Electroplating - Easy DIY Nickel, Copper, Zinc Plating
The recipe for basic electroplating.
1. Vinegar. 2. A dash of salt. 3. A piece of whatever metal you plan to use.
I recommend starting with Nickel.
I don’t know what other metals will work or not. Experiment like a mad scientist and find out. Just be careful around chemicals.
I don’t think there is anything particularly nasty about the nickel, copper, or zinc solutions. But I’m not a chemist so use your own judgment. I wear gloves and don’t go out of my way to breath the fumes. There will be a small amount of chlorine gas produced by the salt. Just don’t be a dork and you’ll live through it.
A couple of notes…
Don’t try and plate over zinc plated parts with anything other than zinc. The zinc will destroy the nickel/copper solutions. I mean, don’t let me stop you experimenting, but that’s probably what will happen.
Be careful around stainless steel. It contains chromium. I don’t know what happens when you try this with stainless, but best not to mess with anything that might contain chromium.
For that matter, real chrome plating at home is out of the question unless you have a death wish. Hexavalent
Chromium, which is what’s used for electroplating, is really nasty stuff. A cobalt/nickel mix is a close enough visual match for chrome plating.
When you’re ready to step up to a kit, for New Zealand and Australia, I recommend Jane Kits. For the rest of the world, google Caswell Plating.
/ geoffreycroker
/ geoffreycroker
flickgeoffanemail@gmail.com
This video is: 1) Simple, easy to understand 2) goes straight to the point without intro, B.S. ads and other crap 3) is saturated with an amazing, needed information 4) no annoying background music 5) clear, clean sound 6) should be a tutorial for KZheadrs who ended up in hell for making crapy videos and now have to go trough soul cleanse( yes its like bowel cleansing, but with added turbo, blue-flame colored fire and no handles on sides of toilet seat for one to hold on to). Me? Im gonna wrap myself in blanket and continue my couched, judgmental video observations, with my expert knowledge of everything.
You sir, are doing a service for humanity and we humans are thankful for that
Exactly.
Yeah, but without the silly girly girl voice! That's the only part I didn't like! The rest was interesting but the voice put me off. Love from Amanda in Melbourne, Australia ❤️ 😉
I like the siil voice. When I read troll comments, I will read them in that voice from now on !
@@Freedbird BRILLIANT!!!!👍🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I used to work in an electroplating facility in Syracuse, NY called Anoplate. This setup is pretty primitive but the basics are there and yeah, that's how it works. I used to work on the nickle line and the black chrome line. Ever notice how some metal parts are black but super shiny? That's black chrome. Anoplate had a contract with GM to do the plating on their car parts and I was the only person allowed to do the black chrome on them. So if you've ever seen a Corvette made between 2003-2006, that hood ornament was made by me.
Would this method work for brass?
@@twill9278 You could electroplate a brass finish on something but as brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, you would probably have to put a layer of pure copper on first and then plate the brass on top of the copper for better adhesion.
@@R3troZone Thanks. I'll give that a try. I have pure copper decorative coins
what electrolyte/electrodes do you use for black chromium?
@@s9k328 I don't remember the details. It was almost 20 years ago at this point.
This is really one of the best plating primers on KZhead. Simple and direct. No nonsense, so you can actually sit and take notes. You could be a teacher!
Pretty sure every chemistry teacher I ever had did the high pitch voice thing too
He is :)
This is the best detailed video on KZhead. Thank you so much for taking your valuable time to make this. Very detailed and simple to understand the process. Great job!!
Back when I worked as a photolab technician we would drop copper pennies I to exhausted film fixr . after a few minutes it would start to grow little silver whiskers , they werent pure silver as the copper contaminated the silver. A simplified explaination of this is your film has light sensitive silver salts that are needed for exposure and are removed during processing being dissolved in the fixer (typically sodium thiosulfate) a typical recycling strategy was to flow the solution through a steel wool filter then send it to kodak. At one of the labs I worked at they did not recover the silver from the one hour film processors so I put a ball of oooo steel wool into the waste tank, the silver dissolved in the fixer would exchange for the iron in steel wool and after a while you would have silver wool. Doing this for 4 years I ended up with 8 pounds of silver after refining. Every girl I went out with for years got a handmade silver ring also I made a crossguard for a longsword I made. Fun times
That was a long time ago. You are an original medieval time lord.
Cool knowledge tho !!
Len Burton wow really?
A friend who worked as a photo lab technician told us an interesting story about the day they demolished the old darkroom, and tore out the copper sink drain...
