Thanks Craig. Yeah, and it’s too thick of a coating.
I swear I’ve seen those same parts in black at museums. Or something similar. Wonder what a phone call to a local museum would do to help?
REALLY !!!
It’s not pink dumass (speled corectly)
It’s Salmon,blush,coral,fuchsia or rose…PINK WAS NOT considered a color back in the day in the hood.
All good, Rooster!!!
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Excellent work as always Cliff. What else can I say other than “Fowl”, “Foul” language ?
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DISCUSS and tell us all the secrets …wheres the freaking mine?
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I thought so too Craig. If you can point to a museum that has a display that has this fitting and can give me a phone number to the correct department, sure. But I’ve spent too many evenings chasing these stupid things down, and I need to just do the straightforward thing. Which will be either belt sanding or grit blasting, and then powder-coating. Unless a decent chrome-coating can be found.
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Glad you asked! The tunnel portal is at top center, where the track heads. The mines are several miles uphill in that same direction, and this tunnel drained them (to this level).
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Cliff, why not have a plastics shop roll that up and glue in the ends, no connectors necessary. Oops, probably wouldn’t work for shipping, but what the heck delivery would be a good excuse for a return visit 
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Rick we discussed the options earlier and Cliff is doing Cliff!
Hi Rick, and yes, that indeed was Plan A – with acrylic, and fabbed in Carson City. But for strength here, we need to go with polycarbonate sheet, and it’s a different beast to deal with. And I haven’t found a local shop willing to do that in an affordable manner.
Also, there’s advantages to building it in my shop, and designing it to be broken down and cheaply shipped. So that’s where I’m headed at this point.
20+ designs of this cover… trying to nail it down. And the only thing remaining is making chrome fittings black. I’m considering donation of a lifetime’s supply of black sharpies…
Cliff,
I’m honestly not following you on how to make /FAKE chrome fittings black and perhaps I can help if stupid 
thoughts are on the table ?
I think I put plenty of stupid thoughts on the table Rooster, so pile on if you know how to make a chrome part black.
Yes, I’ve seen numerous YT vids on painting the chrome, but I’m still gravitating toward belt sanding the parts and just having done with it (with powder coating). But if you know better, please chime in!!
If you have that part drawn up you can get a custom CNC milling quote from CNC quote | MBS Standoffs
I looked to see if they had a similar product in black and haven’t seen it yet. You need both 90’s and 45’s, right?
What are they called?
Have you searched McMaster?
Where did you get these?
Cliff, I can’t help with the chrome removal other than what Devon suggested about the sand blasting, but the model looks amazing. I hope the folks that are getting it have a true appreciation for the amount of time and effort that is going into building it and the skills required.
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Cliff, I found this on How to Remove Chrome Plating From Metal | Gensun Precision
Ultrasonic Cleaner
The other specialized equipment method that can be used to remove chrome plating is an ultrasonic cleaner. Typically used for cleaning delicate electronic parts or jewelry, ultrasonic cleaners use high-frequency sound waves to remove dirt, grime, and other deposits from surfaces.
When it comes to removing chrome plating, ultrasonic cleaners work by causing the chromium particles to vibrate at a high frequency. This process breaks the bond between the chromium and the metal surface, causing the chrome to flake off.
The main advantage of using an Ultrasonic cleaner is that it is a gentle method of chrome removal and easy to use. However, unless you have ready access to an ultrasonic cleaner, the expense of investing in one may not be worth it for a one-time chrome removal project. In addition, because they are limited in size, you can only use them to remove chrome from small objects.
Thanks Bob, that’s very interesting.
I keep coming up with different ideas, but I am clueless about what you have already looked at and ruled out!
However, perhaps, that is NOT the best design possible? If you can’t find the right connectors, perhaps it’s time to look at another design?
I see that there’s stuff like sneeze guard clips and who knows what else? McMaster-Carr