Chrome Removal

[LowB_FTW]

😅 Please don't laugh at me. hahaha

I know I'm coming at you with all the weird and wonderful, first strap locks, now this. hahaha

 

I've found a bridge on eBay that I'm really interested in, but it's chrome when the one I really want is black.

Because this one is pre-owned it's about half the price of a new one.

So my question is can I remove chrome plating to have it resprayed black?

 

Again, I'm sorry for the weirdo questions. 😂

 

Mark

[YouMa]

You could do mate but it would be a chew on with probably not very good results. Spray paint will just look crap after a while. You could get it powder coated or anodised but I don't think the expense would be worth it. Sorry.

Edited April 9, 2023 by YouMa

[police squad]

just buy a black one

 I used to run a plating shop and unless you're mates with someone there, it'll cost than it's worth

[iconic]

Just knock back the finish (rough it up) of the chrome with 400 grit wet n' dry so the paint will key to it. 

 

The only problem is getting into corners etc. 

 

 

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, police squad said:

just buy a black one

 I used to run a plating shop and unless you're mates with someone there, it'll cost than it's worth

^^^

Very much this.

[Downunderwonder]

Yep, an awful lot of resources went into chroming it, and an awful lot more would be required to strip it. Very wasteful.

[Machines]

Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Find Google Chrome, click unisntall.

 

Oh wait, i'm not at work.

[Crusoe]

37 minutes ago, Machines said:

Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Find Google Chrome, click unisntall.

 

Oh wait, i'm not at work.

I came here for this reply.

[Jackroadkill]

As others have said, it's possible but takes a lot of doing.  There's also the copper coat underneath the chrome that would need removing, and then you have to get the new finish to stick down.  Again, doable but more expensive than it would be worth.  Just find a black bridge that suits your requirements and go with that.

[neepheid]

8 hours ago, LowB_FTW said:

😅 Please don't laugh at me. hahaha

I know I'm coming at you with all the weird and wonderful, first strap locks, now this. hahaha

 

I've found a bridge on eBay that I'm really interested in, but it's chrome when the one I really want is black.

Because this one is pre-owned it's about half the price of a new one.

So my question is can I remove chrome plating to have it resprayed black?

 

Again, I'm sorry for the weirdo questions. 😂

 

Mark

 

Listen to the wise folk.  While what you're proposing is technically possible, it would not be worthwhile in terms of money/time/results depending on how you do it.

 

Save up and get the bridge you want.  Incidentally, link us the bridge you're talking about (the chrome one).

[vincbt]

I had a bass with gold hardware that I wanted to turn black, I could replace most of it but the bridge was impossible to source and I looked at having it repainted.

 

After exploring a bunch of different options, I concluded the safest and easiest thing to do was to just sell the bass and buy another with black hardware (which I’ve done)… Hardware isn’t easy nor cheap to recolour

Edited April 9, 2023 by vincbt

[Silvia Bluejay]

1 hour ago, Machines said:

Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Find Google Chrome, click unisntall.

 

Oh wait, i'm not at work.

That's what I thought this thread was about at first! And I was ready to use the Moderation Tools to move it to Off Topic...

 

To add my opinion to the OP's question, I am with the majority here. I have replaced chrome hardware with black hardware before - I bought all the black  hardware brand new from Thomann. I can't see how a properly chromed bridge could ever be stripped satisfactorily enough not to make a mess when re-sprayed. Also, even the black-from-factory, brand new bits I bought had some small defects in the spraying, in that you could see small areas of unsprayed metal in hard-to-reach spots. Imagine having to first strip, then re-spray, at home or in a small shop! An absolute no-no.

[Waddo Soqable]

To strip chrome you'd have to do electrolysis, I'd think with the poles reversed to how they were when it was chromed in the first place, I've used simple electrolysis to clean metals before.

.. but, as everyone says, not worth the bother / cost, just buy some black hardware

 

Just as a point of interest, there's a whole bunch of u tube videos showing kitchen sink type chrome removal using the above technique 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Waddo Soqable

[Dad3353]

I was IT manager for a company that had chroming baths for some of its products. I had a set of drum rims that needed re-chroming; the fellow that operated these baths did me a favour, putting the rims through the process. Result: I had to buy a new set of rims, as the 'process' had eaten away most of the underlying metal along with the original pitted chrome. 
I wouldn't recommend chrome removal. Obtain a black bridge by other means. 