Immediately after you said "fixer" I recalled that nasty smell it would put on my hands (yes I often used bare hands). Yes, I'm that old
"Its green... like green Gatorade" My first thought: "Its got electrolytes"
_It's got what electrochemical surface treatment plants CRAVE_
@David Galyon Yeah, well, I've never seen no electroplated parts come out of no toilet.
Welcome to idiocracy er I mean the free UK
@@davidharris5736 Australia 😴 get it right...
Its got what plants crave
Sometimes simplicity is the best - and this looks so simple that I'm going to have a go at it. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing tutorial. Straight to the point. Those bell-dings are louder than a babies scream and I thought my ears were going to bleed. Extremely grateful for your help, and I keep revisiting this tutorial to see if I missed anything.
Great video! a lot of antique cars people thought had chrome but was actually "nickel" that was highly polished. The magic is in the preparation and polishing. Thanks for the great video!
Really great video, thought the very clear “baby steps” instructions were spot on, thanks for posting 👍
Very informative. My dad was a chromium electroplater (his trade). Sure, he also did Nickel, zinc and bronze plating, but his job was mostly around the chromium. Poly- and hexa-valent chromium are some scary things that you really shouldn't screw around with unless you know what you are doing. They WILL give you cancer (and when it comes to lung-cancer risk scale from the fumes, "Smoking 2-packs a day" doesn't even rate on that scale.)
Great video. Removes the fear of trying it out. Good clear explanation. Well done!
Thanks for taking the time to share this ... just what I needed. Very informative, helpful, succinct presentation. Cheers from West Oz.
Thank you for explaining this in such a clear way! Tried to do this when I was younger, but a tutorial like this would have meant I didn’t miss any details needed to make it work properly!
In the 1970's I worked for an electroplating firm (since bankrupted by fines from unsafe disposal of chemical waste). We used to 'jiggle' the items being plated to make the bubbles break free of their surfaces. In some case it was a vibration and others it was moving the whole rack of items side to side. We also plated nut and bolts in huge nylon drums that rotated to keep them moving and contacting at different points. We did the lot: Nickel, copper, zinc, silver and even gold. If it could be electroplated, we electroplated with it! One friend of the owner brought in a pair of P100 headlamps off his pre-war Rolls to be gold plated to make them shine with a yellow cast to the beams. Meanwhile I'm assuming that citric acid might be as good as vinegar (acetic acid) as you can make it to the concentration you require by dissolving more or fewer crystals in the water. I usually have half to a kilo or so on hand for home brewing purposes. It's also good for cleaning copper utensils and ornaments.
Can I use a 12v car battery for power supply
@@bigbomb5904 For zinc it will be too much amperage and form grains. You might get away with moving the anode and cathode (positive piece and negative piece) further away
Loved this! We all forget about this process from our science lessons, and it s great to get a refresher. Thank you Geoffrey.
To check the thickness on any plated part ,tape the test piece on 2 sides .When the tape is removed you can determine the plating thickness.
@@henniebouwmans7879 yes, it will work great with gold, but just remember that most gold is only .58% pure when it’s 14K or 78% pure at 18K. So, if you are wanting to do a 24K gold plate, you will want to use pure 24K .9999 Gold, or refine your own gold. Also with gold, you can either use Gold Anodes, or Stainless Steel Anodes when electroplating, which will save you a bit on pure Gold Anodes.
@@johnhines374 thanks john
OMG TY
Workshop hint: If you have a taper threaded fitting or plug for a hydraulic port which is slightly undersize (or more likely, you tapped the hole a whisker too deep) you can recover the situation by plating a heavy layer of copper onto the fitting. It is soft enough to conform to the mating thread on tightening, and provide a leakproof connection.
honestly it's a really good idea to plate a leaky valve in copper as it will provide a better seal than teflon tape.
@@eve_squared Indeed. I forgot to mention that it doesn't matter that the copper (if a heavy deposit is formed) will be composed of thousands of tiny peaks and valleys, like a cat's tongue. It all squishes down as the taper-thread joint is tightened due to the remarkable ductility of pure copper.
@@Gottenhimfella honestly it's a great trick to know especially if you have a shop air system since compressing air can get expensive with leaks. It reminds me of that video of the researchers getting vacuums measured by atoms per cubic meter by sealing it with copper gaskets.
Certainly it is one detailed video on KZhead. appreciating for taking your valuable time to make this. Very detailed and simple to understand the process.I will use this video for my offers, Thank you Sir.
