I bought a Millers Falls #14 at a garage sale for C$2 (US$1.50).
I dated it to 1950-1955 or so.

It's in mediocre condition, well used with some rust and a lot
of grime. It's not worth keeping as an "antique" tool but
is definitely worth using as a working tool. To that end, I'm
reconditioning it. I disassembled it, stripped off the rust
and repainted the frog and body. The iron and chipbreaker
just needed a bit of steel wool and solvent to remove the
grunge.

The problem is the lever cap. It's chrome plated and the chrome
is pitted and chipped. I'm not in a position to spend the money
on having it professionally re-plated, so I'm looking for alternatives.
I DAGS and only found books and stuff on refurbishing hand planes.
Nothing online on what to do with the chrome. Removing the chrome
looks like using nasty chemicals. I'd consider removing it and
painting the cap, or just polishing it up and putting on a clear
coat. Any suggestions?

Maybe I should just sand off the worst of it and wait till I can
afford to get it re-plated.

Mike

Mike, I hate cheap jerks like you who are willing to sacrifice quality
to save a few dollars. You people who go around to junk yards and flea
markets need to be ashamed of yourselves.


"Life aint nothin' but twinks and chinks!" (Sexy gay young men and
Chinese food!) -JOAT (Jerk-Off All Twinks)

Do a search om electrolyic derusting. Will de-plate also.
http://www.icehouse.net/overland/derusting.html
There is also a way you can plate with a charger.



On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 20:11:32 GMT, "Michael Daly"
wrote:

I bought a Millers Falls #14 at a garage sale for C$2 (US$1.50).
I dated it to 1950-1955 or so.

It's in mediocre condition, well used with some rust and a lot
of grime. It's not worth keeping as an "antique" tool but
is definitely worth using as a working tool. To that end, I'm
reconditioning it. I disassembled it, stripped off the rust
and repainted the frog and body. The iron and chipbreaker
just needed a bit of steel wool and solvent to remove the
grunge.

The problem is the lever cap. It's chrome plated and the chrome
is pitted and chipped. I'm not in a position to spend the money
on having it professionally re-plated, so I'm looking for alternatives.
I DAGS and only found books and stuff on refurbishing hand planes.
Nothing online on what to do with the chrome. Removing the chrome
looks like using nasty chemicals. I'd consider removing it and
painting the cap, or just polishing it up and putting on a clear
coat. Any suggestions?

Maybe I should just sand off the worst of it and wait till I can
afford to get it re-plated.

Mike

"Michael Daly" wrote in message . cable.rogers.com...
I bought a Millers Falls #14 at a garage sale for C$2 (US$1.50).
I dated it to 1950-1955 or so.

I.. It's chrome plated and the chrome
is pitted and chipped.

Google for 'metal plating' and similar strings. I found a place
some time ago that offered home kits for all manner of plating, but
I can't seem to find it now.

--

FF

That method of derusting works well. I built a setup with a 5 gal
plastic pail and a length of black pipe inside a sleeve of PVC central
vac tubing. The PVC tubing has slots sawed into it in addition to
numerous 3/4" drilled holes: It makes a good insulator to keep the parts
and the anode separated.

I use about one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent per gallon of water
as a starting ratio for the electrolyte, then add more until the
amperage increases to about mid range on the battery charger.

A chemist monitoring one of the auto restoration news groups cautioned
against using stainless steel as the anode because as it is eroded
chromium is released into the water. Chromium is a nasty element and
renders the electrolyte a hazardous waste. Use a chunk of steel or iron
instead.

Tim

Lawrence A. Ramsey wrote:
Do a search om electrolyic derusting. Will de-plate also.
http://www.icehouse.net/overland/derusting.html
There is also a way you can plate with a charger.



On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 20:11:32 GMT, "Michael Daly"
wrote:


I bought a Millers Falls #14 at a garage sale for C$2 (US$1.50).
I dated it to 1950-1955 or so.

It's in mediocre condition, well used with some rust and a lot
of grime. It's not worth keeping as an "antique" tool but
is definitely worth using as a working tool. To that end, I'm
reconditioning it. I disassembled it, stripped off the rust
and repainted the frog and body. The iron and chipbreaker
just needed a bit of steel wool and solvent to remove the
grunge.

The problem is the lever cap. It's chrome plated and the chrome
is pitted and chipped. I'm not in a position to spend the money
on having it professionally re-plated, so I'm looking for alternatives.
I DAGS and only found books and stuff on refurbishing hand planes.
Nothing online on what to do with the chrome. Removing the chrome
looks like using nasty chemicals. I'd consider removing it and
painting the cap, or just polishing it up and putting on a clear
coat. Any suggestions?

