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Removing gold plating from Corona Old Boy lighter?

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doccaliban

doccaliban

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 14, 2014
116
213
Pacific Northwest
Hello,
I have an Old Boy that I purchased new ~25 years ago. It has the burl wood body with gold plating over nickel and I'd like to remove the gold. I imagine the best way to do it would be to dismantle the lighter and chemically strip the plating off of the metal bits, but I don't know how easy it is to take apart to that degree. (I am very mechanically inclined, so if there were actual instructions, I'd be fine doing it.)
Any thoughts on this? I don't care about altering the lighter as I will always keep it, and I'd much prefer the nickel finish to the gold.
- Doc

 
doccaliban

doccaliban

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 14, 2014
116
213
Pacific Northwest
After doing some more looking around, it looks like it's pretty easy to take apart enough to do the refinishing. I don't know what the metals are though as descriptions of the lighter indicate "all brass parts" which makes me think the brass is coated with nickel and then plated with something gold? All I know for sure is that the worn edges on my lighter show as silver.
- Doc

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
33,999
75,764
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
Welcome to the forums...
It's an industrial nickle based white brass, or commonly referred to in the industry as nickle silver (no actual silver is in it. I usually remove plating with an acid bath sometimes called "a bombing solution" in the jewelry world. But, this includes strong heated acids. I would never recommend this unless someone had the equipment to to do this safely. However, there are many ways to strip the gold off mechanically. Things that dissolve gold are usually hardcore acids, not commonly found on the market.
The next problem after you remove this, is the ugly nickle brass. It doesn't hold a polish and is almost always plated, because it usually has a tin or galvanized look when left exposed to the elements for too long. The surface is also softer. The gold plating, which is a very hard layer, protects this soft brass, but as you saw, it doesn't last forever.
Have fun with this project, but eventually you may want to get a new lighter. But, you might like that rough galvanized look. Have fun...

 
doccaliban

doccaliban

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 14, 2014
116
213
Pacific Northwest
Thank you for that informative reply, Michael. I definitely want to keep this particular lighter due to it's history and my liking of older things over newer things (in most cases). If I really want to remove the gold, it sounds like I should have a shop do it properly, and then have them refinish it with some type of chrome to give it durability again? Would that be doable without harming the functionality of the parts?
- Doc

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
It is possible to find spare parts if that would be an option,

pretty expensive though...

http://www.tecon-gmbh.de/index.php?cPath=239_802_818_812
...some of the spare parts pop up occasionally on eBay for much better prices.

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
33,999
75,764
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
Playing is a service that is getting harder to find. I would suggest a first step be contacting the company. I don't know much about this lighter company, but I'll bet they have someone dedicated to restoration. Then of that doesn't pan out, check with an autobody repair service. They just might run the parts through for a mere penance. Plate is microns thick, so I don't think it would harm the function.

 
zack24

zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
I would almost take the reverse approach and replate it...(I'm sure by the time you bought the gold solution and other stuff, you could probably buy a new lighter...) Gold Plating At Home

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
33,999
75,764
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
Plating is much more tricky than it appears. I took a course in it and still it took me a year to get the process down. And, I usually take to things very quickly. Right now, I need a new regulator (not much call for small-shop plating these days), or I would offer to do it for you. You might go to a local jeweler and ask for someone local to do it for you.

 
doccaliban

doccaliban

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 14, 2014
116
213
Pacific Northwest
Hello, all.
Thanks for all of the replies!
In the end, I'd like to have no gold (visible, anyway) so plating over it might be an option ... I'd assumed (for no reason) that it would have to be removed first. There are areas where the gold has worn through though, so that might make plating over the gold less of an option if plating over the bits of base material that show through would cause a problem.
I could also just leave it the way it is, I suppose. If there's not a relatively easy / inexpensive way to end up with silver bits instead of gold bits, then gold bits it will probably remain.
Ah ... first world problems, huh?
-Doc

 
doccaliban

doccaliban

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 14, 2014
116
213
Pacific Northwest
I'm very sentimental about things that I've had for any length of time, which aren't many, so I definitely wan to hang onto this lighter, but I certainly understand your point. I'm happy to leave it as it is, but if it were a matter of taking it apart and leaving it with a local shop that could plate it in a silver finish for under $50, I'd be tempted. I'll call around my area here and see what I can find.
Thank again!
- Doc

 
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