restoring old tone bars

[Andrew Frost]

posting here, as builders are likely to have a more practical sense of materials.

I have an old Ernie Ball tone bar that I acquired about 20 years ago and haven't used in ages. The finish has become rather mat-like and makes a grinding friction on the strings.

Nort sure what exact material it is. I applied some 'silvo' polish a couple times and the finish to touch now feels the same as my dunlop bars, which is good, but it still doesn't have that smoothness to it and still grinds somewhat on the strings.

Any way to get this thing polished up to a functional condition?

[Barry Coker]

If the bar is Stainless Steel and it wasn't Chromed it can posable be polished but if it is steel that was chromed over polishing will cause it to rust when the chrome is gone.
Powder coating might be an option.

Barry

[Richard Sinkler]

And as I stated in your other post, replating a chrome bar would cost way more than buying a new one.

[Andrew Frost]

Duly noted.
Thank you
A

[Dan Behringer]

I have a couple of Dunlap bars that I’ve been able to tap a few 3/8" threads into the flat end. I screw a stud into the bar then chuck it into an electric drill. I sanded them down to 3000 grit and then finish with stainless steel polishing compound. Sure made them sound a whole bunch smoother.