Rusted Peavey Foundation bridge

[NickInMesa]

I have quite a bit of rust on the bridge, as well as a little bit on the strap locks of my new (to me) Foundation.

The Peavey doc describes it as "triple chrome plated 13 gauge steel".

Should I just dump it in a solution (if yes: what do you advise), or should I use a mechanical solution? (if yes: which one).

Thanks a lot.

Photo attached!

Attachment 117002

[EagleMoon]

I have a 1990 Foundation with the same problem. The chrome is just peeling off of it like the skin of an onion. I'm trying to replace mine.

[NickInMesa]

A friend of mine is a machinist (and yes, I already talked about custom bass parts).

I may ask him to sand blast it and then to apply some treatment.

Scrubbing will expose patches of raw steel and it will be somewhat ugly, but better than the rust.

[embellisher]

I love those early Foundation bridges with the beefy saddles. Definitely worth replating IMHO. If your bass has that bridge, that means it has Schaller tuners too. Those early Foundations had better hardware than any other massed produced basses at the time, except for the Peavey T series.

[robert43]

Bead blast then replated

[Gintaras]

I have cleaned rusty chrome many times. I use Aluminum polish which I get at the car store. It is a white paste. I use steel wool instead of a rag with a lot of elbow grease. it will remove the rust and leave a duller shine but get rid of most of the rust and gook on the bridge. I have also had good luck in my earlier days (car restoration) with a product called SimiChrome. It will do the best job but looking at the condition of your bridge might not work. If all else fails then a wire brush attachment on an electric drill can be used. This will not bring back the chrome shine but will get rid of the rust. You might find it exceptable to have a duller shine.

[Philbiker]

+1 on metal polish. it will take some elbow grease but should work. If it were my bass I'd probably just replace the bridge if polishing didn't clean it up.

[NickInMesa]

Originally Posted by Philbiker

+1 on metal polish. it will take some elbow grease but should work. If it were my bass I'd probably just replace the bridge if polishing didn't clean it up.

Philbiker, replacing would be an idea but... they don't make any replacement and fitting a different bridge on there would look awkward.

Sandblasting and rechroming may be an option, but it is costly.

If I polish it by hand, it should look much better, but I might have to spray something to prevent rust from coming back... Which it will, eventually, unless it is rechromed.

[202dy]

Soak it in Lime-Away for twenty minutes. This product has the same ingredients as Naval Jelly, a stand by rust remover.

Disassemble the bridge completely. Place all of the pieces in a shallow dish and cover with the liquid. After a good soak, pour all of the contents into a sieve so as to not lose any parts. Then rinse for a few minutes. Dry the parts with a hairdryer to insure that no moisture is lingering in the saddles or chassis. Most of the rust should be gone. What is left will be pretty loose. Brush away what you can with a brass bristle brush. These are cheap and can be found at virtually every flea market and seller of cheap imported tools. A coat of wax will keep moisture away for a while. Reassemble and remount.

N.B. Lime-Away is caustic. Wear gloves and keep it away from any body parts you would like to keep. Follow the directions on the label.

[MRuss]

just let it rust, it looks good

[NickInMesa]

Originally Posted by MRuss

just let it rust, it looks good

Oh yeah like the hull of an old ship...

[curbowman]

You should get a quote for the replating, maybe it's less than you think. Talk with a motorbike shop, they may know who can do work for small parts.