Gold plating an old bigsby

[Mr. P ~]

We hunt a nice, cool, shady spot for a nap!! At least that is the kind of things I hunt.

Seriously, around here they hunt anything that breathes!! 8)

Here is a Wiki on gold plating for electrical conductivity, which is the way I know gold plating.

If you look at the chemicals used in gold plating you get a double whammy in that process. Not only do you have to pay for the gold plated to your item, but you also have to pay for proper OSHA controls of such things as cyanide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_plating

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Guilders,

Since a "nickel finish" is better to plate than a "chrome" one, would a corroded "nickel finish" be even better? I have an old "nickel finish" Bigsby bigsby that looks like it needs a grinding wheel to get all of the corrosion off. But it might be better to leave the corrosion on because it might impart a more vintage look, no? And anyway, I can't get no....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-LP0r_KKEw

 

[Mr. P ~]

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

P,

Do you have any idea about the corrosion factor? Or the Max Factor?

hf

 

[Mr. P ~]

All hilarity aside, any pitting caused by corrosion should be removed by mechanical means or through chemical stripping.

Any pits or irregular surface areas will show up in the plated finish just like they would show up in the painted finish of your car.

Pitting does help the plating stay put, the kind of irregularities that would promote the adhesion of the plating are small enough to require magnification to see them.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Thanks Mr P. I'm going to call the company you mentioned. Before the plating, do you think I'd have to take the ear/hinge off (by pulling out the pin)?

 

[workedinwesterly]

why not just buy a gold bigsby ?
They're out there...even a new one is the same as the original...not much has changed in the bigsby universe.

 

[workedinwesterly]

why not just buy a gold bigsby ?
They're out there...even a new one is the same as the original...not much has changed in the bigsby universe.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

W i W,

Do you know where I could find a gold Guild bigsby?

dh

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

W i W,

Do you know where I could find a gold Guild bigsby?

dh

 

[workedinwesterly]

StewMac sells "bigsby" bigsbys for about $219.
Getting one that says guild is gonna be a challenge.
At least the 'bigsby' version would look right until some expert gets up close !

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

W i W,

Stew Mac is a godsend. Even just for info.

dh