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electroplating
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Steve00136



Joined: 14 Jan 2019
Posts: 24
Location: nottingham

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:48 pm    Post subject: electroplating Reply with quote

Has anyone any tips on diy electroplating. Thinking of giving it a go with zinc plating and poss chromate plating. Seems straight forward but i believe the secret is in the prep - getting the parts really clean.
Any tips appreciated.
Thanks
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steve
Nottingham
1975 MGB Roadster - https://mgb.tips
2003 MG ZT V8 260SE - https://mgzt.info
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MikeEdwards



Joined: 25 May 2011
Posts: 2463
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought a commercial kit (I'll add the name of the supplier if you want to) to do some yellow passivating on various bits and pieces, and I found the results variable. I think some of that was down to cleaning and prep not being up to scratch on my part - and I think that commercial platers tend to be able to get more aggressive cleaning solutions than I tried.

The key thing I found was the surface, which won't be any surprise I guess. Any pits, no matter how small, will go black when you plate. This is the same for a commercial plater, though.

The down side of the kit I bought was that the power supply that comes with it is fixed, and to alter the voltage (or current, I forget) you use a device like the one that used to come with cheap arc welders - a big spring with a crocodile clip that you place in various locations to act as a big rheostat. Getting control of that was a nightmare, and that led me to use the wrong settings some of the time, which is reflected (sorry...) in the finished plate not being as shiny as it could have been. A decent adjustable power supply isn't dear, but I was annoyed that I missed out on a freebie fairly locally that was being dumped because it was a bit too big for the chap's garage.

On the plus side, items that I'd cleaned up well and had a good surface came out well and I was pleased with the results. I had some done professionally, and the main difference was that they got a much better shine on the finished work, probably down to them being more experienced and having better equipment.

I do intend to set mine up again in the better weather and have another go - I've got a few little boxes of things that I've degreased, soaked in citric acid and would like to get a plated finish on, where chrome is too "blingy". If I were doing some bits and pieces for one car, I'm not sure the economics would add up as the kit was relatively costly compared to just having them done if you have a reasonable plater locally (a box of little "bits and pieces" usually adds up to quite a weight). But I like to see if I can do these things myself, on the whole, and I like the idea I can plate stuff in an afternoon (the process is about an hour if I recall correctly) and not have to wait for platers to do it.
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Steve00136



Joined: 14 Jan 2019
Posts: 24
Location: nottingham

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi thanks for the detailed reply. A lot of food for thought. Think to start with will have a go myself then depending on results decide whether i get them plated else where.
Cheers
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steve
Nottingham
1975 MGB Roadster - https://mgb.tips
2003 MG ZT V8 260SE - https://mgzt.info
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MikeEdwards



Joined: 25 May 2011
Posts: 2463
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The way that my kit works is that first you nickel plate, and then you soak it in the appropriate passivating colour. So in the same kit, you can have just a plain nickel finish, or whatever your choice of passivation is. I picked yellow but there's a range of colours available.

I'm sure it's possible to find out what all the various chemicals and electrodes are, I just found it easier to get a kit. The company I bought it from include everything, and are also flexible enough that if you buy another type of plating kit from them later, they'll just supply the bits you don't already have if you prefer.
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Brad1380



Joined: 28 Mar 2017
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2019 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Follow the instructions and use tap water, don't use dehumidifier water as it has contaminants and won't work, i found out the expensive way.
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MikeEdwards



Joined: 25 May 2011
Posts: 2463
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't have them here, but I am certain the instructions that came with my kit told me to use deionised water. I have a recollection of buying 10x 1l bottles from the local supermarket as they didn't have a bigger container.
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4100
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brad1380 wrote:
Follow the instructions and use tap water, don't use dehumidifier water as it has contaminants and won't work, i found out the expensive way.

The salts and alkaline content of tap water will vary considerably from region to region, I'd expect for the kits to work consistently, they would have a spec for the water?
You could be lucky have have the right sort of tap water Smile

Dave
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Clactonguy



Joined: 20 Mar 2018
Posts: 104
Location: clacton on sea

PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:14 am    Post subject: plating Reply with quote

bought a small kit to try for bright nickel plating ( not quiet chrome but not bad) first attempt was good. as it carried on it was hot and miss after that. cleanliness and following procedure for acid dip etc is essential as is deionised water NOT tap water. mixed results but overall pleased with what I got. if it was important part? better off getting. commercial plater to do it for you.
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