APPLYING THE FINISHING TOUCH

This family-run firm of electroplaters can return time-worn chromed parts to their former glory

- JAMES MANN

Key to any restoration, from pre-war and veteran cars to '60s, '70s and '80s classics, is the chrome. There are two choices for those with badly tarnished metalwork: buy new, or refurbish the original. Contrasting today's throwaway culture, classic enthusiasts are returning to the old ways, says Doug Taylor, head of a family dynasty of metal finishers. "Many modern items are made of inferior metals," he says, "often diecast lead zinc alloys pitted beyond repair. Original legacy parts are usually thicker steel, copper or brass and can be restored to the highest quality." Taylor, now 82, has been an electroplater all his working life, starting out aged 18 in a plating works in Birmingham. "My father was a plater and my grandmother was a polisher, a job always done by women in the old days," he explains.

The business, based just outside Weston super-Mare, has built a great reputation for electroplating, stripping and polishing any metal component to the highest standards, with customers such as Jaguar, Haynes International Motor Museum and the National Motorcycle Museum, as well as a host of car clubs.