Plating a trumpet

[Kurt]

Would it be practical to silver plate a trumpet with the plug and plate kit? Is it possible to get a good finish even if it takes a while to do it? If possible how much solution would it take?

Thanks

[mcaswell]

Re: Plating a trumpet

We have something much, much easier for you. See http://www.caswellplating.com/silverpl.htm

It's a real silver plate and it is applied simply by rubbing the solution onto the trumpet with a cloth.

[fblevins]

I'm looking into replating trumpets myself, starting with a 1971 Holton Collegiate model for my son to use in high school band. My only question with the "rub on" silverplate is thickness/durability. I am leaning toward immersion plating so as to get a thicker silver layer over the entire horn than I believe the SilverSmith rub on would provide. I am wanting to replate these old instruments with a layer of silver comparable to that which they had when coming out of the factory. Can SilverSmith provide this thickness, and if so, how many applications (or how much time rubbing) would be necessary? Also, would the SilverSmith finish be as durable as that accomplished by immersion plating?

I must confess that I am a "newbie" to this, having only used the Caswell Plug-n-Plate thus far (with excellent results), but am planning on replating rare vintage horns in the future, and want the best results possible.

[lipshurt]

I've done a whole bell and mouthpipe a few times using plug and plate. It's not really that great. At first it looks good but after about two weeks it's starts coming off. First it gets powdery. If you use polish it comes right off. And you can see the brass again. If you get really good at it will stay pretty good on the places you don't touch. Avoid polish. <br />
I also tried the rag stuff. It looks ok for maybe two days and come off within a day where you touch the horn. It's definitely not worth trying.