Hardware Question Number 2!

[son of frog]

So i have this Bridge with Gold plating, Obviously not real gold i hope...

But its wearing away on the edges and starting to look unsightly, Plus
it doesn't match any of the other hardware on the bass...

So obviously the gold (coloured) plating is really thin, And i want to instead
get a nice shiny new Chrome / Silver colour from underneath...

So whats the best way to go around this without scratching the Chrome surface underneath, I was
thinking that if its thin enough that it wears under use then maybe something like wire wool will strip it
back easily, But i dont really fancy doing that if it might scratch the chrome.

So any suggestions / Possibly chemicals? i looked into it, well Googled it... and all it came up with was removing thick plating from watches and jewelery, i don't think this needs such harsh chemicals, and certainly not ones that will leave the nice chrome colour underneath looking dull...

Although i may be wrong, Wire wool will / will not damage the chrome?

Cheers.

Edited April 26, 2011 by son of frog

[Bloodaxe]

It will be real gold, but as it's over polished nickel ([url="http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Remove+gold+plating+but+leave+chrome&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB%3a%6ffficial&client=firefox-a"]according to the internetz[/url]) it's only a few microns thick & won't stand up to much.

Much as I like a vile chemical dip, I'd steer well clear of it for this as the only thing I can think of is [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrochloric_acid"]Spirit of Salts[/url] which might well attack everything else too.

Try a nylon pan scourer & some T-Cut, paste-type metal polish, or some gunky Brasso. If the underneath is gold plated, you've got plenty of room for experimentation.

A Dremel with a felt wheel might be useful for getting in corners & the like.

Edited April 27, 2011 by Bloodaxe

[RhysP]

Use Brasso. Put a bit on a soft cloth, rub it on the the bridge & the gold plate will come straight off.

Edited April 27, 2011 by RhysP

[son of frog]

[quote name='RhysP' post='1212468' date='Apr 27 2011, 11:46 AM']Use Brasso. Put a bit on a soft cloth, rub it on the the bridge & the gold plate will come straight off.[/quote]

Alright cheers, well Brasso costs virtually nothing, So i'll give it a go, i'm sure it will retain the original colour better,

certainly better than with Hydrochloric Acid!

And i have a dremel, And i'm pretty sure i have the felt edge wheel never used it i don't think so nice and fresh, would be good if theres any difficult spots left over, or just polish it up nicely.

I'll post on here how i get on, for anyone else considering this.

Edited April 27, 2011 by son of frog

[son of frog]

Thread Revival!

Okay so i went ahead and the results speak for themselves,
I'll post the pictures and Method for anyone interested out there...

So basically its really simple, I just removed the saddles and the saddle screws, and
Rubbed at it with the Brasso, with an old pair of pants (clean)

At first it turns grubby with the excess gold being removed, but i did this all in one evening, and trust me it looks a lot better in real life, and looks like new, which is great considering its a 30 year old bridge.

Also whats good with getting in those saddle slots, the awkward angles on the saddles themselves and the imprinted writing is cotton buds, although buy a large pack because i think i went through about 30 - 40 of them.

Heres the bridge after a small amount of brasso rubbed on.





And the finished Product,







hopes this helps some people out there, i dunno about anyone else, but i just find gold hardware unsightly, especially on a P or J bass.

-Tom

[Bloodaxe]

That's come up a treat I like that it doesn't appear to have the harsh shine of chrome, which would tend to support teh interwebz opinion that you've exposed the nickel plating.

Good job with the old pants too - Y fronts or Boxers? Socks work well (especially ones with terry soles) as do old t-shirts.