[Count Bassy]

"Sand" blast it and then paint it. (Don't use actual sand unless fully masked up and outside - free silcates!)

[Waddo Soqable]

12 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

I was IT manager for a company that had chroming baths for some of its products. I had a set of drum rims that needed re-chroming; the fellow that operated these baths did me a favour, putting the rims through the process. Result: I had to buy a new set of rims, as the 'process' had eaten away most of the underlying metal along with the original pitted chrome. 
I wouldn't recommend chrome removal. Obtain a black bridge by other means. 

Probably would've been fine if they'd watched the process and pulled them out when "cooked"... I expect they just bunged them in and left them. 

[Dad3353]

26 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Probably would've been fine if they'd watched the process and pulled them out when "cooked"... I expect they just bunged them in and left them. 

 

Possibly, but I rather think that the pitting in the old chrome did the real damage, allowing the corrosive bath to get through to the rim metal. There's not much thickness in a drum rim in places, so it didn't take much to render them useless. Lesson learned, though. Luckily, I'm not such a purist as to insist on all-original parts, as I'd never be able to obtain genuine, new-old-stock Camco rims. I've used Tama rims instead; Tama bought the Camco hardware anyway when they were split up (the shells went to DW, along with the round-cylinder lugs...), so... 

[Waddo Soqable]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Possibly, but I rather think that the pitting in the old chrome did the real damage, allowing the corrosive bath to get through to the rim metal. There's not much thickness in a drum rim in places, so it didn't take much to render them useless. Lesson learned, though. Luckily, I'm not such a purist as to insist on all-original parts, as I'd never be able to obtain genuine, new-old-stock Camco rims. I've used Tama rims instead; Tama bought the Camco hardware anyway when they were split up (the shells went to DW, along with the round-cylinder lugs...), so... 

I assume they were pressed/stamped mild steel under the finish? 

[Dad3353]

19 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I assume they were pressed/stamped mild steel under the finish? 

 

Indeed. I went for die-cast as replacement; they've been fine since, and the chroming has held up splendidly. 

[Waddo Soqable]

Just now, Dad3353 said:

 

Indeed. I went for die-cast as replacement; they've been fine since, and the chroming has held up splendidly. 

All good then👍

[police squad]

One of our stock phrases in the re-chroming of old things, 'look good painted!'

 

We mainly plated new things. Did a lot of Hi-Fi trims for a company called Musical Fidelity in the late 90s. All polished and gold plated brass, looked lovely

 

We also did quite a bit of restoration work, cars, motorbikes etc. It was very labour intensive to get the base material ready for the plating process, removing all the rust/corrosion pitting was a skilled job. I did a lot of this. 

 

We closed it down as it needed too much investment. Water treatment plant was expensive, everything was expensive and the chemicals, many of which were carconogenic

[LowB_FTW]

So, the general consensus is that I should stop being a Richard and just pay for the new bridge that I want.

Which I can actually respect. I was just curious if what I wanted was feasible, which it turns out it is not.

I appreciate all input in this, cheers.

 

On 09/04/2023 at 10:56, neepheid said:

Incidentally, link us the bridge you're talking about (the chrome one).

This one is the one I was thinking about getting, and this is the one that I found that is twice the price. However, I've done a bit more digging and it seems that Kahler actually have the one I want in stock now, so I may just buy directly from them.

Has anyone here had experience of ordering bass parts from the US?

 

Mark

[Doctor J]

I've bought lots from the US over the years, though have scaled back considerably since the price of postage to Europe has gone through the roof. Expect to pay about 25% import duty on the total cost of your part, including postage, when it arrives. There'll probably be a handling fee added, too, to cover the expense of charging you import duty.

[neepheid]

6 hours ago, LowB_FTW said:

So, the general consensus is that I should stop being a Richard and just pay for the new bridge that I want.

Which I can actually respect. I was just curious if what I wanted was feasible, which it turns out it is not.

I appreciate all input in this, cheers.

 

This one is the one I was thinking about getting, and this is the one that I found that is twice the price. However, I've done a bit more digging and it seems that Kahler actually have the one I want in stock now, so I may just buy directly from them.

Has anyone here had experience of ordering bass parts from the US?

 

Mark

 

Yes.  I ordered DiMarzio pickups through a US eBay seller a few months back.  Cheapo postage takes weeks.  It's a total bummer when the taxman comes calling for his circa 25% tax on EVERYTHING (value of item + postage).