Progress is being made... STAY TOONED!

Good to hear!

Just came across this thread. Pete, sounds like a great idea! I have a set of your original JP's in brass--which are a prized part of my collection. But, I kind of like the idea of aluminum. Can't wait to see what you come up with, and you can count me in for a set!

They will be steel for weight and nickle plated.

Crap! (grumble - where'm I gonna get the cash for this - grumble) I'm in!
:)

Pete, AWESOME. Can't wait to see!

My first run of Pete Biro's Johnny Paul Cups are on the bench and getting a satin interior today, prior to polishing and plating.
Here are two pics of the cups on my desk (only degreased, in raw steel, with the satin interior). They are going for Satin Nickel, Nickel Chrome and maybe some Black Chrome on Monday - provided I can satin all the interiors prior to then.
I'll plate a couple of sets with 24kt Gold too. I'm thinking about putting some bluing on the satin finish as well - but that's a lot of maintenance for the end user and I've got to move fast on the plating - after degreasing, they are more vulnerable to rust until plated.



The steel is 18 gauge (about the same thickness as .040 copper). They feel good, with a good weight to them, are very strong and sturdy, and ring like a bell when tapped with a wand.

These took forever to complete though. Had a lot of problems with the way Pete's mandrels were tapped and that caused the delay in the project. I almost gave up on them at one point.
Should be available in about 3 weeks. Pricing is still undetermined, pending cost of plating.

Any ballpark on cost, Donnie?

Donnie:

You could have the interior Parkerized in deep blue or black. Those are both tough finishes.

"Klaatu barada nikto"!!!

YIPPEEE YIPPEEE SKIPEEE
NICE GOING DONNIE.
:cups:

Nice to see them done Donnie.

Hey Donnie,

Looking forward to these. Could you expand on the considerations for Satin Nickel, Nickel Chrome, and Black Chrome? Is it just aesthetics, or is one of those finishes expected to be more durable over time?

Thanks,
Bob

Hi Bob,
All three finishes are nickel plated. Black Chrome is a darkened nickel with chrome over it, Nickel Chrome (or Bright Chrome) is a standard bright nickel plating with chrome over it, and Satin Nickel is bright nickel plated without chrome over it. The interior of each is the same - Satin Nickel. Each is as durable as the other - the plating process is a chemical bond and the finish lasts. It's the same chrome process used on motorcycle, boat and car parts - it's not the type of chrome you find on toys.

This job has experienced an unusual delay: the shop I use for cutting in a mirror polish on raw metals has fired their polisher and they have not been able to replace him yet. He had problems getting to work on Mondays... I hear that bath salts were involved... It's really a shame, he produced one of the most consistent polished surfaces I've ever seen.
In order to get that brilliant shine on a nickel plated or nickel chrome plated surface, the substrate must first be mirror polished and flawless. I've found another shop that can do the polishing and we are meeting tomorrow - they were closed the entire week of 4th of July. Polishing is not rocket science, but it requires attention to detail to do it to my standards. I will use a high-speed buffing machine and polishing compounds myself to touch-up all the mirror polished pieces I ship out, prior to shipping, as inventory can tarnish just sitting on the shelf, but I don't do the initial mirror polishing myself because it's such a filthy job. Really, you would not want to do it for a living.

No ballpark on the price yet, still too many variables.

WOW, these look great!!!

Donnie,

You should hire the polisher on a per unit basis, as opposed to by the hour. Then you can get that amazing consistent finish and don't have to worry about it costing you money since you would not pay him by the hour....