Restoring Nickel Plated Steel Parts

[dencins]

I recently received a steel AE Switch Hook in very bad condition (picture 1).  Rust had caused severe pitting to the point if the deeper pits were sanded out, there would not be enough material left on the part.  Eliminating the pits would require using some type of filler that could be plated.  Industry practice is to fill pits in steel with TIG welding which I do not have available so an alternative is provide a suitable surface to use 60/40 solder.  This solder melts at a lower temperature (370 degrees F) and is softer so it easier to sand.   

The first step was to remove the remaining old nickel and copper plating then soak the part in EvapoRust.  A "flash" nickel plating was followed by acid copper plating to fill in smaller pits and to provide a layer that can be soldered.  The remaining larger pits were then filled with solder.  The part was sanded and polished (picture 2).

Another problem - solder tends to "self plate" in acid copper giving poor adhesion.  Industry practice is to use alkaline cyanide copper plating (that I will not use) to address this issue.  The resolution was to use a homemade citric alkaline copper plating solution.  The part was alkaline copper plated followed by nickel. 

After the part has a complete layer of nickel, acid copper plating can be used to build up the desired finish.  This is done by acid copper plating followed by sanding then repeat until the desired finish is met.  Copper is soft and will smear when sanded to fill surface imperfections.  It should be noted the plating is being deposited evenly across the entire surface so in reality the bottom of the pit is being raised and sanding lowers the rest of the surface.  This means this process can be a problem on some parts such as parts with  embossed lettering since as the pits fill so will the lettering.  Once the desired finish is reached, a final nickel plating is done (picture 3). 

This process provides a lower cost alternative for the hobbyist to restore heavily rusted steel parts.

Dennis Hallworth

[HarrySmith]

Awesome job Dennis, looks great!

[stub]

Dennis,
          You did an excellent job on that old, wore out hook .  I"m impressed, looks like somebody might need to send you extra money!!!
          Sorry for the steel. I checked it with my pocket screwdriver and thought it was brass. I looked at my magnetic pocket screwdriver and just realized the magnet was gone. It has been replaced. Again excellent job!!!  Thanks,  stub

[dencins]

Stub

The learning experience from this was more than enough compensation.  I have been doing more steel parts lately and this was a great opportunity to practice filling pits in steel using solder.  I am sure I will improve with more practice.  Thanks for your patience.  Hope you like the parts.

Dennis Hallworth 

[old_stuff_hound]

Pretty work!!!

[GG]

Wow, that's as close to new as it's possible to get.

Can you turn brass into something pretty close to black or at least "gun metal" color?  I'm thinking of the receiver housing on the GPO 150 desk stand, which is made of brass with a bakelite cap, as a possible alternative (or along with) having it powder coated.

[dencins]

Thanks.

It does not take plating to turn brass black.  Gunsmiths use a product called "Brass Black".  I have not used it but I have heard it works well and does not alter the finish.  If you want a shiny finish, polish the brass before you apply the Brass Black.  After polishing you just wipe it on. 

There are several ways to make a homemade solution that can be found using Google but the commercial products are not that expensive and do the same thing without the experimenting.

Dennis Hallworth

[stub]

dencins,
          Parts came in today and they look great!!!!!  Thanks again!!!!   stub

[GG]

Dennis, how far black can that stuff go with brass parts?  Can it turn them as black as a black paint job?  And does it scrape off or does the color change get deeper into the metal?  Lastly, can one apply a strong black coating such as powder coating, over the blackened brass finish?

Also, what's the most durable black coating for use on brass (AE desk stand) and on steel (GPO desk stand): powder coating or something else?  I'm going to send both of these out to be redone and I want to end up with the toughest industrial-strength finish I can get for a reasonable price.  Is there anyone in our community who does that type of work?  (I'd sooner pay a fellow telephone enthusiast to do this because they know more about phones than e.g. an auto body shop.)

[dencins]

Dennis, how far black can that stuff go with brass parts?  Can it turn them as black as a black paint job?  And does it scrape off or does the color change get deeper into the metal?  Lastly, can one apply a strong black coating such as powder coating, over the blackened brass finish?

Also, what's the most durable black coating for use on brass (AE desk stand) and on steel (GPO desk stand): powder coating or something else?  I'm going to send both of these out to be redone and I want to end up with the toughest industrial-strength finish I can get for a reasonable price.  Is there anyone in our community who does that type of work?  (I'd sooner pay a fellow telephone enthusiast to do this because they know more about phones than e.g. an auto body shop.)

I have never used Brass Black so I can not comment on how durable or how dark it gets.  I do know the color it becomes depends on the alloy of the metal it is put on.  Also it only works on copper and brass so your steel part would still need something.

I have heard that paint on brass tends to chip and flake which is why gunsmiths use Brass Black rather than painting.  I do not know if that is the case with powder coat.

Dennis Hallworth