A family business that now spans three generations.
Founded by Oliver John Stokes way back in 1973, then expanded by his son Dene Stokes and now run by Thomas Stokes, the founder’s grandson.
John Stokes Ltd is a true family business with a proven past and a strong future.
Oliver Stokes
Founder
Dene Stokes
Chairman
Thomas Stokes
Managing Director
Our services
Jobs of most sizes can be catered for, small or large. We typically take on jobs that are too big for our competitors as we have some of the longest and most varied plating vats available in the UK.
Our comprehensive Centreless Grinding facility compliments an extensive and adaptable Chrome Plating facility which also allows us to provide customers with reclamation and recycling services that can offer viable options when cost reduction is a clients primary goal.
Our grinding section comprises 14 Cincinnati number 2 centreless grinding machines (roller fed) capable of grinding from 18 mm diameter up to 200 mm diameter.
This section is run to complement our plating units, our operators are amongst the most skilled in the Midlands and the senior personnel have probably in excess of 100 years worth of experience between them.
Your free issue material nominal stock allowance on this process under the strict controls ISO 9001 : 2008 from receipt and forwarded to our polishing section (prior to plating) often with classes of finish in excess of 16 micro inch.
This facility is backed up by subcontractors who are vetted and comply with our quality control procedures.
An extensive variety of polishing machines are available to us and are used to polish work both before and obviously after plating. Our experienced operators are inspection and quality orientated in their attitude and are ever vigilant towards detecting faulty material prior to plating, thereby saving the cost of unnecessary processing of split or substandard bar or tube. After plating the same meticulous attention is paid to the finish polishing operations. Our own surface testing equipment is used to monitor classes of finish required and care is taken to adequately pack customers materials.
Roller fed polishing machines, some twin headed with both abrasive belt and stapol mop attachments, ensure quality and consistency of finish. Where required a wax impregnation of the chrome surface can be applied, thus extending resistant to corrosion up to and in excess of 200 hours (ASTM 6117/BS5466 accelerated salt spray). The polishing of non-standard bar, i.e. fabricated assemblies, is undertaken by skilled operatives using flexi-drive manual equipment, chief invaluable in “salvaging” what would otherwise be unsuitable material. The same apparatus and expertise is used to polish items too large or heavy for normal polishing machine operation. We have rarely been faced with a job this versatile implement could not cope with.
Quality consistency and care bywords within our polishing shop, where attention is afforded to every customer’s order.
Our purpose-built plating shops house a varied selection of plating vats (complete with swills) of comprehensive sizes, with an overall capacity of close to 80,000 amps, capable of plating the smallest detail up to 750 mm diameter and lengths up to 6.4 Metres, all serviced by overhead cranage.
At John Stokes Ltd we only use the latest micro crack chromium plating processes:
MacDermid ChromKlad
Superior performance and quality characteristics for today’s most demanding chromium plating applications. Efficient, economical hard chrome plating, with superior durability and wear resistance for the most demanding industrial applications.
ChromKlad Systems are designed to produce a smooth deposit over the metallic substrate and offer significant advantages across the board over conventional chromium plating processes.
Anker 1127
ANKOR 1127 is a patented fluoride free, high speed hard chromium process. Practically all common base materials can be coated to any desired deposit thickness.
Due to the fact of being fluoride free, ANKOR 1127 minimises the attack on base metal, and the Chromium produced is extremely wear resistant as Taber Abraser Test and practical results show.
With its fine micro crack network the ANKOR deposit is ideal to achieve high corrosion resistance.
We have sufficient purchasing power and expertise to enable us to procure material and supply it in a chrome plated bar blank form with pre-machine misses, or in up to 6.4 Metre lengths, thus giving your company the opportunity and convenience of not having to hold expensive stocks, or having to allow for wastage in your casting.
This service also provide the buyer the invaluable resource of being able to obtain specifications, both of material and chrome plate thickness, which are outside the limited stocked specification field. As an added benefit, if required, pre-plating treatments like induction hardening with required misses (soft areas) machining can be introduced prior to plating.
