Replating Metal Parts

[juke46]

I browsed through a lot of this site looking for a subject that drifted through my ancient mind.  I did not see it or perhaps missed it.

When we restored our first Wurlitzer, a 700 model I was warned about chrome - nickel plating preparations by an "old time jukebox repairman".

In every threaded screw hole, in trim castings, add a screw and run it in to the bottom of the threads.  Careful on the muscle or the casting may be damaged such as stripped threads or even making a bump appear on the outside of the casting.  Doing this was to somewhat, protect the female threads of the casting from the aggressive plating chemicals.  Seemed like a valid point and I have always done that.  It also gave the platers a secure place to tie on to as the plating process was performed.  I did not want them using a sheetmetal screw or something to tie a wire to.

Never had a problem with the casting threads.  I always took time to gently clean the threads before and after plating.  After plating I, very carefully and gently, use a bottoming tap and lubrication to clean the threads.   No need for muscles here, be careful!  Really dirty threads I always back-off the tap when resistance is encountered.  I remove tap and clean it.  Clean the screw's threaded hole too.  Necessary?  I think so!  I always did it because castings are so difficult to find replacements for and then you still have to have the replacement plated.  I never had a problem replacing those shiny, replated castings back on a number of our machines with clean female threads

I was always careful, on replacement screws, to be certain they were the exact, thread and length of the originals.  I usually replaced all casting screws with new ones unless the old ones were perfect.

[Ron Rich]

Hi David,
I was lucky enough to have the owner of the largest/last plating shop in San Francisco, as a neighbor ( He just passed away a few months ago).
His advice, which I always followed, was to use a shorter screw to fill the holes when sending castings for re-plating. Also he said never to tighten it real tight, as you did not want the casting to be bent, during the process. Ron Rich

[juke46]

Ron,
Lucky You! I paid as much or more for plating as I did for the machines sometimes. I was fortunate, not a single part was lost or seriously damaged. Some seemed to lose the sharpness where the castings had a design or lines but that was about it. Shorter screws do make a lot of sense. Never thought of that.

I may have had a few parts from the 50's-60's Seeburgs re-plated but if I did it was not many. The Wurlitzers seemed most likely to need plating as well as the 20 select Rock-Ola machines. Perhaps, because all the Seeburgs were newer machines than the Wurlitzers? Better Metal? I have no idea.

I restored a lot of old Cushman scooters and Mustang motorcycles along the way and the plating experience was a whole lot better on steel than the jukebox casting plating.

The City of Phoenix monitored the discharges into the sewers from platers. Discharges of chemicals/metals could wipe out the biological sewage treatment process completely. I imagine all those problems helped make plating so costly.

[Ron Rich]

Hi David,
My neighbor would only let his "crazy--obsessed, employee" do my stuff-- he was obsessed with grinding it as little as humanly possible.
The shop was forced to close by "OSHA" ( suppose it was CAL OSHA?). He spent 75k, "upgrading" as they required in 2006. Two years later after completing the mandated upgrades, an "inspector" came thru to "check them". Inspector agreed that each, and every one of the mandates was done, and done correctly. But then, when the final "report" came to my neighbor, they demanded a 1/2 million dollars more in "up-grades". He closed down Aug 28, 2008. Sold the property and the developer built work/live lofts there. Ron Rich