Restoring a Vintage Mic

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j mascis
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Restoring a Vintage Mic

Post by j mascis » Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:51 am

Hey guys.

I have an old bullet mic (shure 707a) from the 1940s. I rewired the insides and it sounds great and has a strong crystal, but the outer shell is a mess.
I'm not even sure what metal the outer shell is. But my question is basically do you know what I'd need to do to make this mic look good and shiny new? I've never done any job like this and know nothing about what it takes. Any links to websites would be appreciated as well, as I couldn't find much on google.

Also, the foam inside is a bit rough looking. What foam should I buy to replace the foam inside the grill?

Thanks!

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dragonjazz
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Re: Restoring a Vintage Mic

Post by dragonjazz » Sun Oct 16, 2016 6:35 am

j mascis wrote:Hey guys.

I have an old bullet mic (shure 707a) from the 1940s. I rewired the insides and it sounds great and has a strong crystal, but the outer shell is a mess.
I'm not even sure what metal the outer shell is. But my question is basically do you know what I'd need to do to make this mic look good and shiny new? I've never done any job like this and know nothing about what it takes. Any links to websites would be appreciated as well, as I couldn't find much on google.

Also, the foam inside is a bit rough looking. What foam should I buy to replace the foam inside the grill?

Thanks!

the shiny piece was brushed chrome. you could have it re-chromed at your neighborhood re-chromer..

the gray paint was called iridescent gray.

the foam, maybe scavenge from wind screen refills you can buy that are large enough to line the grill. cut the foam to size. i don' think shure sells refills for this model. you're lucky the crystal is good. they were not made to last.

great blues harp mic.

Image

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j mascis
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Re: Restoring a Vintage Mic

Post by j mascis » Tue Oct 18, 2016 11:26 am

Awesome, thanks Dragon.

Is it possible to re-chrome at home? What goes into that and are special tools required?
I'll look into re-chroming on google as well.

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OffYourFace
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Re: Restoring a Vintage Mic

Post by OffYourFace » Thu Nov 17, 2016 12:45 am

How bad is it? I'd just take some steel wool to it and buff it out.

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fat finger
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Re: Restoring a Vintage Mic

Post by fat finger » Thu Nov 17, 2016 11:11 pm

DIY electroplating is a thing but if the base metal is corroded, it might be a lost cause.

The big problem with DIY chrome is that chrome is a multi-step plating process so you need to set up for 2-3 types of plating to get chrome at the end.

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