Taking a Tree Trunk from Porous to Polished

At Stutzman Plating, we often get unusual art projects that sculptors want us to plate for them.  You'll see some of these fine art pieces on our Facebook or Instagram pages, or perhaps you will follow us on Pinterest.

In this instance we were asked to nickel plate a tree trunk sculpture that was to become a custom table base.

This tree trunk sculpture was cast out of solid bronze. The casting was extremely heavy, weighing over 200 pounds and required special set up. Of course, that's no problem for us at Stutzman.

The client, a renowned designer here in Los Angeles, wanted the trunk to be plated in a highly reflective mirror polished nickel. The bronze casting was porous, a common occurrence with castings of this size, creating pockets within the trunk's structure.  The porosity of the bronze trapped the plating solution within the casting and resulted in bubbles surfacing to the top which disturbed the plating. We had to come up with a solution to make sure the finished nickel plating was polished and smooth like liquid mercury. 

The solution was to fill these porous areas with copper and replated the sculpture surface to achieve a perfect mirror finish of polished nickel plating.

And as you can see, the results are fantastic!  An art object that's useful, and definitely a conversation starter.... 


Contact us to learn more on how Stutzman Plating can take your project to the next level.

Royal Gold

Stutzman Plating introduces their newest proprietary finish to their robust catalog of custom color finishes. The new finish called Royal Gold brings about the grandeur of a king's gilded royal crown. A combination of proprietary alloys, the highly reflective golden mirror finish is already trending among LA's top interior designers and celebrity musicians.

Featured on custom drum sets of the biggest musicians in the industry as well as top furniture designers, the Royal Gold finish is sweeping the industry.

Please visit our website to find out more about LA's original custom plating company and see samples of our unique metal finishes.

Metal Plating Projects Large or Small

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world" -Ernest Hemingway


Stutzman Plating's latest custom job is signage for a Portland, Oregon hotel.  The base metal is aluminum, and we plated it in a custom antique brass, in one of our large metal plating tanks designed for "over-sized" projects like this. 


Here is the base aluminum being lowered into the tank for prep before the final brass metal plating.










The piece is seven feet long by 1. 5 feet tall.  It's approximately  3.25" thick - a huge, heavy piece to plate. However, the results speak for themselves.  From prepped aluminum to a custom antique brass metal finish.

The newly-plated metal catches the light, giving the sign a 'fire' all its own.  Perfect for this Portland hotel's wine cellar. 

We have many projects from around the world to show you here on the blog. We hope this will provide you with a  better understanding of how well Stuzman Plating has been serving clients' metal plating needs since 1950.   If you see one of our projects here on the blog, and want to know more,  feel free to go to our website or call us toll-free at 888-612-5396.

Welcome to the World of Stutzman Plating!

Welcome to Stutzman Plating, your family-owned and operated custom metal plating business. 

Since 1950, Stutzman Plating has remained the only plating specialist of its kind, offering trademarked metal finishes, superior craftsmanship, and personal client service. We specialize in custom finishes for our clients, delivering what you want and not just a library of set metal finishes. We are your custom solution;  a one-stop-headquarters that eliminates your need to outsource secondary operations like painting, packaging, and assembly. Our operations and service will be to your specifications, your requirements, and your expectations. You bring us a special finish, we can modify our plating processes to match your needs.

Stutzman Plating also specializes in contract manufacturing of spin and die casting, wire forming, stamping, welding, and tubular fabrication. We do it all, in one central location that provides you with the utmost in custom metal plating services. 

We are headquartered here in Los Angeles, one of the design hubs of North America, providing our clients around the world with exactly the right metal finish for their project: 

Lighting, Architectural, Musical Instruments, Interior Design, Military Badges, Plumbing, Hardware, Door Hardware, Store Fixtures, Display Fixtures, Furniture, Signage, Aftermarket Automotive, Restaurant and Food Hardware, Sculptures, Art Displays, Cabinet Hardware, Medical Equipment Hardware, Locker Hardware, License Plate Frames and much, much more!



Bring us your project and let us give it the metal shine it deserves. You can visit our website at: www.stutzmanplating.com and see the variety of custom metal finishes we have to offer... and if you don't see it we'll create that custom metal finish for you!