Dude?

I used to work at an antique salvage company in Seattle. We used to have plumbing fixtures re-plated all the time. Old sink faucets and bathtub faucets are all brass. When we would get nice ones that were all pitted or just in bad shape, we would remove the old plating and then buff them until they are glass smooth again and then we would send them to a local plater who would plate them in nickle or chrome. I think that you just need to check around your area more. If they don't plate brass, what the heck do they plate then?