replating nickle on saxophone

[JohnF]

I have a Conn Alto saxophone with nickle plated keys that have a certain amount of pitting on them. I was wondering what I would need to do to replate them and would the Caswell bright nickle kit be large enough for the job(as far as the size of some sax components are concerned)? I was thinking about doing a test key to see if there is a color/shine factor to worry about. Is etching all that is needed to be done to the old plating in order to replate it? There are several keys where the underlying brass is showing through. Will this affect the evenness of \'color\' of the new plate? Sorry for all the questions but I\'m hoping that someone here has tried this before. Thanks in advance for all the help.

JF

[mcaswell]

I would think that a Plug N Plate nickel kit would suffice.

See http://www.caswellplating.com/plugnplate.htm

>>Is etching all that is needed to be done to the old plating in order to replate it?

Yep - just acid etch the exisiting nickel so that the new nickel bonds properly onto it.

>>There are several keys where the underlying brass is showing through. Will this affect the evenness of \'color\' of the new plate?

No - it will plate over the brass easily and you should have a uniform color.

[JohnF]

-Caswell

Thanks for the info. I was contemplating finishing the raised corrosion flat and then, whatever didn\'t finish out,fill in with low temp powdered solder, then replate the part using the bright nickle kit. I would probably practice on scrap brass first though just to gain self confidence and knowledge. If I did one key, I would probably do them all just to go 100% on the project. How the scrape piece matches up would be the deciding factor. Does the \'Plug and Plate\' kit leave \'brush\' strokes in the plating? And how thick is a single \'coat\'? I use to work in a dental lab so I\'m familiar with finishing metal and working with rubber abrasive attachments. I\'ll probably be buying one or the other nickle kit if for no other reason then to find out what my options are. Thanks once again.

JF

[mcaswell]

No brush strokes are left.

Thickness is hard to measure, as it depends on a lot of factors, including how the kit is used.

The more you brush onto the part, the thicker the plate becomes.

[JohnF]

-Caswell

Thanks again! I\'m going to write up a supply list from the catalog sometime this week and mail it in. I see alot of potential in learning replating technique on a home shop scale. I\'ve always been naturally curious.

JF