Nickel Plating Headgrille

[kingkorg]

This stock gold color was driving me crazy, so I decided to try this out.

I used this video as a tutorial, and it worked out better than I expected.



It gave me even vintage, gun metal look that I wasn't expecting. I haven't even prepared the grille in any way besides cleaning it with alcohol. I had to rotate the grille a lot during the process to get even finish, and stir manually to get rid of bubbles. I did get some "dendrites" on the grille, but they were easy to remove, and under those the finish was as on the images. No polishing, or anything like that. I used 12v throughout the process.

 

[RuudNL]

So you plated nickel over the 'gold' of the headbasket?
I have no experience in plating, but I can imagine that nickel won't hold on any metal.
But I like the idea(!), because I also have some microphones with a 'gold' headbasket.
It is too much 'bling-bling' for me, maybe rappers will like it...

 

[kingkorg]

So you plated nickel over the 'gold' of the headbasket?
I have no experience in plating, but I can imagine that nickel won't hold on any metal.
But I like the idea(!), because I also have some microphones with a 'gold' headbasket.
It is too much 'bling-bling' for me, maybe rappers will like it...

Yup. There seems to be much chemistry involved, but it worked out great for me. Guess I was lucky. The bling factor was bothering me as well.

 

[rock soderstrom]

So you plated nickel over the 'gold' of the headbasket?
I have no experience in plating, but I can imagine that nickel won't hold on any metal.

If my memory serves me right, copper is normally used as an intermediate layer for nickel plating on certain surfaces. Gold can also play this role, but it is not usually used for well-known reasons. It is much more expensive than copper.

 

[rock soderstrom]

I did get some "dendrites" on the grille, but they were easy to remove, and under those the finish was as on the images. No polishing, or anything like that

I like this used vintage look, too! For more bling bling you can easily polish it up, the nickel plating should hold well on the surface.

 

[Icantthinkofaname]

This stock gold color was driving me crazy, so I decided to try this out.

I used this video as a tutorial, and it worked out better than I expected.



It gave me even vintage, gun metal look that I wasn't expecting. I haven't even prepared the grille in any way besides cleaning it with alcohol. I had to rotate the grille a lot during the process to get even finish, and stir manually to get rid of bubbles. I did get some "dendrites" on the grille, but they were easy to remove, and under those the finish was as on the images. No polishing, or anything like that. I used 12v throughout the process.View attachment 114435View attachment 114437View attachment 114436

Thank God MXL changed that colour scheme with the V67HE.

 

[RuudNL]

Much better! I have a couple of Chinese microphones with an (IMHO) ugly 'golden' headbasket.
I hope I can find the courage to do the nickel plating myself.
It seems it is not overly complicated and from what I read you don't need an ultrasonic cleaner and stuff like that.
The only risk can be that it fails... (The video explains everything in detail, but in my opinion you usually get the best results if you don't exactly 'follow the book'! It is the same with gardening... )

 

[kingkorg]

Much better! I have a couple of Chinese microphones with an (IMHO) ugly 'golden' headbasket.
I hope I can find the courage to do the nickel plating myself.
It seems it is not overly complicated and from what I read you don't need an ultrasonic cleaner and stuff like that.
The only risk can be that it fails... (The video explains everything in detail, but in my opinion you usually get the best results if you don't exactly 'follow the book'! It is the same with gardening... )

Also worth to mention, as the mesh needs more tumbling and turning, getting rid of the bubbles... I stopped and repeated the process several times and got this result. So if it fails in the first go, you can just repeat.

I'll certainly try this for the whole body eventually.

 

[k brown]

Terrific, soft look.

Can you also share what paint you used for the ivory body?

 

[kingkorg]

Terrific, soft look.

Can you also share what paint you used for the ivory body?

Colorworks 938502 Ivory White

 

[k brown]

Hmm - maybe a Euro-only product; never seen in US stores.

 

[kingkorg]

Hmm - maybe a Euro-only product; never seen in US stores.

Probably, I just picked up whatever was available, eyeballing it. Maybe there's some universal comparison table.

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

I’ve done similar plating for worn soldering iron tips which I’ve re-profiled, cleaned and polished and then plated. I was able to create very fine chisel tips for soldering SMD components like multi pin IC’s. I used ammonium nickel sulphate and nickel strips and electroplating tubing to wrap the strips in.

 

[kingkorg]

I’ve done similar plating for worn soldering iron tips which I’ve re-profiled, cleaned and polished and then plated. I was able to create very fine chisel tips for soldering SMD components like multi pin IC’s. I used ammonium nickel sulphate and nickel strips and electroplating tubing to wrap the strips in.

Now that is an awesome idea!

 

[MicMaven]

This stock gold color was driving me crazy, so I decided to try this out.

Whoa - Nicely done. I posted a "like" but I want to emphasize how much I like the result. Understated elegance, looks expensive. My wife agrees. (And this marks the first time in x years we have agreed on something . . .) . James .

 

[kingkorg]

Whoa - Nicely done. I posted a "like" but I want to emphasize how much I like the result. Understated elegance, looks expensive. My wife agrees. (And this marks the first time in x years we have agreed on something . . .) . James .

Thanks, I just got lucky with this one

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

Hmm - maybe a Euro-only product; never seen in US stores.

Rust-Oleum do a satin ivory silk available at most hardware stores here - it’s a Zinsser brand paint - indoor/outdoor self priming, all surfaces.
https://www.rustoleum.com.au/produc...-cover-2x/satin?ls=276354&lc=Satin Ivory SilkYou can also use automotive paint which will require primer and clear-coat as a top coat but, then you can choose your finish anywhere from gloss to ultra-flat in the clear. The color is just a base coat, the clear-coat provides the protective layer - same as with vehicles, the base coat is prone to finger marks etc so if using do not handle base coat surface until clear has been applied. I have used spray can auto lacquers for all sorts of projects (including vehicle touch-up repairs). Available in any auto supply stores, they even mix colors to code if there’s a vehicle color you want to match. Fiat and Nissan both have a color similar to the above in solid non-metallic finishes.

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

Now that is an awesome idea!

I’ve been experimenting doing iron plating - nickel first, then iron, then nickel, to toughen the tips more - but still in the working out of the iron plating stages yet! Not sure if it’s worth the effort but fun anyway.

 

[Gus]

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nickel-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20351529

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nickel-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20351529

Good thing I don’t suck on my soldering iron tips - mind you the heat might cause more damage than the nickel! Maybe the same goes for microphones.