DIY Electroplating of Guitar Hardware | Gold, Nickel, Copper, Chrome etc.

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  • Опубликовано: 1 фев 2025

Комментарии • 60

  •  Год назад +4

    CAUTION: The chemicals used for electroplating are hazardous. Always check the hazard label and follow the PPE guidelines (wearing gloves, goggles, facemask, be in a well ventilated room etc.) of the products you're using.
    Never dump these chemicals down your household drain, including the water that was used for rinsing the work pieces (use a dedicated container and not your sink) - check your local chemical recycling laws.

    • @ninkichan7209
      @ninkichan7209 11 месяцев назад

      Hi, I am trying to order exactly the same brand and products from the Manufacturer's site but since I am not German and do not understand the language, can you please tell me how many ml does each Electrolyte, Chrome, Remover, and Degreaser was used on this video? Also, did you order the whole kit or just the separate bottles? Thanks in advance.

    •  11 месяцев назад +1

      @@ninkichan7209 I've ordered separate bottles. All 250ml, except for the gold and black chrome I only got 100ml.

    • @ninkichan7209
      @ninkichan7209 11 месяцев назад

      @ Wow, that was a quick response. Thank you very much! Regarding Chrome stripping, do you have a separate video on that? You mentioned that it is reversed polarity and to be honest, I know nothing about these electronic gadgets that you are using as I want to try it in a minimalist way like using commercial batteries. I might consider buying that machine though if it is the only way.

    •  11 месяцев назад +1

      @@ninkichan7209 It can be done with batteries, but to easily adjust the voltage for each application it's best to buy a "variable power supply" (DC)
      It might cost 50 - 60$
      Digital ones from china work just fine.

    • @ninkichan7209
      @ninkichan7209 11 месяцев назад

      @ You've been very helpful. I hope you make more content like this, especially how to operate these things propely. Thanks!

  • @_mysilentblue2227
    @_mysilentblue2227 Год назад +1

    Very cool episode. As a machinist in the Navy we did quite a bit of this for repair parts. With the brush method you can get a little (tiny) pump to keep your brush soaked with fresh plating solution, it also helps in the bath generally to keep it circulation. Again great job & great outcome!
    BTW watch out for silver, most pro solutions are cyanide based.

    •  Год назад +1

      that's very interesting that electroplating was used on a vessel :)
      I better stay away from silver then. I think, in that case it's easier to buy guitar guitar hardware in chrome, it'll look similar to silver.
      Also, on the page that I got the chemicals from it says: Real Gold´s chrome stripper does NOT contain caustic soda - sodium hydroxide - which is corrosive and dangerous. It does not attack or stain paint.
      So I guess it's a safer version than the usual chrome stripper.

    • @_mysilentblue2227
      @_mysilentblue2227 Год назад

      @ a pump shaft bering spun, damaging the shaft instead of making a complete new one we would build up with nickel then machine it back into spec. Silver we used for steam valve seats.

    •  Год назад

      @@_mysilentblue2227 that's really cool, to be able to build up a substantial amount of nickel

  • @Jaundice__
    @Jaundice__ Год назад +2

    Get to the copper!!! 😂 Cool video, it turned out great.

  • @musicahandmade
    @musicahandmade 9 месяцев назад

    Perfect video: well explained going straight to the point, and lots of takes with clear examples. I've been searching for this subject long time ago. Thank you!

  • @Tooshabby
    @Tooshabby 6 месяцев назад

    The quality of your videos is so high it puts so many guitar channels to shame.

    •  6 месяцев назад

      thank you so much, my friend

  • @thenameless3271
    @thenameless3271 Год назад

    Fantastic, your channel is by far one of the most interesting guitar channels around. My favorite is the copper, even if it tarnishes, it still might look neat that way!

    •  Год назад

      it might end up looking "vintage" after a few months :)

  • @dionisiovulture4889
    @dionisiovulture4889 Год назад

    One technique is to put banana oil on the copper so it doesn't rust, pretty cool video (full of information), thanks

    •  Год назад

      Good tip, thank you

  • @DavideSchachterJazz
    @DavideSchachterJazz Год назад

    That's fantastic piece of information...I used to make colloidal silver and gold many years ago but I totally forgot how to use the dc supply and I no longer own one. Can you please now make us a little tutorial a bit more in depth about the settings on the DC PS and the time line of the different stages? I need to re-gold plate a bridge, because it's no longer being produced and impossible to find a NOS (Although I was lucky enough to find a set of NOS saddles. I believe I must strip down all the residues of the old plating before doing the process. Do you think I can do it using just chemicals or should I have to manually remove the old plating some how? Please a more in depth tutorial THANKS!