All bars and bar blanks will be supplied adequately packed and covered by certificates of conformity detailing material specification and plating process.
Our salvage and reclamation service is second to none. Our expertise in this field enables us to offer advice from the beginning as to the viability of salvage and the method to adopt. “Down times” are expensive and we are tuned to respond immediately to a breakdown situation. Rapid turnaround times are often required, and every effort is made to keep down times to a minimum.
Methods of Salvage fall into two main categories:
Strip and re-plate
This involves anodically removing the original chrome coating, polishing up base material to remove damage or rust ingression, and replating. This method reclamation is by no means perfect but more often than not proves extremely effective. Cost and speed of turnaround is frequently the determining factor in opting for this type of process.
Heavy deposit salvage
Although turnaround can be slower, deliveries of 7 to 10 days are the norm.
ISO 9001 : 2015 (previously ISO 9001 : 2008), obtained in 2017, pervades the whole structure of our organisation and has brought with it inestimable benefits as far as quality and traceability are concerned. Its rigid constraints ensure that the customer’s work is safeguarded from receipt through to dispatch and thereafter records kept for traceability. On the shopfloor patrol inspection keeps a watchful eye on size and quality on every operation. All our employees are quality conscious and a degree of inspection awareness is part of their conditions of employment.
In our laboratory, Salt spray testing is carried out to ASTM specifications to continuously monitor resistance to corrosion and control samples are tested by an independent assessor. Surface finishing and plating thickness tests are carried out as a matter of routine to make sure the specifications determined by our customers are adhered to. On most jobs 100% inspection it the order of the day and certificates of conformity can be made available to the customer.
Our quality program guarantees that your work, entrusted to us, is processed correctly, efficiently and to the highest possible standards.
Approved, Certified and Future proof…
Here at John Stokes Ltd there is one word we take more seriously than any other… Quality.
We strive to offer unmatched levels of customer service in order to produce the finest products possible. We are always looking ahead whilst also staying up to date with industry standards at the highest requirements. This enables us to serve our clients in the knowledge that we can always meet the strictest demands both in terms of the products we produce and the manufacturing environment and process that produced them.
We have engaged S I Environmental Services to provide advice and assistance in our efforts to press ahead with the development and implementation of a structured plan to operate in accordance with Health and Safety legislation. Our aim is to achieve ISO 1400:2001 accreditation to compliment our existing ISO 9001:2015 approval.
Approved, Certified and Future proof…
Here at John Stokes Ltd there is one word we take more seriously than any other…
Quality.
We strive to offer unmatched levels of customer service in order to produce the finest products possible. We are always looking ahead and making sure we stay up to date with industry standards at the highest requirements. This enables us to serve you in the knowledge that we can always meet the strictest demands both in terms of the products we produce and the manufacturing environment and process that produced them.
We have engaged S I Environmental Services to provide advice and assistance in our efforts to press ahead with the development and implementation of a structured plan to operate in accordance with Health and Safety legislation. Our aim is to achieve ISO 1400:2001 accreditation to compliment our existing ISO 9001:2015 approval.
ISO 9001 : 2015 (previously ISO 9001 : 2008), obtained in 2017, pervades the whole structure of our organisation and has brought with it inestimable benefits as far as quality and traceability are concerned. Its rigid constraints ensure that the customer’s work is safeguarded from receipt through to dispatch and thereafter records kept for traceability. On the shopfloor patrol inspection keeps a watchful eye on size and quality on every operation. All our employees are quality conscious and a degree of inspection awareness is part of their conditions of employment.
In our laboratory, Salt spray testing is carried out to ASTM specifications to continuously monitor resistance to corrosion and control samples are tested by an independent assessor. Surface finishing and plating thickness tests are carried out as a matter of routine to make sure the specifications determined by our customers are adhered to. On most jobs 100% inspection it the order of the day and certificates of conformity can be made available to the customer.