What a great video, thank you for the clear and concise introduction to electroplating. The commentary was humorous and informative. I'm looking forward to doing this with some antique car parts for the engine bay. It will look nicer than painting them silver!
I’m watching this for a third time just so I can hear you say “but where do I get the nickel from?”
@@AEON. Probably illegal - don't tell your patriotic friends.
@@AEON. I will only bend down for quarters - small change gets swept up and thrown away, it actually feels good to throw them out.
Easy from a roll of nickels.
I watched it again so I could hear him say "a bit smutty."
An anode is a sacrificial block of either zinc or aluminum alloy available at boat yards
Best beginner guide on this I’ve see, thanks for doing this. You saved me from buying an overly expensive plating kit. I’m off to get some jars, yogurt 😉, vinegar and salt.
How did you get on Donna? Did it work for you?
@@jamiewright1594 yea, did it work for you? Because I am going to do it.
This is still my favorite video to come to prep whenever I plate. Super clear, and easy to follow.
I'm literally about to try it this afternoon, you're a gentleman for providing an awesome guide, thank you kindly :)
Simple, effective and in good humour. Thank you for the video 👍👍
I'm glad I watched this. I was initially going to do brush plating and buying everything I needed to do that, but you showed me how to make metal salts instead of buying them premade (at incredibly inflated prices, based on the process I just watched.) Going to try this with some conductive coated 3d printed parts. :)
Great video and I plan to repair some old tools that were passed down to me but are just rusty, sets of calipers and inside out calipers double ended calipers and a nice depth gauge all for wood turning which i do, was looking to buy new until i looked up this, very clear explanation, I didnt want to angle grind them for fear of damaging the thin metal they are made of. I used to do old iron fireplaces in the uk with the angle grinders, hours and hours to get years of paint off, then Zeebrite them back to beautiful black. I have watched the excellent rust removal video you made and will use electro current method to do that as its not heavy rust and then come back and nickel plate them all , they deserve a second chance as they are all old RNZAF tools from my brother in law who doesnt use them any more and being a wood turner Im excited at the thought of not paying much to get them looking great. Just ordered the Nickel Anode already, 7 euros for that, the other materials I can get in Spain easily enough in the drug stores here, not a nanny state here like the UK where you can not buy any acids etc. A gallon of hydrochloric acid here is 4 euros, nothing! So Im looking forward to seeing the results , may even copper plate my depth gauge after nickel plating it. I have never really had an interest in chemistry apart from sorting out my pool and this has sparked a little interest now thanks very much for the clear explanations and simple guidance on how to bring life back into old tools etc. The rust tool liquid that makes it go black and hard we have used here a lot in spain when refurbishing atticos in peoples houses, the ceilings have lots of curves between beams and they are plastered, remove the plaster to expose beautiful brickwork but the beams are rusty, we used a similar product here to stop and blacken the rust and it makes the beams look excellent once you treat the brick with a type of sealer to stop any dust. thanks again. Neil, Barcelona Spain ( Mrs is a Kiwi)
Easily the best how-to video I've found yet. Thank you!
It only works if you use a natural Greek yoghurt container. DO NOT use flavoured yoghurt containers.
I was super keen to give it a go.... then I realised, we only eat Vanilla yoghurt. And it's Organic, which would probably cause some sort of explosion!
Does it have to be authentic Greek yoghurt? Or can you use Greek style yoghurt?
@@MrJimmyjammmy It has to be original and from '' FAGE ''
OMG - I used a VANILLA flavoured Yogurt container . The reason I know is , I ate some of the plastic - it was definitely VANILLARish .LOL
😂😂😂😂😂
I didn't have a Greek yogurt container, but I did have a Greek seasoning container, so I gave this a go. For nickel: I used a nickel welding rod - they are used to weld cast iron. Tap the flux off with a hammer, cut the rod in half, put it in a drill and drill it while holding a handful of sandpaper in the other hand. Then hang them on the jar and hook it up, like in this vid. 2 hours later, your liquid is green and one of the rods will be dissolved. I practiced with coins, knives, live bullets (they look AMAZING!) and a few other bits laying around. I finally gained confidence to do what I started this whole project...the barrel of my new Beretta 92fs. Beyond Beautiful!!!!! Thank you, my friend. Others should give this a try, as it is pretty uneffuppable. My total investment was $13 - that's $10 for 5 rods and $3 for vinegar. Oh...the Greek seasoning container worked!