    •  Год назад

      I'm not experienced in restoring old parts, but if some of the gold came off, then there's usually nickel underneath.
      You can try doing using an electric cleaner and then "activator" (oxide remover) to then brush on new gold.
      The voltages that I've used are written on screen during the video. But it's best to start low. A too high voltage can cause the surface to look rough (that's what happened to some of my copper plating test pieces). Regarding the time: I put the parts in each bath for just 30 seconds or 1 minute tops. Except for the gold and black chrome. These took much longer. Gold plating can be sped up with more expensive electrodes though.
      I'm a beginner with all of this, I took my Infos from the descriptions the German online shop had that I was buying the electrolytes from. So maybe there is a good online shop in your area with information regarding the ideal voltages etc.

    • @DavideSchachterJazz
      @DavideSchachterJazz Год назад

      @ Thanks!

  • @CPedrosa94
    @CPedrosa94 2 месяца назад

    I've been looking for something like this for so long! Awesome video!
    My Gretsch Double Jet is arriving in a couple of days and I want to give it a Jack White's Copper Triple Jet vibe with copper hardware but couldn't find any reliable sources on how to procede...
    Would you recommend electroplating over "relicing", notably when it comes to chrome hardware? I've read that there should be a layer of copper under the chrome plating of the hardware and that I could get the chrome off with different chemicals, have you ever tried it?
    Also could electroplating affect playability? I'm a bit reluctant to do it on "mechanical" parts, it seems alright in the video especially with the brush-on technique but maybe you've got some better feedback now that time's passed?
    Thank you so much for the great work!

    •  2 месяца назад +1

      @@CPedrosa94 usually there is a nickel plating underneath the chrome.
      I have never tried electroplating over relicing. It's best to try it out on a test piece.
      If it's chrome hardware, then you'd need to strip the chrome first, unless the idea is that there is some nickel coating exposed due to the relicing and then to copper plate only the exposed nickel.

    • @CPedrosa94
      @CPedrosa94 2 месяца назад

      I should have phrased it differentely, but the question was rather strippping off the chrome ("relicing") instead of electro plating, but I'm understanding it's not possible to plate directly over chrome? :)
      Any feedback on playability?
      Thanks for the responsiveness!

    •  2 месяца назад +1

      @@CPedrosa94 yes, it could work to relic off the chrome, but it's probably tricky to only remove the chrome without going all the way through the nickel as well.
      Also, nickel and chrome look similar.
      With gold hardware on the other hand, it's easier to see: E.g. a gold bridge might lose its gold plating due to friction from the palm muting, and then you start to see the nickel instead of the gold.
      Playability: There should be no difference, as the plating is super thin.
      Just don't copper plate the strings like I did.
      The copper on the strings turned dark really quick and they felt rough.
      But to keep in mind, copper will corrode over time, all copper plated hardware will turn dark sooner or later.

    • @CPedrosa94
      @CPedrosa94 2 месяца назад

      What abour using chemicals to strip off the chrome? I've seen various methods and chemicals used in order to do so, any risk it would also strip off the chrome/nickel plated underneath? Seems to work fine in your video

    •  Месяц назад +1

      @CPedrosa94 the chrome stripper I've used would only remove the chrome, and it only works in combination with electric current.
      I haven't tried any other type of chrome stripper chemicals though.

  • @ryanobra1492
    @ryanobra1492 Год назад

    thanks for the video man! I was wondering if chrome plating will also remove the rust of an old hardware?

    •  Год назад

      You'd first need to remove all the rust and polish it

  • @akinatronic8946
    @akinatronic8946 Год назад

    very cool video ! for one guitar, how much gold electrolyte do you think is needed as quantity or volume ?

    •  Год назад

      When buying the gold electrolyte, it usually says how many grams of gold are in e.g. a liter. But electroplating only needs a super tiny amount of the precious metal.
      So the 100ml gold electrolyte might be enough to gold plate the HW of several guitars

  • @ApertusOrg
    @ApertusOrg Год назад

    Lovely work, I would be interested in chrome plating our anodized aluminum metal camera parts, but I am concerned a too shiny surface will be counter productive in a camera, did you also experiment with aluminium and matte chrome finishes?

