•Hello All: This message in reply to Nancy Fratti's request for home brew Nickel Plating. Yes, you can do it, and it's quite easy. Unfortunately I do not have a source for the chemicals, but I'm sure that you can find your own by calling around to some local plating shops to see where they buy their...

•This message is for Damon Atchison who inquired about re-plating the pedals on his piano. First of all, cost: Hit the Yellow Pages and call some platers to find out what their minimum charge is. The last time I had something plated, the minimum was around $50, but that was about eight years ago and...

•In our area most electroless plating is nickel. Russ Doering Silican Valley, CA

•Mary Alice Fassl wrote in 110104 MMDigest that she seeks a musical Christmas tree stand like her parents had. Well, she was fortunate to find and purchase a restorable musical tree stand with the same nickel plated brass cover, but the metal has some dents that must be removed, and the nickel plati...

•Good morning, I would suggest a good brass instrument repair technician for both the dent removal and nickel plating. The array of equipment, technique, and skill should be a perfect match. Just like piano technicians, band instrument techs vary widely by specialty and experience, so a certain amou...

•If you want dents removed in brass then take it to a band instrument repairman. The nickel plating was Watts nickel. It is a bit duller finish than most platers do today -- they actually make the nickel plate brighter by adding a brightener to the solution. Saccharin sweetener is the additive to ma...

•Antique car restorers who have vehicles from the 'teens and early '20s frequently encounter the need for restoration of spun brass parts, particularly headlight shells and bezels. One problem with these spun parts is that they often have radial cracks. This is the nature of old spun brass parts. As...

•Does anyone know of a company that does brass plating at a reasonable price? I've checked with two companies in the Chicago area and their pricing is _outrageous!_ One plater I contacted wants between $400 and $700 to do 27 [spoolframe] parts. I have a nickel plater in Chicago that has done work fo...

•I am looking for a good and reliable nickel plating vendor that can plate steel and brass parts from a music box. I am located in the San Francisco Bay area of California, but due to the EPA regulations the price in California for plating has gone sky high. Perhaps other states might be less expens...

•Can anyone suggest a reliable source for nickel plating coin-op machine parts? Thanks! Kermit Hobbs

•I recently asked for help in locating a source for nickel plating. I received quite a bit of good information from people who had received good service in this regard. Here are the businesses they recommended: Courtesy Metal Polishing 735 North Addison Road Villa Park, IL 60181 630-832-1873 Courtes...

•I am currently restoring an Ampico B drawer and want to re-plate the drawer hardware. Would anyone have a recommendation for a plater who does gold plating [of die-cast parts]? Thanks, George Epple

•(Ref: George Eppie in 181119 MMDigest) A couple years ago I had some timpani parts chrome plated by J&L Burnishing and Lacquering in Atlanta, New York. His phone number is 1-800-833-0146. Not sure if he does gold but did a great job on my chrome parts. Maybe a good place to start. Good luck, Kevin ...

•Here's another source of plating equipment and supplies for all of you who might be thinking of doing some nickel plating. The company is out of Dallas and services the jewelry making/repair industry: SWEST Inc. 11090 N. Stemmons Fwy Dallas, Tx 75229 1 800-527-5057 They sell a series of "cyanide fr...

•Regarding Charles Davis's query on plating [150928 MMD], in my experience that is oxidation on the brass. I would think that those pipes might be solid brass. It sounds like they weren't sprayed with metal lacquer to seal them from the air. There are several types of cleaners. I have even used vine...

•Thanks to Eric Bergstrom for more info on nickel plating! I've had a wonderful response to my question on plating and plating procedures. That's the joy of MMD -- People sharing information!!! One of our MMD'ers is actually putting together a 'plating kit' for me from spare stuff he had. This is sh...

•I have always liked the slightly golden appearance of what I believe is passivated cadmium plating on steel. The process may also work with zinc plating. I have seen it on the cases of much electrical equipment where it is useful because, unlike paint, it leaves an electrically conductive surface. ...

•Dear Fellow Enthusiasts, a posting by Don Barton suggests nickel plating of deteriorating pot metal items but says that it can be expensive. Two of the easiest do-it-yourself electroplating metals are copper and nickel. So apart from a modest initial set-up cost, the process is quite simple and rel...

I'm into restoration of the drawer of a particularly dirty Ampico A grand. The escutcheon plates surrounding the various controls are loaded with 70 years of dirt and grime that just will not come out. What is the plating material on these old plates? What techniques do others use to clean and resto...

In Digest 970123 Mark Van Essen wrote asking for help restoring the metal nameplates on his piano. The black on the metal labels is Black Oxide Plating. It is done much like brass plating. The process is use by jewelers. You may be able to find a crafting jeweler that will do it for you. It is a sim...