Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

johnhall wrote:If these are aluminum, chances are they're going to bind big time after a fairly short period of time.

Since these are, can someone explain what this means and the issue it will cause?

Thanks,

LEL (Jason)

Thanks to Dane and John for the input.

The bridges will be flash chromed, so the build up will be at a minimum.

John, please elaborate as to what binding issues we may run into.

Thanks!

Paging Mr. Hall... Help us out please!

You might want to consider soliciting John Hall's input, regrading the technical stuff, off-line.

Low End Lover wrote:Paging Mr. Hall... Help us out please!

He already helped us out by saying these were okay to make and advising that brass was a better material. Not that I doubt anything he would say, but once you've intonated your 8-string with these aluminum bridges, I don't think you'll be doing it again any time soon, so the binding issue shouldn't surface in normal use. Like I said earlier, my CNC'd aluminum 5-string RIC-style bass bridges are just fine.

When two metals, especially soft ones like aluminum, and often when they are the same metal, are in contact under pressure, you can get "galling". This is a plastic deformation and adhesion between the surfaces. This can happen with just pressure, but is worse with movement/friction.

The chrome plating will help, but if it's thin, may not be enough...

cjj wrote:When two metals, especially soft ones like aluminum, and often when they are the same metal, are in contact under pressure, you can get "galling". This is a plastic deformation and adhesion between the surfaces. This can happen with just pressure, but is worse with movement/friction.

The chrome plating will help, but if it's thin, may not be enough...

I've heard of something similar happening with high-end lightweight bicycle parts...

Would it help if a thin layer of grease were applied to the mating surfaces?

teeder wrote:Josh,

Sorry man, the number of bridges is 8. One was a prototype that has some machining issue.

That's okay. I have too many other irons in the fire anyways.

rickaddict wrote:

cjj wrote:When two metals, especially soft ones like aluminum, and often when they are the same metal, are in contact under pressure, you can get "galling". This is a plastic deformation and adhesion between the surfaces. This can happen with just pressure, but is worse with movement/friction.

The chrome plating will help, but if it's thin, may not be enough...

I've heard of something similar happening with high-end lightweight bicycle parts...

Would it help if a thin layer of grease were applied to the mating surfaces?

I remember once making a model steam engine and I used brass for the cylinder and aluminium for the piston. When I test fitted it slid in and bound. It was like it was welded in there. I mangled both parts trying to seperate them.
I think I used brass and bronze for my next effort and that worked fine (until the boiler blew up)

Eden.

Well the original cast aluminium bridge had saddles to match and the chrome did a good job of stopping the saddles binding in most cases.

Kevin are the bridges left as a solid bar or are they hollowed like the Rickenbacker ones?
On my 4008 the bridge has sagged a bit in the middle and is held from deforming further by the grub screws locking into the holes in the tailpiece (previous owner had fairly heavy strings on it). A slightly more solid 8 string bridge is not a bad idea.

Eden.

Hollowed, but the side walls are thicker.

Kevin, if you ever do anymore I may be interested.

teeder wrote:Hollowed, but the side walls are thicker.

Good stuff! It will put the strength up and keep the tone nice and even.....

Eden.