Replace or replate inner slide tubes

[Kbiggs]

I have a project horn with the old-style slide stockings soldered on to the inner slide. Most of the chromium plating is worn off, or perhaps it was accidentally cleaned with muriatic acid.

Roughly, what would be the cost of deplating and replating the chromium plating vs. replacing the inner slide tubes with modern ones? The tubes look to be in fair shape for an instrument that’s 70-100 years old—no obvious red rot or other holes that I can see. The old-style stockings are kind of cool, and it would be nice if they could stay.

[baileyman]

I guess as a project you want to keep the original slide, but it seems like a better result could be had by substituting an appropriate modern slide so you can enjoy the vintage bell.

[doctortrombone]

If you measure the OD of the stockings, you could perhaps find a chromed brass or nickel tube that would replace them. Most soldered-on stockings were on small-bore horns. It's conceivable that a part of a modern horn's slide other than the stocking could be substituted and soldered in place. I have quite a few modern inners with worn out stockings but excellent chrome on the legs. I'm sure most techs do.

[LeTromboniste]

Most of those old soldered-on stockings were just nickel silver, without any plating. You could always replace them with new stockings of unplated brass or nickel silver. Raw brass and/or nickel silver slides can work very well as long as the tubes are straight and well aligned and that proper care is given. They are higher maintenance, but properly cared for, they can be very good - better than many modern slides with plating wear/loss.

(Care which will be to a certain extent needed anyway on the unplated legs.)

[Doug Elliott]

I think it's very unlikely that tubes with soldered-on stockings would be chrome plated. More likely nickel, and it's not a big problem to get them replated. However there are several different types and processes for nickel plating and I don't know what would be best.

[Bonearzt]

Call Anderson Plating and see what they have to say.

[JohnL]

Call Anderson Plating and see what they have to say.

Does Anderson do chrome?

[Bonearzt]

Call Anderson Plating and see what they have to say.

Does Anderson do chrome?

Yes, had a pair of tubes done not too long ago & they came out nice!