•Spencer Chase wrote in 970126 MMD: > There are many old hobbyist books which cover nickel plating. T J > Lindsay Publishing specializes in "Lost Technology" books and other > obscure information. They have a few titles on plating. I have several > books myself and can suggest titles or make copies ...

There are many old hobbyist books which cover nickel plating. T J Lindsay Publishing specializes in "Lost Technology" books and other obscure information. They have a few titles on plating. I have several books myself and can suggest titles or make copies of what I think are the best. I have wanted ...

Another option for the hobbyist for plating: Find yourself a shop like mine which does repair of woodwind and brass band instruments. Although we do not own any plating equipment (due not only initial costs, but all the government regulations surrounding its use and disposal) we quite often need par...

•While new plating of chimes, bells and glockenspiels may look nice, the process of plating can change the pitch, and require re-tuning them. Bruce Clark

•Hi, I am doing some restoration on the action of an 1886 Vose & Sons upright. It has four brackets that support the action. They appear to be of cast steel, and cruddy. They clean up pretty well, and appear to perhaps have been plated at one time. Does anybody know whether or this might be true? Wo...

•I would wire brush the brackets then spray gold lacquer and clear lacquer. As far as the material behind the front cover, I used a red velvet on an 1895 Steinway, and it was stunning. Good luck. Nick Yengle

•I have made a number of Seeburg knobs if anyone is interested. They are solid brass. I am thinking of trying to have a plating shop nickel plate then. Has anyone had experience nickel plating these knobs? Don Teach

•Hi Don, I've tried to have some music box bells plated. I was never able to find someone who would plate them properly. They should be polished and then cleaned first. Then they should be plated with "Watts Nickel". If they do it per typical practice nowadays, they will end up looking like the bump...

•Hi All, In response to Don Teach's posting about nickel plating knobs: I have had local platers do various plating jobs for me. I typically have had brass plating done, but nickel should be easily accomplished, as well. My experience has been that commercial platers typically do work for industrial...

•When thinking about plating small metal parts that need quality work, it may be worthwhile seeking out a location where cutlery, jewelry, and the like are done as opposed to antique car bumpers. They know what they are doing and can offer advice in difficult situations. Not everything plates onto e...

•Years ago I needed interior trim parts plated for an antique car I owned. The original finish looked a lot like silver plate. When I spoke to the plater he said it was satin nickel. He refinished the parts for me and they looked exactly right. Perhaps Watt's nickel is another term for this finish. ...

•Plating metal that produces musical tones is risky. The result may look nice, but the extra layer of metal deposited on the object will usually change the pitch of tuning, and the newly-plated bell, chime, or bar will require re-tuning before it will be in tune with other sound producing mechanisms...

•Many years back I was in charge of inspecting chrome plated seat belt parts at MiLat Machine and Tool Company in Plainview, New York. I even got to go to the platers to see their operation (Nelkin Platers, New York.) I asked questions and found out that the chrome is plated on top of a nickel plati...

•On plating parts, or re-plating parts if they are small and only a few in number, you may want to think of doing it yourself. You can get small plating kits from a number of sources, at reasonable cost, for simple copper plating of non-ferrous parts. You use a hot pot with a solution of cooking alu...

•There is a Yahoo group that is devoted to the topic of electroplating: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Electroplating/ There is lots of information on the topic on this group's site. Take care Bill McGown

•Hi All, There is a group on Yahoo for DIY electroplating at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Electroplating/ One other place to get supplies/books/videos is Caswell Plating at http://www.caswellplating.com/ . If you don't want to plate it yourself, possibly one of the people on the electroplating grou...

•Hi Andy, I heard a different thing. I have always understood that the nickel is what protects the underlying metal. Chrome plating is very porous and doesn't offer any corrosion protection at all. It is just there for it's shiny looks. The process of chrome plating that I read about is called "trip...

•A former neighbor worked in the metal plating shop of a local aerospace parts fabricating firm. One day I asked him if he could re-plate an old trombone mouthpiece of mine -- the exposed brass had a horrible taste. The secret of good plating, he said, is cleanliness and lots of polishing between th...

•In Eric L. Reiss's book, "The Compleat Talking Machine", which is a restoration guide for vintage phonographs, there is a section on setting up a small scale plating setup for screws and other parts. It works. If you're into phonos there is more good info for you as well. Bob Hodge

•Plating small parts is easy. You need a glass container, a square one, like an old-fashioned accumulator, is perfect. A plastic one will do the job as well. You also do need enough vinegar to fill the container with. Next comes a piece of pure chrome. And the last thing you need is a power supply, ...