preping for BRUSHED NICKEL finish???

what would be the process to prep steel for a "brushed" nickel plate job??

i'm gonna go out on a limb and assume the "brushed" look comes from the prep you do to the metal prior to the plating. i'm thinking maybe sanding a part with a belt sander to get the parallel "lines" in the part???

help me out here. am i way off or on the right track???

 

Im no plating guru, but Im going to throw my 2 cents in anyway. The parts being plated are metal finished, whether it be filling pits with copper, or buffing. Nickel plating will show what the metal looks like underneath and will have a dull finish. I know this probably dosen't make any since, but I have been drinking heavily.

 

There is a plating place in Dayton Ohio that offers brushed finish. not sure of the process but you could call them, here is the info

Plate Rite Co., Inc.
5311 Webster St., P.O. Box 14543
Dayton, OH 45414
Phone: 937-278-4817

 

Many years ago, I was restoring an antique jukebox that needed all the metal to look like a pewter-ish finish. I sent it to Lemon Grove in California as they used to do all my plating and Ernie said brushed nickel was as close as they could get. They plated the parts as usual to a bright nickel finish and then slowly rubbed each part in one direction using progressively finer Scotch-Bright pads. It looked great. Very subtle and classy. Just what we wanted. Good luck with platers nowadays Mike

 

HMMM. that makes sense. thanks very much. just was'nt sure if the brushed texture was due to a process before or after the plating. very helpful. thanks.

 

i can check at work tomarrow. what you thinking of plating?

 

I have had plenty of nickel done. You polish it till it hurts! The brushed part comes later.

 

Chrome nickel finishes are only as good as the base .Shit in shit out .And remember nickel will rust .I wanted to nickel some parts my plate-rs talked me out of it. My 2cents

 

We nickle a lot of parts at work, and it isn't any different than chrome as far as the prep goes. We have also been experimenting with the amount of time in the tank. It makes a big difference. Find a plater that will work with you and give him some samples to dip, trying different times. It will also yellow after time, which is what we are looking for. It gives the part a real vintage look. You can see the difference between the Halibrands here. the roadster has all nickle trim including the wheels, and the coupe is chrome and polish. (sorry for the blury pic)

 

I was thinking about a brushed look in place of some of the bright work while I was in the shower today. It's funny that this is coming up. I think it would be be a pretty trick idea. Is this a new idea or has this been done in the past?

 

I think the brushed nickel finish hides more imperfections than the highly polished nickel finish too.
Like stated before, it is best when the steel is as good as possible.
A motorcycle friend "stipples" parts to look like forged and then nickels them,
It looks really cool, and solves the polishing problem.
TP

 

If your area has any custom gun builders they are a good source for quality plating on small parts.

 

Nickle isnt like Chrome or Gold.
Nickle tarnishes, oxidizes, like an old nickle does.
You can leave it tarnished, I guess, but if you polish it to remove the tarnish it isn't going to look "brushed" any more.