People who enjoy using metal sex toys have a choice in materials. They can choose medical grade steel that is of high quality and can last a lifetime. Or they can choose chrome sex toys which is metal that has chrome plating which will be substantially cheaper and last a long time.
Chrome Plating is an increasingly popular practice in adult lifestyle industries worldwide especially used within bondage and urethral play products. This guide will help you understand the benefits of using chrome sex toys.
Chromium is a naturally occurring element that is used for chrome plating. Chrome Plating is also known as chroming, which is a special type of the electroplating process. Where a coating of chromium is applied to the surface of a metal. Chromium by itself is not very strong but is beneficial when combined with other metals like aluminium, brass, copper, plastic and various forms of steel. It is important to understand that stainless steel is often used as the skeleton of any sex toy that is chromed NOT medical grade steel.
Two major forms of chrome plating
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Hard Chrome Plating
which is also known as Engineering Chrome Plating. This is used to improve a metals strength and level of hardness. Metals that are chromed tend to have better resistance against wear, tear, corrosion, galling and friction.
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Nickel-Chrome Plating
Which is also known as Decorative Chrome Plating. Decorative Chrome Plating provides a polished, reflective and shiny metal appearance. Some compare its reflection to be like a mirror. Chrome plated products can sometimes be confused with other metals.
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Another form of chroming is called thin Dense Chrome Plating
Which has decorative qualities and is resistant to wear.
Hard Chrome Plating
Uses a larger thickness of chromium on metal to meet an equipment standard for hardness testing. Its sole purpose is to strengthen metal to protect items that are subjected to heavy mechanical stress, high tension and friction.
Used to prevent excess wear and tear of equipment. It helps in enhancing lubricity and improved oil retention which are both very common needs within the engineering world.
Hard Chrome Plating is commonly found to be used in combination with reinforced steel.
Examples of parts that require hard chrome plating include gun bores, thread guides, molding surfaces, piston rings, rollers, and cylinder rods. But the thicker the layer of chrome the more it is susceptible to cracking and porosity on its surface.
Hard Chrome Plating is also polished
To achieve a better-looking outcome although it is less decorative and shiny compared to Decorative Chrome Plating. Its purpose, is clearly not in making things look pretty.
For example, if one is looking to have a beautiful finish on the rims of a car, Hard Chrome Plating is not a good choice. Better choice would be to use Thin Dense Chrome Plating on the rims. If one tries to do a hardness test directly on the decorative chrome plating, it will prove to be an impossible task since it is extremely fragile.
Hard Chrome Plating is the most popular that it is applied in over 90 percent of the time chrome plating is done.
Decorative Chrome Plating
Its main purpose is to give a product a very appealing finish which comes from the combination of a nickel undercoat and chrome.
Nickel provides the product with a blue or yellow like appearance. When the chrome plating is conducted, a layer of nickel is usually placed on the material through the process of electroplating. In some rare occasions, the process followed is placing copper, then nickel and finally chrome in the end.
Coating used in Decorative Chrome Plating is unusually thin in size as compared to all other forms of chrome plating. Being thin has the advantage of providing a smooth and shiny appearance. It has corrosion resistance because there are no cracks or crevices present.
Thin Dense Chrome Plating
A form of Hard Chrome Plating that has plating width of 0.005mm to 0.015mm. Whilst being shiny and pleasant in appearance it is used to achieve an end product that has an improved fatigue life.
Fatigue life is the ability of material to withstand strong mechanical forces without distortion of its shape. With this, it also brings on the advantage of a very high corrosion resistance and a smoother finish on the surface.
Thin Dense Chrome Plating is mainly applied to interior surfaces of objects
That need to be both strong and appealing to the eye. This is because if it is used on the exterior, it will not possess enough strength to withstand effects of friction such as wear and tear.
It can protect a metal against friction but not as efficiently as a Hard Chrome Plating. They are also less susceptible to friction in comparison to the external parts.
Process of performing Thin Dense Chrome Plating
Is slower compared to Hard Chrome Plating. Just as the name suggests, it is denser in comparison to the other chrome plating forms. Its density is measured to be 70HRC while that of Hard Chrome Plating stands at 65HRC.
Some conditions need to be present before Thin Dense Chrome Plating is done.
First and foremost the surface to be plated should be as smooth as possible. It is also a common practice to find people conducting stress relieving after the process has been conducted. After this, lubrication needs to be correctly applied to the finished surface. Wet lubrication is preferable as compared to dry lubrication.
Thin Dense Chrome Plating can be done through the process of electrolysis
Which is the of placing an alloy on the surface of another metal. This alloy being used has to be thin while being very hard at the same time, it should also be dense and be non-magnetic in nature.
Thin Dense Chrome Plating can produce one of the hardest finishes this is amazing considering how thin the layer. Finish of Hard Chrome Plating tends to be rough in comparison to that of Thin Dense Chrome Plating, which is very smooth. Its resistance to wear and tear is greatly enhanced as an attribute to its hardness.
It has a corrosion free surface that is smooth with no cracks or crevices. The coefficient of friction for the end product tends to range from 0.04 to 0.09.
Thin Dense Chrome Plating tends to be more expensive
Because a fluoride bath is used in the process. Since fluoride can hurt the parts, it becomes necessary to introduce some amount of masking. Hard Chrome Plating is budget friendly as it can be half the cost of Thin Dense Chrome Plating.
BDStyle Sex Toys
Adult Smart has just received new stock from their popular BDStyle range of sex toys. These sex toys all have high end quality chrome plating that provide a strong resistance to cracking, friction and long term wear! But the appearance is not as shiny as our old stock. It looks just as beautiful!
What people love most about BDStyle sex toys is the affordable prices.
How to Care for Chrome Plated Sex Toys
It is important to look after a product made with chrome plating. Here are some suggestions to help you maintain your chrome product.
- Use a cloth to remove excess dirt from the chrome product.
- Wash the chrome product in warm soapy water.
- Apply polish evenly on to the chrome plating with a soft cloth.
- Polish softly and carefully without placing undue friction on the surface.
- Use a second cloth to wipe off the polish to achieve a shiny appearance before it dries.
Problems Associated with Chrome Plating
In recent years chrome plating has gained a negative impression in that it is a contributor to environmental pollution. Chrome plating itself is not poisonous. But in the process of its preparation, hexavalent chromic baths are used. This material not only has negative impact on the environment but has also been found to cause cancer when inhaled.
Also with age chroming may begin to deteriorate.
This deterioration may cause the chroming to peel, often in slivers. This is very important to note when using chromed sex toys. Every time you are going to use them check them to see for wear and tear or cracking. Can you think of anything worse that getting a sliver of chrome in your urethral canal or in your anus?
Another thing to note is that chromed metal is not 100% breakproof. If you do not maintain your chromed adult toy correctly you may dent or even chip it which will render it useless. Have a read of our steel sex toy guide for more information.
Meet Rick, Adultsmart’s owner with 35+ years in the adult industry. A sex blogger, advocate for gender and sexuality equality, offering a diverse product range.
Why would you buy chrome plated. Asking for trouble. Surgical steel is the only way to go!