    •  Год назад

      Usually you would electroplate a part instead of anodising it. But maybe the anodised surface can be removed, similar to how the chrome stripper works.
      A matte chrome finish can be achieved if the part had a matte surface to begin with.
      E.g. by sanding off the anodised coating and then chrome plating it (well, probably a nickel plating will be needed as a first layer).

    • @ApertusOrg
      @ApertusOrg Год назад

      @ anodizing is basically just replacing the aluminium oxide layer with one that is color pigment infused so the oxide remover step could already do the trick - in particular the parts I have in mind have no color pigments anodizing as I hoped for a silver/natural finish but the result had a slight olive tint. Sounds good, the part already has a sandblasted matte finish.

    •  Год назад +1

      @@ApertusOrg the olive tint is to give it a stealth/outdoor camera vibe ;)

  • @ChrisBealsProductions
    @ChrisBealsProductions 3 месяца назад

    Isn’t it illegal to de-chrome parts at home? Maybe I’m mistaken. But I was told by a local company that the chemical vapors to do this are very toxic and need license to do so.

    •  3 месяца назад

      @@ChrisBealsProductions yes, de-chroming produces toxic vapours. It might be illegal in some countries or states and it's for sure strictly regulated what kind of electrolytes can be sold for home use and/or what quantities.
      To do this as a business, where the parts are sold afterwards, instead of it just being a science experiment, probably requires a license.

  • @rattlehead9656
    @rattlehead9656 Год назад

    Nice video mate ,do you have a links to equipment you are using here?

    •  Год назад

      I've got the liquids and electrodes from real-gold.de
      The glass containers are from IKEA.
      The laboratory power supply is a cheap one from Amazon (60$ or something, there are many options)

    • @rattlehead9656
      @rattlehead9656 Год назад

      Thanks a lot,but it looks like the link is not working at least for me@

    •  Год назад

      @@rattlehead9656 oh sorry I had a type
      It's real-gold.de
      That shop is from Germany, but there are surely similar shops in other areas of the world. They can usually be found when searching for electroplating supplies

    • @rattlehead9656
      @rattlehead9656 Год назад

      Danke Schon@

  • @JoviChan
    @JoviChan Год назад

    arh this one is interesting, can I electroplate Black hardware into gold colors? cuz i always thought black colors are different material or just paint?🧐

    •  Год назад

      I think black hardware is powder coated (more durable than paint), which you can't electroplate over. Except "Cosmo black" might be an electro plating that can be removed with the chrome stripper to then gold plate it

    • @JoviChan
      @JoviChan Год назад

      @ thanks for the reply, so i needa strip the coat off first😏😏

    •  Год назад

      @@JoviChan yes, but usually it's powder coated and it'll be very difficult to remove. Powder coatings are durable

  • @phileeepaye1641
    @phileeepaye1641 Год назад

    Can you use this method to colour the metal blue/purple/red/green etc?

    •  Год назад

      no, these kind of colours can be done by anodizing aluminium.

  • @qhodave
    @qhodave Год назад

    Nice. Wirklich sehr cool. 👍🏻

  • @henrykrusak8593
    @henrykrusak8593 Год назад

    Whats the name of that bigsby system ? is it german ??? where can i buy it?

    •  Год назад +1

      It's a Duesenberg Les Trem II, but I'm not sure where it's made, it might be made in Germany.

    • @henrykrusak8593
      @henrykrusak8593 Год назад

      @ thanks a lot !!!!

  • @Betterburg
    @Betterburg Год назад

    Wow, didn't know it's possible at home

  • @sungjin1262
    @sungjin1262 Год назад

    Hello sir can I ask you for help?

    •  Год назад

      Sure :)

    • @sungjin1262
      @sungjin1262 Год назад

      I messaged you on Instagram

    • @sungjin1262
      @sungjin1262 Год назад

      Thank you so muchh

  • @BriarBeats
    @BriarBeats 10 месяцев назад

    God Bless you In Jesus Name, thank you for your video brother! ❤

  • @thegrimreaper7
    @thegrimreaper7 Год назад

    Geat video as alway Georg!