I'm restoring a late 60's Ford muscle car and there are 12-ish interior chromed trim pieces that have surface rust, pitting, and a few small (1/8) holes drilled. The pieces are 22 gauge. As much as reasonably possible I want to avoid buying aftermarket parts. I'd rather repair the originals as -reasonably- close to factory as I can, then re-chrome them.
I can lay down MIG/TIG tacks to fill holes, etc, but am worried about warping and burn-thru. I know people weld 22 gauge but I'm told it'll most likely warp and hence look terrible chromed. I can braze it, but am still worried about warping. I can solder it, but I don't like the idea of using lead solder because it's so dissimilar to the base metal i.e. not original and may not wear well. Higher temp solders may be an option, just don't know what are good options. I'm thinking brazing (gas) is my best option.
I'm wondering what's available that's more similar to the base metal that I can work with given the gauge. If it were thicker I could just lay down tacks with MIG and grind it smooth. It'd be time consuming, but worth it for me because it would be "restored", not "patched". I've seen people use JB Weld for this sort of thing... and that's not what I'm gonna do.
Thanks,
-Richard
First you need to grind the chrome finish away. Then simply use MIG wire with your Tig torch as the filler to gently fill the holes. Turn the amps down as you won’t need much. You can add a chunk of aluminum to the backside to act as a chill block to aide in the tacking/filling.
If you are careful and patient, you won’t warp it. Or use SilBr filler and even lower amps.
If you are careful and patient, you won’t warp it. Or use SilBr filler and even lower amps.