Hohner Morino grille stripes

[Morne]

My older Morinos stripes are somewhat bad looking. A year ago I tried a suggestion on the forum of using Silvo to clean them, but that didnt help much. It looks like these metal tubes have lost varying degrees of their plating (?), which make some look slightly faded and others almost entirely a dark brownish colour.

Here are some photos, although the lighting actually makes them look a little bit better than they really are:




I want to replace them, but I am not quite sure what I should be looking for. What are these things called? Are they used for other purposes as well? Where should I be looking?
I would like to look for them locally before trying online, although I could not find them online (probably because I was looking for the wrong thing). I half recall seeing a post here with an eBay or Amazon link to something like this, but I am not sure where I saw it.

Also, these metal tubes are both nailed and glued to the grille. What kind of glue would one use for this?

 

[Morne]

I found these on stringsandboxes.de: http://www.stringsandboxes.de/epage...ops/es117831_stringsandboxes/Products/HO20500
However, my thin stripes seem to be closer to 3mm than their 4mm.

 

[Morne]

Heres another 4mm version:
http://www.hohner-cshop.de/Akkordeo...omt.html?listtype=search&searchparam=zierstab

It looks like my slightly later VI M has the 4mm stripes.

 

[artelagro]

Hi Morne.
The only reference I could find in this forum re these grille stripes was my post entitled 'Hohner Atlantic Grille Refurbishment'. In this one JimD pointed me towards a flexible strip which was perfect for my application. To put things into perspective, my whole box cost me about £80 sterling so it wasn't worth spending much money on a cosmetic repair. Horses for courses!
ps Soulsaver showed me how to link to the original thread but me and computers?
Ca canny
Garth

 

[Morne]

Thanks Garth. That seems to be the thread I was thinking of. Heres the link: http://www.accordionists.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2818

It seems like you ended up using a non-metal moulding strip. Is that correct? Or is that some kind of soft metal? Were the original strips metal or not? (I clearly dont know too much about these or the other materials you mention in that thread.)

Since that thread mentioned spraying the body, it got me thinking: could I use some kind of metallic silver spray paint on these old metal strips of mine? Has anyone else tried something like that?

 

[Morne]

Heres a (non-metal) 3mm chrome moulding strip on eBay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-x-3MM-...illight-Shift-Knob-Bumper-MA356-/221245945747

I assume that is similar to what you used, Garth?

 

[artelagro]

Hi Morne, that's exactly the moulding I bought.
At that price you can try it on a scrap piece to see if it is the quality you want.
On the Atlantic, I had to bend it round a 40mm radius and it stuck well.
Good luck
Garth

 

[wobblybox]

The chrome will flake off when you try to bend it. You could use aluminium and polish them up these wIll bend easily. If using the plastic you will need to use chrome paint on the cut edge . Also watch what plastic stip you buy as on some of them the chrome is only on the top with a white or black plastic edge showing along the length. You can buy the rivets from hohner for holding it on.

 

[Morne]

You can buy the rivets from hohner for holding it on.

I looked at that, but mine uses little nails to attach the strips. I am having a hard time finding those nails at some local hardware stores, but thats a different topic.

I decided to try something with the current metal strips before using something very different (i.e. molding strips or later, wider Morino strips).

As I mentioned above, my first attempt using Silvo (silver polish) did not have any effect.

My plan was to sand down the strips a little bit and then apply a metallic, chrome spray (I got this one). But now I am wondering whether I can just keep sanding user finer grits until it gets as shiny as possible. After using P400 sandpaper, this is what I get:
<ATTACHMENT filename=Sanded.jpg index=0>

Its not as shiny as the photo suggests, but its already a lot better than the tarnished ones. I must admit that I dont know much about metal, so this might be a stupid question, but can I keep going at it using finer grits? Will I at some point get something with an acceptable shine compared to the original strips? If yes, which grades should I follow with? I realise this is going to involve some elbow grease.
Also, when thats done, should I protect the metal with something?

 

[JerryPH]

You can go to finer grade sand paper, up to 2000 and it will get a bit more shine, however, in the end the kind and quality of metal will decide how shiny it gets... it might never get to a chrome-like finish, but it might be close enough for you. To keep them as shiney as possible you may need to apply a wax or clear paint to prevent them from tarnishing again.

Have you considered getting them either chrome plated or electro-plated? It's a bit more money and work to get them back on (each hole might need to be drilled out slightly to regain it's original size), but that would offer the best results that are long lasting, if done right.

 

[wobblybox]

Heres the link for the rivets you need.
http://www.hohner-cshop.de/en/Accor...Parts/Rivet-for-ornamental-stripe-Morino.html