(Alden Hackmann) wrote in message ...
We've got some banjo tuning machines that are chrome plated, and (for esthetic reasons) a customer wants them plated with
copper. I did a little searching with Google, and found various methods, of which electroplating looks the best. Any
comments or suggestions? Will the copper stick to the chrome? Other problems that I'm not anticipating?

Thanks,

Alden

I think the copper will stick to the chrome. Normal sequence for
chrome plating is to first copper plate, then nickle, and finally
chrome. But I think the nickel is because the chrome plate has some
porosity. Not because the chrome won't stick to copper ( and vise
versa ). Copper plating is feasible at home. Chrome plating really
isn't.

Dan

(Alden Hackmann) wrote in message ...
We've got some banjo tuning machines that are chrome plated, and (for esthetic reasons) a customer wants them plated with
copper. I did a little searching with Google, and found various methods, of which electroplating looks the best. Any
comments or suggestions? Will the copper stick to the chrome? Other problems that I'm not anticipating?

Thanks,

Alden

I think the copper will stick to the chrome. Normal sequence for
chrome plating is to first copper plate, then nickle, and finally
chrome. But I think the nickel is because the chrome plate has some
porosity. Not because the chrome won't stick to copper ( and vise
versa ). Copper plating is feasible at home. Chrome plating really
isn't.

Dan

Alden Hackmann wrote:

We've got some banjo tuning machines that are chrome plated, and (for esthetic reasons) a customer wants them plated with
copper. I did a little searching with Google, and found various methods, of which electroplating looks the best. Any
comments or suggestions? Will the copper stick to the chrome? Other problems that I'm not anticipating?

Thanks,

Alden

--
Alden F.M. Hackmann
Web: http://www.hurdygurdy.com/hg/hghome.html
"Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae.
as a kid i had one of those little Radio Shack metal plating kits....
did gold plating, silver plating, copper(copper turned out real bad.. it
was green.... copper will look terrible after you plate it, when you
polish it looks nice..... but then it keeps on tarnishing and looks like
crxp. talk the customer out of it.. bet what he saw and wants his
instruments to look line was brass?????

jim writes:

as a kid i had one of those little Radio Shack metal plating kits....
did gold plating, silver plating, copper(copper turned out real bad.. it
was green.... copper will look terrible after you plate it, when you
polish it looks nice..... but then it keeps on tarnishing and looks like
crxp. talk the customer out of it.. bet what he saw and wants his
instruments to look line was brass?????

Absolutely sure - he wants copper. It's kind of a long story... but he made a bunch of the trim pieces out of copper, and he
wants the tuning machines to match (fair enough). I'm hoping that we can buff the machines and lacquer coat them so they stay
looking polished. If not, so it goes.

Alden
--
Alden F.M. Hackmann
Web: http://www.hurdygurdy.com/hg/hghome.html
"Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae."

On 22 Jul 2003 23:35:15 GMT, (Alden
Hackmann) wrote:

We've got some banjo tuning machines that are chrome plated, and (for esthetic reasons) a customer wants them plated with
copper. I did a little searching with Google, and found various methods, of which electroplating looks the best. Any
comments or suggestions? Will the copper stick to the chrome? Other problems that I'm not anticipating?

I think chrome must be stripped before copper or nickel can be plated,
but the place that would do the copper plating can easily do that. If
they also do chrome then they strip old chrome routinely.

Since your customer is making other parts of copper, you might use
whatever protective coating he uses (if any) so everything tarnishes
at the same rate.

copper will react to hand oils while the chrome for the most part will not.
tell em to keep it chromed
"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On 22 Jul 2003 23:35:15 GMT, (Alden
Hackmann) wrote:

We've got some banjo tuning machines that are chrome plated, and (for
esthetic reasons) a customer wants them plated with
copper. I did a little searching with Google, and found various methods,
of which electroplating looks the best. Any
comments or suggestions? Will the copper stick to the chrome? Other
problems that I'm not anticipating?

I think chrome must be stripped before copper or nickel can be plated,
but the place that would do the copper plating can easily do that. If
they also do chrome then they strip old chrome routinely.

Since your customer is making other parts of copper, you might use
whatever protective coating he uses (if any) so everything tarnishes
at the same rate.