THIS 1944 Coleman is the subject. As found, the frame was rusted and bent. Straightened out and much of the rust removed, but ripe for improvement. The frame was consigned to the electrolysis bath. I followed that with a citric acid bath and after a water rinse and drying off, I removed any residual tarnish with steel wool. To nickel plate the frame I used the process I developed HERE. Since the steel is extensively pitted, I wasn’t expecting a shiny finish but it is certainly visually improved and is effectively rustproofed. Where there was no rust pitting, the nickel plate is in fact lustrous. I’ll reassemble the lantern and post some shots. John
John you should have done a few layers of copper before reaching the nickel plating process. A couple layers would have filled small pitting
For good measure, I nickel plated the spirit cup and retaining clip I’d made. The brass cup and clip before. Really? So the copper would confine itself to filling the pits and not deposit itself on the peaks also?
Yes, local shop suggested me that for filling pitted parts they have to do a few layers of copper plating to get a smooth surface. Also they had to sand the item after each copper plating process that would only leave copper material only in pitted areas. Was an expensive process so I declined but that’s what they told me they do in these escenario
Ah, right @Pancholoco1911, I see, thank you. Sanding the inside surface of the base pan would be tricky, access-wise. It’s not a lamp I need to be so well-finished, but I’m happy to have removed the rust and prevented it returning.