A nickel plated Beretta would look sweet. Go on do the slide and frame. Don't forget to post pics :)
@@1978garfield I have heavy nickel grips on it now. Beautiful. I'm debating the slide - it has never been fired and I'm afraid I wreck it.
Ahh 👍. I just saw this comment. The other guy replying bumped it into my notifications for some reason. Awesome to hear it went well for you 👍
Well done Geoffrey. Best I've seen online bar none! Thank you!
Well presented and easy to follow video, esp as there are no adverts or plugs for products etc! Thank you very much.
Best video ever! The acid yogurt container is a must have!
Thanks, great video. I'll use a higher pitch when I ask questions in the future. :)
This is brilliant....concise, understandable ..great work.
One of the most informative videos on KZhead. Plus it was well presented. thank you.
The best tutorial I've ever watched
The lower the amp, the more the detail.
Fantastic post Geoff. Very insightful and entertaining. Well done 👍
I've got about a thousand pieces of old mismatched door hardware in my house and this will make my life a million times easier, and save me a ton of money. Thanks so much for making such a clear and concise video!
I can confirm this method works. It is not hard to do, just follow simple instructions. I use a variable voltage power supply around 8 volts for Nickel worked well.
Copper does plate to bare steel. You need a copper sulfate solution and a piece of copper for an anode. Copper sulfate is available as root killer and comes in crystal form. The plating procedure is identical. Parts that are triple chrome plated are copper, nickel, chrome. The copper is applied first to help fill in any pits in the surface.
@Isaac Allgood Absolutely no idea, give it a try?
If you watch the video again, you'll see him demonstrate a seed nickel plated layer on steel followed by copper plating. Works every time.
@Isaac Allgood I tried it with copper and the blue stuff didn't really mix with the salt water . Just like small blue flakes. It also didn't plate.
Hi Paul the copper isn't to fill pits though this might be a by product of it. The copper is to prevent corrosion as chrome is porous, nickel less porous and the copper prevents water etc reach the steel. As you probably know many companies don't triple plate and the playing won't last anywhere near as long.
What about aluminum?
I love how this is waffle free straight up point to point no hidden adgender very refreshing, well done😃
As soon as I heard the instruction.."make the Nickel into two pieces of Nickel" I knew I was going to learn good.... and I did. Trying this tonight! Awesome
Many Thanks for your video, cristal clear even for a French Navy guy, trying to find the cheapest way doing plating on old farmer tools ! "Chapeau bas" as we use to say in France. Jean-Marc
I do this all day long at my job and I've been looking for a way to show my kids what daddy does at work....this is amazing, I will doing it to show them this weekend. Awesome "for dummies" style video, I had no idea it was this easy to do at home, I'm gonna be showing them on this long holiday weekend we have. Great video, Sir, you got my sub for sure!!
Hey J, I’m getting ready to try gold, black rhodium and silver plating for my job. We have a lot of old bracelets, rings etc... that all have small pave set stones. Any tips for a beginner, I’m kinda going in this blindly aside from a few yt tutorials. But nobody shows plating with a lot of small stones. Any experience in that field? I appreciate any help. Thank you! -Jay
The plating is all over solid Brass, if that helps any. We Just have a lot of old, worn out tarnished jewelry showing the brass underneath.
I plate cylinders for the printing press. Pleased to meet you fellow chromers. I too will be using this video to show my kids 😁
@@aspectratio6580 So what is a good plating thickness for something that will see some outdoor weather and how do you measure the thickness? With a micrometer or set of digital calipers or ?
@@creative8569 Hi! I just found your comment while trying to figure out if I could use this method for silver plating over brass. Did you have any success?
I lové thé little voice asking the questions. Its anticipating incredibly well the questions inexperienced users are having in mind while watching the process unfold. You literally keep thinking 'uh thanks for asking dude' like the dunce in a classroom 😂 Very well explained and well done ! Thx
Awesome. Thank-you. PLEASE keep on creating and posting your excellent videos.
I love your straight forward no bs style of videos make it very simple I am going to get set up eventually with something simple I have a couple of old school battery chargers that belonged to my Mom I want to plate carbs. I will have to wait until my business or money picks back up it took a shit this year . Thanks great video
Ordered the stuff to give this a go! I have some 3D prints that I want to plate and I don't want to spend too much, so this was an incredibly encouraging and straightforward video!
