chrome Covers (again, but different)

[ShannonH]

Hi All,

I've been mucking about with some epiphone covers and have been trying to make some mini-hums, but (of course) all I can locate right now are chrome covers. Chrome covers are, in my opinion, crapola. I took a brazing torch to the epiphone cover and it seems that underneath all the chrome might be nickel. I was able to use a chemical patina on it (by way of figuring out the metal) and it turned quite dark, which it wouldn't do if it were still chrome, but nickel is a form of brass, so either one would take some degree of patina.

I plan to do some more testing, possibly destructive, to find out what is what, but wanted to see if the collective knowledge might have some ideas.

Also, it seems you can get chrome off of a cover with a brazing torch and some patience. This stands to reason since chrome is generally only a few molecules thick.

thanks in advance

Shannon

[SK66]

chrome will flake with heat simply because it is "brittle". Most would not bother chroming nickel....why bother...unless it was more cost effective to produce all in nickel then plate for chrome offering...any basic steel will discolor quite dark when heated. The real question is "is it magnetic"....if not, it is either nickel or SS.