How do you remove gold plating?

[Seamus]

Got a DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1100 for my archtop. I tried to get a beat-up one that was at least duller, but what arrived is shiny-bright gold, which really doesn't match this guitar. I'm thinking a dremel with a wire brush might be the ticket, but this place is always full of good advice. Any tricks to turn this gold to silver? If the recessed parts remain gold, that's cool. Just hoping to get the main casing.

 

[Ricochet]

Brasso and some elbow grease.

 

[Runamok]

Any tricks to turn this gold to silver? If the recessed parts remain gold, that's cool. Just hoping to get the main casing.

View attachment 189733

I’ve heard good things about Alchemy.

 

[Seamus]

I’ve heard good things about Alchemy.

You win!!

 

[Falconetti]

If it is plated the finish will dull and flake if you just look at it hard enough. Don’t use the Dremmel. It will scratch it too brutally. A decent grit containing metal polish will do it a lot more controllably. If you just want to dull it try treating with a weak acid.

Obv don’t do any of this when it is on the guitar….oops….too late !!

 

[englishman]

Any cream metal polish will make short work of the gold plate.

 

[Seamus]

Well that was almost absurdly easy! Flitz metal polish plus Dremel felt tip:

 

[Byron]

Sheesh, I was getting worried when I read the heavy duty tool advice. Metal polish like brasso.is so quick it's scary. I can imagine someone thinking
hey, I'll give this gold pickup a quick tidy up.....then find the gold finish was outta here

 

[Byron]

Looks great by the way. I left a haze of gold on my vistatone pickups for a nice old vibe

 

[Seamus]

Looks great by the way. I left a haze of gold on my vistatone pickups for a nice old vibe

Thanks! I really like the look of it -- it seems far more vintage now, and this is definitely a vintage guitar, so it matches the vibe. This thing has gold tuners, but a chrome tailpiece. So now there's both in the pickup. (It's not installed -- was just checking the fit! This is gonna get Schatten thumbwheels under the pickguard, and will mount with a rod on the side of the neck.)

 

[ToneM1]

There should be nickel plating under the gold!

 

[Lockupyourfatdog]

I had a set I used brasso on. Pulled the gold right off! Didn’t even take much work to do it

 

[wabash slim]

There should be nickel plating under the gold!

Plating starts with copper, then nickel, then chrome or gold. The gold's only a few molecules thick, so it'll come off with little effort. The one advantage of gold plating is that it doesn't tarnish.