Maybe I should just sand off the worst of it and wait till I can
afford to get it re-plated.

Mike

"Michael Daly" wrote in message . cable.rogers.com...

The problem is the lever cap. It's chrome plated and the chrome
is pitted and chipped. I'm not in a position to spend the money
on having it professionally re-plated, so I'm looking for alternatives.

Check out http://www.caswellplating.com/ for home plating outfits and kits.

On 19-Oct-2003, Lawrence A. Ramsey wrote:

Do a search om electrolyic derusting. Will de-plate also.

I did that to remove rust on the worst parts. I didn't
realize it would de-plate also. I'll give it a try.

Thanks!
Mike

On 19-Oct-2003, (edfan) wrote:

Check out http://www.caswellplating.com/ for home plating outfits and kits.

Thanks, but they're all more expensive than taking it to a
local plating company.

Mike

On 19 Oct 2003 16:00:00 -0700, (Fred the Red
Shirt) wrote:

Google for 'metal plating' and similar strings. I found a place
some time ago that offered home kits for all manner of plating, but
I can't seem to find it now.

Caswell are about the only people still offering such kits. You might
have some success with nickel plate (especially electroless nickel),
but chrome is a no-no for home use. It's not going to work unless you
use cyanide, and that takes real fume extraction.

--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

"Michael Daly" wrote in message . cable.rogers.com...
I bought a Millers Falls #14 at a garage sale for C$2 (US$1.50).
I dated it to 1950-1955 or so.

It's in mediocre condition, well used with some rust and a lot
of grime. It's not worth keeping as an "antique" tool but
is definitely worth using as a working tool. To that end, I'm
reconditioning it. I disassembled it, stripped off the rust
and repainted the frog and body. The iron and chipbreaker
just needed a bit of steel wool and solvent to remove the
grunge.

The problem is the lever cap. It's chrome plated and the chrome
is pitted and chipped. I'm not in a position to spend the money
on having it professionally re-plated, so I'm looking for alternatives.
I DAGS and only found books and stuff on refurbishing hand planes.
Nothing online on what to do with the chrome. Removing the chrome
looks like using nasty chemicals. I'd consider removing it and
painting the cap, or just polishing it up and putting on a clear
coat. Any suggestions?

Maybe I should just sand off the worst of it and wait till I can
afford to get it re-plated.

Mike

I like my Miller Falls 14 better than my Stanley 5 or 5C. You said it
was going to be a user so I don't really see why the need for perfect
chrome on the lever cap. Clean it up, polish if you must, put on some
wax and (assuming the rest of the tuning and sharpening have already
been done) make some shavings.

Dave Hall

On 20-Oct-2003, (David Hall) wrote:

You said it
was going to be a user so I don't really see why the need for perfect
chrome on the lever cap.

I just want it to look nice. And close to the original look.

Clean it up, polish if you must, put on some
wax and (assuming the rest of the tuning and sharpening have already
been done) make some shavings.

That's what I'll do for now. Someone suggested electrolysis to remove
chrome, but that would make for a hazmat bath that I'd have trouble
getting rid of. So I'm just going to sand the lever cap down and clean
it up. Maybe polish it up to 1500 grit, but that's about it for now.

It's mostly reassembled now and looks nice with a clean paint job. The
tote and knob need to be fine sanded and treated and the blade sharpened.

Mike

Andy Dingley wrote in message . ..
On 19 Oct 2003 16:00:00 -0700, (Fred the Red
Shirt) wrote:

Google for 'metal plating' and similar strings. I found a place
some time ago that offered home kits for all manner of plating, but
I can't seem to find it now.

Caswell are about the only people still offering such kits. You might
have some success with nickel plate (especially electroless nickel),
but chrome is a no-no for home use. It's not going to work unless you
use cyanide, and that takes real fume extraction.

Caswell rings a bell. I think nickel plating is what you want on
a lever cap.

--

FF

"Michael Daly" wrote in message . cable.rogers.com...
On 20-Oct-2003, (David Hall) wrote:

You said it
was going to be a user so I don't really see why the need for perfect
chrome on the lever cap.

I just want it to look nice. And close to the original look.

Clean it up, polish if you must, put on some
wax and (assuming the rest of the tuning and sharpening have already
been done) make some shavings.

That's what I'll do for now. Someone suggested electrolysis to remove
chrome, but that would make for a hazmat bath that I'd have trouble
getting rid of. So I'm just going to sand the lever cap down and clean
it up. Maybe polish it up to 1500 grit, but that's about it for now.

It's mostly reassembled now and looks nice with a clean paint job. The
tote and knob need to be fine sanded and treated and the blade sharpened.

Mike

I can understand, the Miller Falls lever cap with its chrome and red
lettering does look so much better than a Stanley.