DON'T BLAST ANYThING!!!dcrane wrote:holy cow, that's some great work bro! I knew after seeing your shop with lathe's and miller crickets and every tool known to man that you were going to make this thing shine!
In all seriousness can you tell me how you went about getting that nickel re-plated? did you sand blast everything yourself first (is that required), how much did it cost exactly, etc,etc... (I can handle the assembly/disassembly/etc but the nickel re-plating has me very scared because I cannot afford $1,000 just for that alone
Plated parts should be as smooth and perfect as you can get them before plating. Remember...it's just plating. A very thin bonding of shiny stuff via electrolysis . Any imperfections will show up just like imperfections in/ under paint.
The way I understand it is... They actually reverse the polarity on the equipment to remove the existing finishes. It comes off the same way it went on. Then it goes through a rinse/neutralization process, Inspection, repair, then a five step plating followed by a quick polish.
Honest engine, the stuff in that photo is what a thousand dollars got me and from what I gather it was a damn good deal. I also have a good size investment in the stove, not going forward with the plating wasn't an option.
Also sorry to hear that your not in the position to drop a grand, things change and maybe sooner than later.