Hi all,

Does anyone know if it is possible to get a hold of or get the BeoLab 5 produced with chrome details in contrast to the standard model with the steel "plates"?

I have a friend with a woman in the house where everyting has to match, and this room is "chrome-room", no way the steel is welcome! :)

Just a note...I believe it's made of aluminium (as it's B&O) and not steel.

Never heard anyone wanting it in chrome though. But anything is possible. Check with your local dealer, it may come with a price tag though.

By the way, it's possible to apply a layer of chrome to aluminium, but it's extremely difficult. Aluminium corrodes very quickly. Thoroughly cleaned and rinsed aluminium gets oxidized within one second.

To prevent this from happening you first need to apply a layer of nickel you'll need to put the aluminium object in a bath with a solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium-zincate. Now the aluminium-oxide dissolves and a layer of zinc (15-30 microns) is formed round the aluminium, which acts as protection against corrosion and fills any scratches in the seemingly smooth aluminium.

Now you'll have an object that behaves as if it is zinc. Unfortunately, you can't apply chrome to zinc. First you'll have to apply a layer of copper; otherwise the chrome will come off very easily. The process for applying copper uses a solution of cyanides which are highly toxic. Now you can apply a layer of chrome to it. The chrome itself is really just colouring, and no more than 0.5 microns thick.

The process as described is a simplification of the actual process, but my knowledge on the subject is not that good I'm afraid.

See!
It's a piece of cake!
Now, anybody got some BL5s I can practice on?

I must admit, I got better at it as I practised, I just recently silver-plated an Audi A8 for one of my mates

Polishing wouldn't be practical.  If you really wanted to, you could remove the aluminum sections and send them to a place that chromes automotive parts.  They'd be familiar with the process, and the speaker owner wouldn't have to worry about the details such as those beocool provided.  This would probably cost less than having B&O do a custom job on them.

Austin 

Thanks guys, i really appreciate all the input, i'll come back with any other questions and keep you updated on how this goes.

How difficult is it do disassemble the Beo lab 5, so that the alu "plates" can be modified? And does anyone know what it will mean if the thickness increase with a millimeter or two..? Which i guess would be the result if a its got chromed? Or would all the new layers be extremely thin..?

krdale:

Thanks guys, i really appreciate all the input, i'll come back with any other questions and keep you updated on how this goes.

 

How difficult is it do disassemble the Beo lab 5, so that the alu "plates" can be modified? And does anyone know what it will mean if the thickness increase with a millimeter or two..? Which i guess would be the result if a its got chromed? Or would all the new layers be extremely thin..?

The new layers can be extremely thin (in total about 100 microns or 0.1 millimeters I guess) I'm not sure how the plates are attached, but even if the plates are 0.1 of a millimeter thicker on either side, reassembly can proof tricky, if not impossible. Polishing the aluminium, like Puncher suggested is in itself a good idea, but the colour of mirror finished aluminium differs from chrome. The chrome has a slightly more blueish colour. Not anyone can recognize the differences between mirror finished aluminium, mirror finished stainless steel or chrome plating, so maybe polishing might be the best option, after all.

Puncher:

There was a guy here on-site that was able to re-process the aluminium panels/speaker housings to a mirror-like finish. I forget his name but he may have produced some BL4000's for LEE as a demo - maybe LEE can help.

Andy is his name.

Jandyt:

 

I must admit, I got better at it as I practised, I just recently silver-plated an Audi A8 for one of my mates

It's even more expensive than my car, as a wreck after an accident...

Guy

Jandyt:

See!
It's a piece of cake!
Now, anybody got some BL5s I can practice on?

I must admit, I got better at it as I practised, I just recently silver-plated an Audi A8 for one of my mates

what a nice job looks great

Ericvr6:

Jandyt:

See!
It's a piece of cake!
Now, anybody got some BL5s I can practice on?

I must admit, I got better at it as I practised, I just recently silver-plated an Audi A8 for one of my mates

 

what a nice job looks great

Och! It was nothing.

Jandyt:

Ericvr6:

Jandyt:

See!
It's a piece of cake!
Now, anybody got some BL5s I can practice on?

I must admit, I got better at it as I practised, I just recently silver-plated an Audi A8 for one of my mates

 

what a nice job looks great

Och! It was nothing.

Completely off topic - but did you know that jandyt was the model for Oor Wullie!

Puncher:

Jandyt:

Ericvr6:

Jandyt:

See!
It's a piece of cake!
Now, anybody got some BL5s I can practice on?

I must admit, I got better at it as I practised, I just recently silver-plated an Audi A8 for one of my mates

 

what a nice job looks great

Och! It was nothing.

Completely off topic - but did you know that jandyt was the model for Oor Wullie!

So Andy is lying about his age, then?

It's easy, if B&o can't do it for you, then forget it and drape an acoustically transperant curtain infront of them - if you can't stand to look at them - ummm They're gorgeous creatures and i can not imagine them being a mismatch in any type of environment.

However, BL5's with chrome discs would look incredible. Hooly dooly, B&o should offer it as an option. Why oh why don't they offer any options with the BL5's?