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Mon, Feb 2, 09 at 16:00
| I could only find new hinges that matched the style of my original kitchen cabinet hinges in a shiny nickel plated steel. I went ahead and purchased them, but really want to make them have the buffed nickel look. Any idea how to do this? I tried coarse steel wool and it isn't working.
Thanks, Terry |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| You can strip the nickel, apply a brushed finish, then have them plated again. Nickel plating is very hard, and also very thin. |
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- Posted by gr82bgrammy (My Page) on Mon, Feb 2, 09 at 18:34
| Thanks, Brickeyee. Before I read your post DH decided to try something. He heated a hinge up with a blow torch (which darked the metal) and then brushed with a wire brush to give it a two toned sort of look. I like the look, but do you know if it will hold up? Should I coat it with a clear matte spray? I appreciate any input on this. Terry |
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- Posted by golddust (debysnell@gmail.com) on Mon, Feb 2, 09 at 23:03
| I just asked my DH, who is a metal man (jewelry). He said the metal will remain that way - so no worries! |
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- Posted by gr82bgrammy (My Page) on Mon, Feb 2, 09 at 23:11
| Thanks, Golddust, for the response. DH went ahead and heated all the hinges and brought them in for me to see. They look great in most areas, but some parts of the hinge turned blue or purple/rainbowish. That part isn't pretty :( I'm guessing that was where too much heat got to that area. Does your DH have any ideas for them now? I think I want to end up with a matte brushed nickel look - but now may have to just paint the things white like the wood cabinets :( Thanks, Terry |
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- Posted by golddust (debysnell@gmail.com) on Tue, Feb 3, 09 at 14:33
| Not for chrome. He is a precious metal man. He just knows how heat affects metal. |
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- Posted by mightyanvil (My Page) on Tue, Feb 3, 09 at 16:04
| Usually brushed metal finishes involve the use of a fine abrasive on the surface of the metal with no deliberate attempt to remove a surface layer. A nylon fabric like Scotch-Brite works well sometimes with a fine abrasive and/or lubricant. Modern plated hardware usually achieves a brushed, matte, or satin finish with a lacquer coating to dull the finish. |
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- Posted by gr82bgrammy (My Page) on Tue, Feb 3, 09 at 22:40
| Thanks for the info. I'm still trying to work something out on these hinges. Any ideas whether the rainbow effect on the hinges is caused by too much heat applied, or not enough in those particular areas? Thanks, Terry |
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- Posted by gr82bgrammy (My Page) on Thu, Feb 12, 09 at 23:46
| Okay, we finally got the look we wanted on the hinges. These started out as flat, nickel plated hinges, very shiny. DH bent them to make them into offset, cut the third hole off the bent side and reshaped the metal, heated till red hot twice to get the nickel plating off. Then I buffed with scotch brite pad, buffed again, painted with matte acrylic spray, and gave a touch of rub-n-buff to the detailed area. It took way too much time, but I thing the end result looks like an old vintage hinge, just what I wanted since our farmhouse is over 100 years old. What do you think? |
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- Posted by bananafana (My Page) on Fri, Feb 13, 09 at 22:30
| Wow. They look great! Nice work! |
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- Posted by gr82bgrammy (My Page) on Fri, Feb 13, 09 at 23:19
| Thanks for the compliment! Terry |
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