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Topic: Chrome Plated |
Allen Howington
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 11 May 2015 4:06 pm |
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I have my necks off my Emmons SKH and want to have the necks chrome plated instead of the jeweled look. Who is someone that one of my forumite steel buddies would recommend to do this kind of work?
Allen Howington |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 11 May 2015 5:00 pm
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| There is a reason that they were jeweled in the 1st place- and that is to not have stage lights reflecting off of them and blinding the player. If you still want to do this they need to be first polished then plated and any local plater should be able to help you. |
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Allen Howington
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 11 May 2015 5:09 pm Input
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Jim,
Thanks for the input, but yes I realize why the jeweled look was incorporated. However, I had an Emmons D-10 once that had the polished necks on it, I really liked it and found no issues with "glare" off the lights. However, I'm sure at the right location there might be some interference, but it's worth the trade off for me. Thanks for your opinion and advice.
Steel buddy,
Allen |
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Allen Howington
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 11 May 2015 6:53 pm Chrome plated
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| Anyone else got any suggestions? |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 11 May 2015 7:21 pm
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Look for a local plating shop. That is basically the best suggestion. They're the people you need to see. You can Google plating shops. There are many around the country that you can send them to. Not cheap.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 12 May 2015 2:54 am
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Yeah. If you know car guys or biker guys, they'll know who would do a good job.
You have to grind the jeweling off and get it shiny before you chrome it.
There are several places that show up as polishers near you.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Allen Howington
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 12 May 2015 4:42 am Thanks
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| Thanks for the input ! |
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 12 May 2015 4:46 am
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| Allen..Aluminum does not always take to the chrome plating process very well. It may develop "dimples" or ripples. You may want to visit the plating shop personally with the necks for an evaluation. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 12 May 2015 5:14 am
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I don't know how much shipping runs (I get a 75% discount,AND I drive by these guys 4 times a week), but Blue Mountain Metal Finishing in Bethel, PA does a good job at reasonable rates. They don't plate, but they polish (and I bet they probably know a plating shop).
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 13 May 2015 8:55 pm
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Why not just have the necks professionally buffed to a high shine? The Emmons alloy castings have always taken an excellent shine. You need to have them buffed before plating anyway.
_________________
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 13 May 2015 10:20 pm
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Chris, I'd been about to suggest that. Once they get polished, he might be happy with what he's got.
And chrome doesn't plate well onto most metals, so there's a multi step process to a mirror finish chrome job.
Polish the aluminum to a high shine.
Copper plate.
Polish the copper to a high shine.
Chrome plated the copper.
Polish the chrome.
That's a lot of time leaning on a wheel, and most folks will be happy at step 1.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 21 May 2015 4:34 pm
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| Lane Gray wrote: |
Chris, I'd been about to suggest that. Once they get polished, he might be happy with what he's got.
And chrome doesn't plate well onto most metals, so there's a multi step process to a mirror finish chrome job.
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Most of the "shine" on decorative chrome comes from a nickel strike applied over a copper "flash" process. Good platers can chrome plate just about anything successfully (including plastic) so plating aluminum is really no biggie for someone who knows what he's doing (read: a reputable company). Surface prep is everything, and that's where the time comes in. You must tell the plater what gets plated, and what doesn't - in order to keep the cost reasonable. In other words, tell the plater exactly where you need "pretty", and where it doesn't matter. It makes little sense to plate all the area under the fretboard, or on the bottom (inside) surface of the neck. These areas can be masked from the plating process, and also don't have to be polished out (which will save you money).
Lastly, keep in mind that polished aluminum and chrome are NOT the same color! If you chrome the necks, and just polish the aluminum changer and keyheads, it will be very noticeable.  |
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Jim Bates
From:
Alvin, Texas, USA
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Posted 22 May 2015 1:09 pm
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I ordered my LeGrand in 1993, and had Jack Strayhorn mirror polish the aluminum necks. He charged me $20 per neck, of course this was while guitar was being built. After all these years it still looks great. (I always played in dim light places, so I NEVER was blinded by the bright lights on the stage!) Also, I got to watch Al Winters in Pasadena, TX. polish a rough cast neck to mirror shine when he was building the Remington pedal steels.
Skip the chrome, go the polish route.
Thanx,
Jim |
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Larry Henson
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 22 May 2015 1:27 pm
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| I have a S-12 MSA Millennium that has a chrome neck. Sitting at the guitar the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings loose visibility due to the strings above the chrome background...for what it's worth..believe it or not...my experience anyway? |
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Paul Norman
From:
Washington, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 25 May 2015 7:06 pm
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| If you go the polish route, Billy Knowles can do it for you. You may want to talk to him about it anyway. |
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