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Re-plating of gold plated hardware (Page 2)
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The Steel Guitar Forum
Pedal Steel Archive
Re-plating of gold plated hardware (Page 2)
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| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 This topic was originally posted in this forum: Pedal Steel |
| Author | Topic: Re-plating of gold plated hardware |
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Lefty Member Posts: 742 |
posted 26 July 2000 05:01 PM
I don't know where this subject should reside. Does anyone have any experience of having this done. My Gretsch Country Gent has gold plated parts, and the gold has worn off the pick-up covers in the hand contact area. I know there are replacements repro's available, but was curious about the costs and merit of replating. Thanks. |
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Steve B Member Posts: 157 |
posted 26 July 2000 05:26 PM
You can get your guitar parts re-plated, gold, chrome, whatever. You can look in the phone book, or call up any (H-D) motorcycle shop, and they can point you towards a chrome shop. Plating is a labor intensive process, and the cost reflects that. |
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Richard Sinkler Member Posts: 2896 |
posted 26 July 2000 05:37 PM
I used to be a shop foreman for a plating company, and as Steve said, replating is very labor intensive and very expensive. It requires stripping of all the layers of different platings, polishing the base metal and re-plating. Just as an example, to take a car bumper that was chrome plated, you would have to put it in the chrome tank and reverse the current through the part to make the chrome come off. Then it goes into a stripping tank that removes the underlying nickel and copper. Then the base metal gets polished to an almost mirror finish. Then it gets plated with copper. Then polished again. Then plated with nickel. Then polished again. Then the nickel is "activated" and plated again. Then polished again. Then chrome plated. Then polished again to remove any "nodules" that the chrome plating may have left and any discoloration. It's very possible for that bumper to cost 3-4 hundred bucks or more. Gold plating is similar. ------------------ |
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Lee Baucum Member Posts: 3201 |
posted 27 July 2000 04:42 PM
When dealing with vintage guitars, I think it is wise to check with those in the "business" to see if replating would add or detract from the value of your guitar. I have an early '60's 6120 that has very little of the gold left. I'm going to leave it alone. I inherited this guitar from my Uncle Mike, so the guitar has a high sentimetal value, as well as a high dollar value. I have chosen to leave it "as is". Just my one to two cents worth. Probably not worth any more than that! Lee, from South Texas |
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Lefty Member Posts: 742 |
posted 27 July 2000 05:57 PM
Good advise and information from all. I think I will take the original covers off and save them, and replace them with repros for playing. I don't play this guitar that often, anyway. I think Dan Erlewine cleans the gold parts with napha, and sprays them with a coat of clear lacquer for protection. I may experiment with that, and consider doing it on the covers and bigsby tremelo. |
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Jack Stoner Sysop Posts: 8119 |
posted 28 July 2000 03:07 AM
I'm moving this to technical, as it has nothing to do with electronics. Actually it probably belongs in off-topic since it's about regular guitars, not steels. |
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Lefty Member Posts: 742 |
posted 28 July 2000 04:39 PM
I guess I thought it does apply to steel indirectly, as I have seen old steels with corroded gold parts and nationals with shrunken plastic. |
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BDBassett Member Posts: 503 |
posted 30 July 2000 09:44 AM
A few years ago it was popular to have emblems and badges on your car gold plated. I figured it was a return of the "Super Fly" thing. I watched how it was done. The guy we used at the dealership I worked at at that time used a sort of dauber, looked like a large Q-Tip, that was electrically charged. He dipped it into a solution of gold disolved in what I assumed was an acid of some sort. The car chassis was grounded and the dauber was charged with the opposite polarity. When the dauber was applied to the metal part, be it a lock cylinder or a piece of bright trim, the gold transfered to it smoothly. There are probably still auto detailing or customizing shops which offer this service. It always seemed to me to be a good, quick, low cost way to spruce up the gold plated hardware on your guitar although I never saw that done. You might just want to make a few phone calls and see what you turn up. BD |
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