Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The baby shoe process involves coating the object with conductive paint and then dipping it into a copper electroplating tank. Copper builds up comparatively quickly and buffs well, which is also why it's used as a base for nickel and chrome. (The combination of all three steps gives "triple chrome" its name.)

It's a century-old process and I'm not sure it would work on a guitar, although a solid body has best chance.

Give me cool metal spraying every time...

That looks awesome! Unconventional, but totally works IMO.

Now....I wish itmwas entirely made of aluminum, Veleno-style....talk about sustain.

Talk about ground cables...

jingle_jangle wrote:The baby shoe process involves coating the object with conductive paint and then dipping it into a copper electroplating tank. Copper builds up comparatively quickly and buffs well, which is also why it's used as a base for nickel and chrome. (The combination of all three steps gives "triple chrome" its name.)

It's a century-old process and I'm not sure it would work on a guitar, although a solid body has best chance.

Give me cool metal spraying every time...

But, Robertson's Strat was not dipped in the copper: They made a cast with the guitar body, and then soldered the copper to the body. It's theorized Robertson, or whoever he hired, had to make two separate molds, and then put them together around the body.

Danotron wrote:That chrome looks pretty cool!

I'm usually into mostly the vintage vibe so I'm not sure I could do it (or more accurately, have it done) to one of my Ricks; but if I saw one all ready to go...........................

Dan, your chrome 360/12 is ready to go!

collin wrote:That looks awesome! Unconventional, but totally works IMO.

Now....I wish itmwas entirely made of aluminum, Veleno-style....talk about sustain.

Yeah, that would be amazing. Did the Velenos have frets, or was the entire neck including the frets one piece of aluminum?

Ain'tGotNoPokemon wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:The baby shoe process involves coating the object with conductive paint and then dipping it into a copper electroplating tank. Copper builds up comparatively quickly and buffs well, which is also why it's used as a base for nickel and chrome. (The combination of all three steps gives "triple chrome" its name.)

It's a century-old process and I'm not sure it would work on a guitar, although a solid body has best chance.

Give me cool metal spraying every time...

But, Robertson's Strat was not dipped in the copper: They made a cast with the guitar body, and then soldered the copper to the body. It's theorized Robertson, or whoever he hired, had to make two separate molds, and then put them together around the body.

Thanks for the info, Dan...that's an awfully complicated and pricey way to accomplish a simple task...

jingle_jangle wrote:

Danotron wrote:That chrome looks pretty cool!

I'm usually into mostly the vintage vibe so I'm not sure I could do it (or more accurately, have it done) to one of my Ricks; but if I saw one all ready to go...........................

Dan, your chrome 360/12 is ready to go!

He has some sweet paintjobs on his Ricks!

jingle_jangle wrote:The baby shoe process involves coating the object with conductive paint and then dipping it into a copper electroplating tank. Copper builds up comparatively quickly and buffs well, which is also why it's used as a base for nickel and chrome. (The combination of all three steps gives "triple chrome" its name.)

It's a century-old process and I'm not sure it would work on a guitar, although a solid body has best chance.

Give me cool metal spraying every time...

You don't always have to dip your object in a tank to electroplate it.
Spray it with the condutive paint, attach the cathode from the rectifier to it and with a special brush, soaked in the acidic metal solution and attached to the anode, you can 'paint' with real metal.
I've got a small machine that does that for my shop.
I wouldn't dip a guitar in a tank full of acid though, in fact, not in a any liquid at all.

jingle_jangle wrote:

Ain'tGotNoPokemon wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:The baby shoe process involves coating the object with conductive paint and then dipping it into a copper electroplating tank. Copper builds up comparatively quickly and buffs well, which is also why it's used as a base for nickel and chrome. (The combination of all three steps gives "triple chrome" its name.)

It's a century-old process and I'm not sure it would work on a guitar, although a solid body has best chance.

Give me cool metal spraying every time...

But, Robertson's Strat was not dipped in the copper: They made a cast with the guitar body, and then soldered the copper to the body. It's theorized Robertson, or whoever he hired, had to make two separate molds, and then put them together around the body.

Thanks for the info, Dan...that's an awfully complicated and pricey way to accomplish a simple task...

My name's not Dan, sir.

Whether you like it or not, it's Dan now. Sorry Guy, but you'll just have to go change your name after this...

egosheep wrote:

collin wrote:That looks awesome! Unconventional, but totally works IMO.

Now....I wish itmwas entirely made of aluminum, Veleno-style....talk about sustain.

Yeah, that would be amazing. Did the Velenos have frets, or was the entire neck including the frets one piece of aluminum?

They were fretted. Not sure how they pulled it off, but I know they had frets....and sustain for days.

Well, it's not metal, but of course there is the cool option of a hemp-made guitar (Something that should be done more, IMO). http://www.guitarsite.com/news/electric ... from_hemp/

Ain'tGotNoPokemon wrote:Well, it's not metal, but of course there is the cool option of a hemp-made guitar (Something that should be done more, IMO). http://www.guitarsite.com/news/electric ... from_hemp/

From the website (in part):

...No edges, no joints...

I guess you can't smoke it then.