[Chu-Jerry]

Chu-Jerry, that is AMAZING!!!

What does the glass bead blast do?
It seems it would remove the gold plate.

The glass bead blast 'freshens' up the satin finish and makes it uniform. After the cleaning and tarnish removal there will be a lot of swirl marks or a faint, hazy, scratchy looking appearance.

Doing it on gold plate is a delicate process. It needs to be done at fairly low air pressure. I use about 40psi in my blast cabinet, but this depends on the equipment. The glass bead media must be fresh and clean. Old media can have fractured beads with sharp edges which will be abrasive, and contaminants and debris can also cause damage. It must only be done just long enough to achieve the desired sheen without dwelling too long in one spot. This goes very quickly. The glass beading should not be used for the major cleaning, though it will reach into tight spots and can clean spots that can not be reached otherwise.

If done correctly it will not remove gold that is sound, rather it just 'taps' it down with millions of tiny smooth beads. If there is loose or flaky gold it can remove that though, but simple polishing would also do that.

 

[Chu-Jerry]

Thanks for the nice words Mike.

 

[TomCoffey]

That is probably the most beautiful restoration I have ever seen. Positively artistic. I wonder if it was that good in the Conn factory!

 

[kingsax]

Chu-Jerry, that is AMAZING!!!

What does the glass bead blast do?
It seems it would remove the gold plate.

The glass bead blast 'freshens' up the satin finish and makes it uniform. After the cleaning and tarnish removal there will be a lot of swirl marks or a faint, hazy, scratchy looking appearance.

Doing it on gold plate is a delicate process. It needs to be done at fairly low air pressure. I use about 40psi in my blast cabinet, but this depends on the equipment. The glass bead media must be fresh and clean. Old media can have fractured beads with sharp edges which will be abrasive, and contaminants and debris can also cause damage. It must only be done just long enough to achieve the desired sheen without dwelling too long in one spot. This goes very quickly. The glass beading should not be used for the major cleaning, though it will reach into tight spots and can clean spots that can not be reached otherwise.

If done correctly it will not remove gold that is sound, rather it just 'taps' it down with millions of tiny smooth beads. If there is loose or flaky gold it can remove that though, but simple polishing would also do that.

Hi, after the cleaning and polishing has finished and the bead blasting has been done do you laquer the final job? as wouldent the bead blasted surface atract and hold dirt and show fingerprints etc?
Also what grade of bead do you use?

 

[Chu-Jerry]

I don't apply any lacquer. That would produce an undesirable effect on the appearance, and Conn never lacquered the satin finish horns either. I try to get the finish as close as possible to the original satin appearance as it would have looked from the factory. After bead blasting I give it a light polish with fine red rouge and then wax it with carnauba wax.

There's no reason for the finish to "attract dirt", and the satin finish hides fingerprints better than a shiny finish. But it is true that it is also a little harder to clean than a shiny finish.

 

[roughsax]

Just two words, AWE and SOME!

Chu-Jerry turns restoration into an artform.

:notworth: