Rmoving metal plating from guitar parts without Brasso?!

[McRohan New User Find all posts View Profile Close McRohan]

Hi everyone

Im trying to strip the metal plating off some assorted guitar parts which I'm pretty sure are made of stainless steel. So far the only way i can find that works is using brasso and elbow grease, but this is a very slow preocess, especially when dealing with hard to reach areas.

Anyway im curious as to whether or not there is an easier way.

Im not sure what the plating is, but ive attached a photo so hopefully you can identify it for yourself.

Thanks in advance,

Rohan.

PS: in the photo the silver things are what i have managed to do using Brasso.

[fly Amateur Metal Finisher Find all posts View Profile Close fly]

Re: Rmoving metal plating from guitar parts without Brasso?!

It looks like gold and chrome plating and what do you want to do with the parts

[McRohan New User Find all posts View Profile Close McRohan]

Re: Rmoving metal plating from guitar parts without Brasso?!

Right, I just want to make them all shiney and silver looking, then put them back on my guitar.

Thanks for replying btw, I wasnt expecting one so soon!

[fly Amateur Metal Finisher Find all posts View Profile Close fly]

Re: Rmoving metal plating from guitar parts without Brasso?!

ON the gold parts you want to use the brown compound with loose cotton wheel and just polish it out then white on a flannel cotton wheel and the chrome if you can find some muratic acid at home depot or the hardware store then use it 50/50 with water to strip the chrome, dip the part in the bath until it stops bubbling, pull it out to make sure that its not reacting with the base metal. then polish the nickle after stripping the chrome. If you can get the caswell manual it will help explain everthing, a lot of the questions will be answered by reading the manual... but fill free to ask if I didn't explain it clearly.

[msmith40 New User Find all posts View Profile Close msmith40]

Re: Rmoving metal plating from guitar parts without Brasso?!

I am also in the process of re-plating guitar parts for an Ibanez Les Paul copy made in 1977. (Black beauty, gold hardware, set-in neck. A NICE axe! I've owned it since March 1978.)

I'd already re-plated these same parts approx. 5-6 years ago. They looked great, but the plating began to wear off about 1 1/2 years later, mostly the pickup covers and bridge pieces. I was informed by a poster in this forum that I should've applied several layers, rather than one. I'll keep that in mind this time.

Removing the old plating: (The first time I re-plated) I had used a combination of very fine-grade sandpaper & fine grade compound purchased from an auto parts store. Meguiar's is the brand name that comes to mind........it's been awhile.

This time I used a Dremel and small buffing wheel with some Turtle Wax compound (in the round white & green container), and it worked pretty well. Just yesterday I tried something called Billet's metal polish, made for all polishable metals. (It comes in a small jar......and the word Mothers appears on the label.) I can't say enough good things about this stuff! It removed the old plating AND polished the metal real good! I applied it using a clean white sock as a glove. It took very little elbow grease, and I was amazed at the results. (Wear rubber gloves. A black residue appears when polishing and gets under your nails....in the grooves of your fingers.....and the smell lingers.)

Keep in mind that the end result will only be as shiny as the metal you're plating. The metal parts have to be shiny BEFORE you plate them.


Good luck!
Mike