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I have made the metal parts for my guitars, like the switch plates and pick-up rings out of brass and now I would like to have them plated. Some in brass and some in chrome. I want them to look like polished gold and silver, but most of the companies that advertise metal plating are doing it for industrial applications, not decorative like doorknobs and water faucets. Does anyone know of a company (preferably in Canada) that can do this kind of plating at a reasonable cost?

Check out the plating places that cater to the car restoration crowd. They do small trim parts and the like.

It is expensive, and there are fewer of those plating shops all the time because of 'concerns' about the chemicals.

If the parts are brass already, why not just buff them up yourself? (Or are there exposed solder joints, etc.?)

Cheers
John

Hi John,
On my first guitars I tried buffing and putting a clear coat on the brass, but that doens't look as good a brass plating, and it shows every little scratch. the parts that you get from suppliers like Stewart McDonald are plated and that's why they look as good as they do.

You can get some stuff from Caswell plating and give it a go yourself.

So far as suppliers, I have no idea. It is expensive and time-consuming to keep up a commercial plating setup, so I understand why most plating places have minimums. They do tend to be quite cheap if you have enough parts to be done, though.

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services