I have experience in anodizing and plating Cr, Ni, Cu, Ag and Au. The anodizing involves highly caustic solutions that eventually cannot be reconstituted and you have to consider disposal or waste treatment of the used solutions. Cr plating involves acid solutions and concentrated solutions of Cr-salts which are VERY TOXIC! Worse, Ni, Cu, Ag and Au usually involve concentrated CYANIDE solutions and if you ever get even a drop of acid in the cyanide baths you are DEAD due to HCN gas which is what some states use in gas chamber executions. If you want to get mobbed/mauled/tackled just walk into a plating shop carrying a bottle of water with an acid label and they will go berserk! Waste treatment is a major problem with plating shops, but the shops that get set up properly can make money if they know what they are doing because nobody else wants to mess with the hazards. There is a way to plate Cu using formaldehyde reduction and Ni using hypophosphate without any electrodes, but constant exposure to formaldehyde can eat away the mucus membranes in your nose and sinuses in a matter of months if not years. Why mention Cu and Ni? Well a good Cr plate involves Cu then Ni first for corrosion resistance and for each metal there is a two step process, first a "strike" and then a "plate" step. Further, NOTHING COMES OUTOF THE BATH ANY SHINIER THAN IT WENT IN! This means that you have to have a good buffing machine to make the surfaces smooth before plating and a mirror finish before plating may have some "haze" after plating. As I say if you are serious about making the investment in a good plating shop and provide for waste treatment of CYANIDE solutions you can make money because most people do not want to deal with the toxic waste. Look at powder coating which is a much safer process or even baked ceramics. There are a lot of people on this site who know more than I do on other subjects, but I have done a lot of plating of various types and believe me the toxic chemicals and waste treatment are heavy duty problems as Tech1 tried to tell you above. Stick to powder coating unless you intend to establish a reputation in quality chrome plating. A lot of people want chrome plating but do not realize the hazards in the process.

Best Wishes,
Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder