Boyce Motometer Disassembly

[Akstraw]

I am disassembling my Boyce Motometer so that I can have it re-plated.  I have gotten this far.  Does anyone know how to remove the thermometer from here.

 

[Stude Light]

I left it in when I re-plated mine. I just worked around the glass when polishing it up and the copper and nickel plating solution only runs up to 110 deg F. Being non-conductive, the glass won't attract any plating metals. FYI - you can normally just shake down the red alcohol in the tube like an oral thermometer.

Scott

[TexRiv_63]

Agree with Scott, you do not want to try removing the thermometer or bottom cap. This will most likely destroy the diecast material it was made from.

[oldford]

The thermometer is held in place with a ceramic adhesive. Any attempt to remove it will surely break the glass. Been there, done that...

 

Frank

[Soupiov]

I would first make sure that the mercury can be returned to the base if you are looking for an operating meter.  Sometimes it  goes down easily and sometimes it never goes back down.  

[Marty Roth]

On 9/15/2023 at 10:32 PM, Stude Light said:

I left it in when I re-plated mine. I just worked around the glass when polishing it up and the copper and nickel plating solution only runs up to 110 deg F. Being non-conductive, the glass won't attract any plating metals. FYI - you can normally just shake down the red alcohol in the tube like an oral thermometer.

Scott

 

On 9/16/2023 at 11:30 AM, TexRiv_63 said:

Agree with Scott, you do not want to try removing the thermometer or bottom cap. This will most likely destroy the diecast material it was made from.

 

On 9/16/2023 at 5:56 PM, oldford said:

The thermometer is held in place with a ceramic adhesive. Any attempt to remove it will surely break the glass. Been there, done that...

 

Frank

 

6 hours ago, Soupiov said:

I would first make sure that the mercury can be returned to the base if you are looking for an operating meter.  Sometimes it  goes down easily and sometimes it never goes back down.  

Place the assembled unit in the freezer until all of the Mercury is down all the way -

and/or tap the bottom against a solid surface to help bring it down and contiguous,

Then have it plated, and it should be just fine.

 

I had this done several decades ago with no issues.

[jrbartlett]

Easier path would be to just buy a new one. They are reasonably priced and nicely done. www.restorationstuff.com 

 

 

[Stude Light]

22 hours ago, jrbartlett said:

Easier path would be to just buy a new one. They are reasonably priced and nicely done. www.restorationstuff.com 

 

 

The problem is that they only come chrome plated which sticks out like a sore thumb on a nickel car.

[TexRiv_63]

17 hours ago, Stude Light said:

The problem is that they only come chrome plated which sticks out like a sore thumb on a nickel car.

The other problem is I have yet to see a repro unit that actually looks like the real thing - wrong bezel pattern, wrong screws, glass too thin, clear plastic gaskets, etc. etc.

[Akstraw]

I put the unit in the freezer overnight.  Then I tried to shake it down, with no result.  So I zip-tied it to the jacked-up front wheel of another car and spun it for a few minutes (a centrifuge of sorts).  That was enough to start some pinkish evidence of the fluid flowing.  Then I shook it down 10-12 times and that did the trick.  The red fluid is now all at the bottom where it should be.  I will show to some platers at Hershey, and see if I can get it nickel plated with the glass tube in place.  (I re-mounted to the wheel to take the photo below just to show the simple setup.  The fluid is already down in this photo.) 

[Rod P]

Great solution there Akstraw. 

 

Again, nothing that can't be fixed with zip/ cable ties.

[Frank DuVal]

Since when is Mercury Red?

[Stude Light]

48 minutes ago, Akstraw said:

I put the unit in the freezer overnight.  Then I tried to shake it down, with no result.  So I zip-tied it to the jacked-up front wheel of another car and spun it for a few minutes (a centrifuge of sorts).  That was enough to start some pinkish evidence of the fluid flowing.  Then I shook it down 10-12 times and that did the trick.  The red fluid is now all at the bottom where it should be.  I will show to some platers at Hershey, and see if I can get it nickel plated with the glass tube in place.  (I re-mounted to the wheel to take the photo below just to show the simple setup.  The fluid is already down in this photo.) 

Nice Job!

 

12 minutes ago, Frank DuVal said:

Since when is Mercury Red?

Yeah, I would suggest alcohol.

[Stude Light]

BTW - I did most of my own nickel plating with a Caswell kit. Definitely worth it if you have more than a few parts to do. This post summarizes the process

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Stude Light (see edit history)

[prewarnut]

I agree with comments above, leave the thermometer in place. In the jewelry trade rings are re-rhodium plated all the time (potentially annually) and no one demounts the stones (excepting emeralds as they are typically oiled). Additionally, depending on the plating process a glass thermometer is used in the solution to monitor the temp (for small items doing decorative plating such as is needed here). You are set to go. Obviously make sure the threads aren't plated as nickel plating can be thick and the threads will need to be rechased.

[dodge28]

Marty Roth and jrbartlet advice is good. It would  be cost effective to get a new one and have it nickel plated. 

Free advice is not worth anything . Only paid advice is adhered to.

[Akstraw]

13 hours ago, dodge28 said:

Marty Roth and jrbartlet advice is good. It would  be cost effective to get a new one and have it nickel plated. 

Free advice is not worth anything . Only paid advice is adhered to.

I can’t see where there would be a significant cost difference in re-plating an original vs. re-plating a reproduction.  But in the end, one would be a nicely re-plated original-to-the-car part, and the other would still be a cheap reproduction.

[dodge28]

Akstraw, I see it differently, point of view, My friend bought an original Motor Meter for a Buick "original" It never worked. He was psd off. Without letting him know I bought one from Restoration Supply and give it to him as a gift. This new one works fine. Put the two side by side one could not tell the difference. The price of the "original " was the same as the aftermarket .He had some choice words for the vendor. The Question is Do you want a working metre or a dud ? The choice is yours. I tried to remove the thermometer from my original and the whole assembly crashed in the process. To me it is not worth the effort. To each his own.

Cheers. Have a nice day.