copper/brass plating a microphone

[pucho812]

I am looking to take some moded mics and copper plate or brass plate or maybe chrome them.
I am wondering if I should do the grills as well. It would definately look much nicer if I had copper with a copper grill VS copper with a grey grill. I am sure the grills can be done. i am wondering what affects this would have if any? Anyone have expierence with this b4?

 

[Guest]

[quote author="pucho812"]I am looking to take some moded mics and copper plate or brass plate or maybe chrome them.
[/quote]
Common practice is to galvanize with material which no degrade
on the air. But thhere is problem with thermal dilatations of plated materials
and then (in good galvanizing factory) third material is plated
between them. i.e. if someone want to plate wolfram to steel,
firstly layer of copper is galvanized and then layer of chrome
is put onto it.
It is nonsense to galvanise copper to steel, because copper
degrades on the air as steel brass the some.
If you want to have yello mic, use gold. Gold is stable everywhere
and it is no problem to put it on the brass. Every musical instrument have gold surface.
Gold onto steel? may be with copper interlayer ?.
Same old machine directed man can help you.
xvlk

 

[pucho812]

what about copper plate and then add a layer of clearcoat to keep it from
degrades on the air as steel brass the some. ?

 

[PRR]

> what about copper plate and then add a layer of clearcoat to keep it from degrades

Everybody has an old brass bed that is half bright and half dull because the clear-coat is chiped or peeled.

There are cheap lacquers and better lacquers, but none really stop brass or copper from doing what it does: turn green-grey.

Thin flashes of Gold are not incredibly expensive for hand-built instruments like good mikes. A little too flashy for my taste. But a thicker coat of Gold will last forever.

One problem with electroplating: it will not "throw-down" into holes, the electric field concentrates on the highest parts. In a woven wire screen, you might get great coverage on the high parts and very poor coverage in the crack where the wires cross.

 

[maxwall]

How about the process of plating which is termed " Nickel Sulfamide" I think this is what is used in most Brass Alloy and Copper like microphone bodies. Its a dull almost flat nickel finish that has a slightly rough to the touch finish. More resistant to oxidation than copper of course.

 

[pucho812]

Everybody has an old brass bed that is half bright and half dull because the clear-coat is chiped or peeled.

Oddly this was the look I was going for. I was wondering if plating the grill would effect the sound any?

 

[BYacey]

I would go for nickel plate. Gold wears off unless it's really thick $$$, and brass turns green from people spitting into it and from handling. Nickel is a durable finish that doesn't corrode or show signs of oxidation.

 

[adrianh]

There has to be a simple recipe for a plating bath.
You may need to strike copper ofer the brass before you lay down
nickel. Some one ask around there are tons of resources out there.

 

[asm]

check this site out, sure it has what you need. they do real low cost yet high quality home setups, really sweet.

http://www.caswellplating.com/

 

[pucho812]

thanks ASM. but I think we have strayed from the point of the question which was "should/can I plate the grill and if so would this affect the sound?" Definately want to plate the mic body for the purpose of having it look awesome. Plating the grill would definately addd to the look and copper comes to mind because I really like a dark copper finish. But that doesn't leave out the possibility of nickle,chrome or any other type of plate process. Hell I am even doing a diamond plate on a microphone would kick ass.

 

[pucho812]

Hell I am even doing a diamond plate on a microphone would kick ass.

I ment to say hell even doing a diamond plate on a microphone would kick ass

 

[adrianh]

I think that it will have no effect on the sound
how could it. It would only make the screen holes smaller
directly related to the plating thickness.
This should not be a sound issue.
It is a looks and corrosion issue.
I clean mic will impress a client better than a green
corrosion magnet.

 

[pucho812]

I clean mic will impress a client better than a green
corrosion magnet.

:thumb: