POLISHING CHAIN?!? Prep for PLATING? ARRRGH!

[tokay]

How can I polish steel chain that has been bead blasted?

I have lots of antique lighting chain that I want to plate with brass or shiny nickel. I have been replacing it with new chain at quite an expense. I can get it plated but it's very costly. I could plate it myself but to get the nickel bright I need to get the raw chain polished--a plater told me he can do it as is, but it's going to be dull--buffing it link by link would be a nightmare!

My best bet would be using a combination of bead blasting off the rust and old plate, then using my vibratory polisher to polish. Any particular media I might use in the tumbler? I have corn cob in there now. Any ??

Keith, tokay@mindspring.com

[clydes]

i use a mix of corn cobs and walnut shells in my tumbler. it takes for ever (a few days but that might help you. just my 2 cents worth. clydes