Original reference photography from the Cola Machines archive. Select any image to inspect the machine, mechanisms, identification plates, and restoration details.
Chrome polish cleans and refines a surface; it cannot replace metal missing from a pit.
Professional rule: Read the current product label, safety data sheet and technical data sheet. Test the complete process on a hidden area or sample panel. Product examples are editorial references, not paid endorsements.
Identify the finish
Test discreetly. Bright parts may be chrome-plated steel, stainless steel, polished aluminum or zinc die-cast. A magnet helps but is not conclusive. The wrong abrasive can permanently cloud plating or erase fine detail.
Clean first
Wash with pH-neutral soap and water, using soft brushes around seams. Remove grease with a finish-safe cleaner. For sound chrome, use a dedicated mild chrome polish such as Mothers California Gold Chrome Polish or Autosol Metal Polish, following its label and testing first. Avoid coarse steel wool on valuable original plating; embedded steel fragments can later rust.
Understand pits
Pitting begins in the base metal beneath failed plating. Polish can remove staining around pits but cannot make them disappear. Aggressive buffing thins the remaining chrome and rounds lettering. Protect stable originals with wax and accept honest pits when preservation is the goal.
Professional restoration
A plating shop strips old chromium and nickel, repairs the base, copper-plates and levels as needed, then applies nickel and decorative chrome. Pot metal may require copper build-up and repeated repair. Discuss edge definition, pits, threaded areas and show-surface expectations before quoting.
Small hardware
Bag and photograph every piece. Do not plate springs, precision fits, electrical contacts or threaded surfaces without shop guidance. Replace unsafe fasteners with correct-grade equivalents while retaining labeled originals.
Watch the work
These clips illustrate the written guidance above. Videos remain hosted by and credited to Soda Time Restorations.
Repairing dented chrome trim
Removed trim is supported on a shaped backing surface before controlled straightening, filing, and refinement. Reshaping metal does not restore failed plating.
Compressor and chrome details on a Vendo 39
Small plated components are organized, cleaned, polished, and test-fitted while functional refrigeration parts remain protected.
Before you begin
- Photograph and label every original part.
- Provide ventilation and task-appropriate PPE.
- Keep sparks and flame away from coatings and solvents.
- Stop when structural, electrical, refrigeration or hazardous-coating work exceeds your training.