copper-plate Mazak as it is predominantly zinc - copper and zinc can make a battery in the presence of water (or acid!).

However you prepare the old casting, you should flash coat it with nickel first.  Filling pitting with plumber's solder is a common way to restore zinc/alloy castings - see my other post about it.

If doing this at home you would flash coat with nickel  then a heavier coat of copper, to which solder will take more easily - although you can even solder steel direct.  My Dad did to repair a rust hole in my 88's petrol tank!

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Interesting (and a little concerning) comments about applying copper directly to Mazak.  My Atlas badges were rechromed by S&T Plating (at quite a cost) and I was told that they had to apply heavy coats of copper before polishing to fill the numerous pits - no mention of a prior nickel coat, which does not mean it was not applied, but I have my doubts.  The end result is very good, with no loss loss of the badge profile.  I guess/hope that as long as the copper remains sealed from moisture, there would be no adverse reaction.

How odd that a plating company has forgotten the prime rule about not having copper anywhere near zinc?  Of course you are right about it being OK if water doesn't get between the layers, but it would have been safer to flash-coat with nickel on the mazak first.

You are not even permitted to use galvanised nails in timber roofing that's been treated with a copper-based preservative.

 


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