u/trumpguyhallow

I recently restored a lighter which was made of brass and I nickel plated it with no issues at all.

Another vintage lighter which I picked up, I began the same sanding and preparation process to nickel plated it but I believe some or all of the parts are made of zinc. Some white rust formed on the sanded part overnight leading me to believe it’s actually a zinc base. There’s are still some plated parts on it which were unaffected from white rust.

Would anyone be able to confirm how I can electroplate the parts if it’s made of zinc and maybe what metal plating is already on the lighter? Thanks

Found this Parker Beacon in pretty poor condition online and decided to fully restore it rather than just get it back in working order. It was my first time doing this sort of project plus nickel electroplating and it worked way better than I expected; it’s all in the prep work.

The before and afters give a good look at what I was dealing with. Would anyone know what year this lighter is from. Thanks!