Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Materials and Techniques to Plate a Tuba

Hello. I am interested in improving or replacing the finish on a used tuba I recently purchased. It currently has silver plating, but it is worn off in some places, exposing the brass underneath. I would like to restore the silver plating, but I understand that electroplating with silver cannot be done by a non-professional because of the toxicity of the solutions involved. Are there other ways of doing this? I have used chemical plating processes that restore a very thin layer of silver, but I need a finish that will withstand a fair amount of wear. Is silver electroplating possible for an amateur to accomplish, or should I seek professional help? Is there a different material that I should consider to plate for the purposes of corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal? Thanks for the help.

Calvin Moes
Student and hobbyist - Oakville, Ontario, Canada
April 15, 2009

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Hi, Calvin. You are correct that you'd shouldn't attempt real silver electroplating. It requires a cyanide-based process, and cyanide is one of the deadliest poisons. You should send it to a plating shop. But if you can't afford that, maybe applying your wipe on silvering process followed by a clear coat would get some more life out of it.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 16, 2009

There are at least 2 cyanide-free silver plating baths on USA market and you can use them with very primitive equipment (hobby drill transformer, or even 4,5 v battery, piece of SS as anode). Try it first on some brass scrap. Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
April 20, 2009

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April 21, 2009

I think that the critical point is that a tuba is a BIG instrument.
The cost of setting up a plating bath big enough to contain it would probably be many times the expense of a professional job with a certainty of success.
Ted is quite right about cyanide and non-cyanide baths have little track record.
Apart from the plating bath, you need specialised cleaning baths (also big) and a considerable experience to achieve the required thickness where you want it.
Brush plating is a possibility but again not so simple as it looks.
Consider - Brass should not be a corrosion problem and a well worn instrument could suggest a very experienced player, and remember, silver is not cheap.
Phone local platers.

Geoff Smith
Hampshire, England