Obi ANH 'booster' part interior plating

Serafino

Serafino

Sr Member
Some people have expressed a desire to have replica boosters with the interiors plated like the originals, so I'm looking into how it might be done. I'm hoping a small splinter group will go off by themselves and take care of this wthout my help. :p

But I figure I may as well help figure out the process.

The plating shop I spoke with couldn't figure out a dependable way. I think they're right that you'd have to plate the whole thing first and then strip the exterior with the inside protected. That's the part that made the shop nervous--they didn't want to be responsible for developing and executing a dependable way of plugging the inside.

I was thinking one could use two steel plates lined with lead and clamped in place by pressure from an external frame.

But I'm also thinking this might be a job that requires sitting at home with your home nickel-plating kit carefully brushing solution only on the inside surfaces... :rolleyes

Any ideas anyone?
 
Crazy idea: Instead of dipping the parts, can the electrolyte be flushed through? [...]

Btw. Are you absolutely certain that the treatment of the outer surface wouldn't be impervious to the plating process?
The original makers must have done something simpler (and safer) than what I can come up with. :lol
What if the insides were hollowed out after the surface treatment, and then plated?
 
I was going to say that I don't think rubber does too well in acid baths, but now that I think about it there are some interesting plastics around now which don't interact with acids, hmm.

Unfortunately the boosters don't thread into each other, different threads inside and outside. :)

As to how impervious the black oxide might be to plating solutions--I'm pretty much flying blind here but oxide finishes tend to be sensitive to exposure to acids, so I would expect some kind of unpleasant effect and at least a partial plating of the surface.

I agree that the old guys must have done something very elegant and practical. Hopefully some of our heroic researchers will send out their multi-pronged probes and we will get an answer. ;)
 
<div class='quotetop'>(Serafino @ Aug 2 2006, 08:46 PM) [snapback]1292758[/snapback]</div>
I was going to say that I don't think rubber does too well in acid baths, but now that I think about it there are some interesting plastics around now which don't interact with acids, hmm.

Unfortunately the boosters don't thread into each other, different threads inside and outside. :)

As to how impervious the black oxide might be to plating solutions--I'm pretty much flying blind here but oxide finishes tend to be sensitive to exposure to acids, so I would expect some kind of unpleasant effect and at least a partial plating of the surface.

I agree that the old guys must have done something very elegant and practical. Hopefully some of our heroic researchers will send out their multi-pronged probes and we will get an answer. ;)
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Serafino,

Thanks for checking on chrome plating the insides. ;) I'm definitely interested in having that done and I'm wondering if there are many others who would also like their bearing and booster done the same way.

I know on circuit boards that a mask is applied to prevent solder from adhering to the wrong places. A quick internet check revealed a mask for plating as well. See http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/maskit.htm . I suspect that a product like this is the answer, but I don't know how it's applied, and more importantly, how it's removed. I'll do some more research and see what else I can find out.

ATL Kenobi
 
You must not think about how to do it today but how they did it 60+ years ago. Technology was very different then. They must have had a way to accomplish this without the necessary complexity we tend to throw at problems these days. One use of internal chroming that springs to mind is firearm barrels. I did a quick search and came up with this company. www.armoloyftworth.com. Perhaps this will help.
 
ATL--I think that's a great lead, looks very promising to me.

Acer--I agree with your thinking entirely, although I didn't see reference to localized plating on the armaloy site.
 
I took another look at the armoloy website. Click the Proven Applications link, then click the Firearms picture. They give pricing on ID bore for barrels which leads me to believe they could do the ID dore of the booster too. Maybe an email to them can confirm this. I really don't care if the inside of mine is chromed, but I wanted to post some info for those who may be. Shoot, if it's cheap enough, I may do mine anyways just because it would be more authentic. One thing they do mention mention on the website is that the chrome finish is satin and that polishing could damage the finish. Perhaps this is not what you are looking for after all. But I do know there are polished chrome bores in rifle barrels as some of my rifle have chromed barrels. I will see what else I can dig up.
 
I remember reading on an ANM2 restoration board about the insides of the barrels being chromed. Someone wanted to bore the barrel to accept a larger caliber raound but others were advising against it because he'd lose the inner chroming. Perhaps the barrels and boosters were chromed as one piece. If we can figure out how the barrels were chromed, maybe that will help figure out how to do the booster.

-Fred
 
Did a little more searching but couldn't turn up much on rifle barrel chroming. But I did find some interesting stuff when I searched for brush chroming. Seems they can use a felt tipped wand and by saturating it with the chroming solution, can selectively chrome what you need. Might want to give it a look.
 
If the interior was cut first (center hole)...I'm thinking basicly a thick pipe...then the center plated...or the whole thing...then it's cut and machined...

I haven't seen one and can't imagine how nessisarry that would be though...especially if it's being made into a saber...

It seems like a big headache for nothing...Unless you're making a cut away...
 
Sporak, I think the plating would look different at the edges where it ends if it had been machined away, but thatÂ’s an interesting idea.

I think the masking product and brush-plating ideas look most promising though–the brush-plating idea is basically the same idea as in many home-plating kits.

I think we need to periodically remind ourselves that this is a hobby, and itÂ’s not up to us to judge someone elseÂ’s goals or desires with regard to their hobby. :)

I can’t comprehend those who want real-part ‘authenticity’ more than shape-accuracy, but it’s not up to me to judge their goals. ;)
 
<div class='quotetop'>(Serafino @ Aug 6 2006, 03:19 AM) [snapback]1294831[/snapback]</div>
ATL, if it comes down to just being a one-person pursuit, I wonder if this would work. I've heard mixed reviews of these home plating systems but maybe it's a matter of how well directions are followed.

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/plugnplate.htm
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I agree. I had thought that there was more interest to have a plated part from those wishing to do a "shadow box" to display the components that make up the saber. I may have to bump up my order, plate them all, and perhaps offer them in the future. :)


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The exterior threading will be there, although it will specifically not fit into a Browning. [/b]
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Probably a good thing. ;) I was considering sending mine to an MG owner and having him fire a few rounds through it. :lol :lol :lol

And thanks again for spearheading this project. There's a lot of behind-the-sceens time and effort that goes into this sort of endeavor and it's greatly appreciated. :thumbsup

ATL Kenobi
 
It'll be a few days before I can reply to that other forum :( , but here are couple of pictures showing the chrome on the insides of the booster and the bearing.
MyANM23.jpg


MyANM25.jpg

IIRC, the booster's function (on a .30 cal browning), was to create a certain amount of back pressure, so that the automatic mechanism would fire more reliably. The chrome, having a very slick and smooth finish, would reduce the amount of powder residue build-up, increasing the time between when the gun would jam.

In that Galaxy far, far away, it probably helped cool the 10kW power source in the handle of the saber. :p

Thanks wackychimp .

ATL
 
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