The prints will need to be conductive. I've seen a video where they sprayed on a conductive paint and plated that. Look up "Electroplating 3D Prints | Thermal Detonator"
what way did you go with the power supply? i've had an issue finding something like what he uses in the video
Thank you I had no idea this was so easy. I’m actually regretting some builds in the past now knowing I could have so easily nickel or copper plated them
We're all thinking about how we could have done past projects better but that's the evolution of an artist
just wish I had a jar big enough to put auto parts in .. my truck in copper would be cool .. this was a good video
@@randytravis3998 Inflatable pool and an old stick welder are pretty cheap. It's the 500 gallons of vinegar that you'll need that'll be expensive. :D
@@button-puncher just mix it yourself. its just acetic acid with water. you need around 5% and you can get 3 gallons of 60% acetic acid for around 30€
@@randytravis3998 get one of the pens and the fluff that goes over top of it, then paint it on. It works with the fancy kits so it should work DIY
Great Tutorial, I like the way you answer questions the instance they pop into my head, I have always wanted to do electroplating and I am gona give it a go now you have made it so simple thanks.
Thanks for sharing. I worked in a plating shop for 10 years back in the 90’s. Cool stuff man!
Hi @bleeper87 Sorry for bothering you with a question. When it comes to plating, have you used a different type of acid? I've heard that for copper plating, sulfuric acid is needed instead of acetic acid. What about nickel, brass, and plating with other metals? Thank you in advance
I thumbs upped as soon as I heard "But where do get nickel from??" 😂 Thanks for the walkthrough. Science project for my kid... incoming!!
04:15 very funny, when you show the sign again ;-) I love that kinda humor!
Followed the instructions perfectly and can confirm good results. Recommend sandblasting and mirror polishing steel workpieces before plating
Great little tutorial. I've got a batch of delicious green Gatorade brewing right now. Thanks and happy new year!
Thank you! probably the most helpful video on the subject I've found, and the one which finally got me over the edge to order anodes... I'm willing to try just about any DIY project... but electricity scares me.
A 5V phone charger is adequate.
Nice one dude! Great work
This is by far the best video on plating. Just followed it by the way and it works! 🎉🎉🎉
Really was an eye opener for me. Thank you Geoffrey
Yet again an awesome upload....... I always press like before I watch, never regretted it yet...... Thankyou :)
Great video, I have always wanted to know how to do it properly! Thank you so much!
Love your sense of humor, brother. Thanks for the vid.
Again, magnificent! Thank-you Dr John
If you weigh the metal your going to plate before and after the plating you'll find out how much its been plated. Also if the copper isn't pure not to worry as the impurities most likely will not be transferred to the target material. Electrolysis is actually how they purify copper, as impurities will not travel through the solution (or at least nowhere near the rate that copper will).
Thanks for pointing out the bubbles at the 2:04 mark.... i wasnt quite sure what they were....
hydrogen gas
Thanks, you really made it simple. Im going to try it
I wanted to thank you as well. I have followed your directions and tried zinc and nickel. Both work very well and I am impressed at how simple and satisfying it was. BTW I was able to use roofing zinc strip that is used to resist moss. I had a roll in the shed. I also found that using ProForm Surface Cleaner Spray PF511 does an excellent job of degreasing with a plain tap water rinse.
I tried this today on some of my MGB suspension nuts and bolts. The plating was the easy part - its getting rid of the rust that takes the time. They came out great though. Now I'm busily cleaning all of the other nuts, bolts and small parts that were originally plated. Think I may eventually invest in a proper kit as I want to reproduce some of the more professional looking finishes which were used on the car.
You can clean off the rust with electrolysis. Similar setup as in this video but use water with 0,5 to 1% washing soda. Connect the to be derusted part to black, scrap steel to red. Depending on the size of your parts you might want to use an old fashioned car battery charger (the humming type, with a transformer in it) as the process could require a couple of amps with bigger pieces.
The way you New Zealanders say "metal" always makes me smile. Your speaking voice and accent are awesome.
Thanks for the instruction. I want to restore some plated metal parts and now I know how to go about it. The hard part is going to be removing every speck of rust first.
Beautiful video and very perfect illustration.
This is a great video! I was looking at nickel plating kits but wasn't sold on them.. after all I just want to experiment with it :)
how did you know my voice sounds like that when asking questions?
I just stumbled on to your video today and it is by far the most informative and the least annoying instructions (commentary) I have watched. I love your work mate, would you have another video on chrome plating?
Great video . the guy with the squeaky voice was the ⭐ of the show ,he asked some intelligent and important questions
You are brilliant thats all i have to say.
@@BillFromTheHill100 it’s called being nice, maybe try it some time instead of being an internet bully.
Oms engineering works
Asdfgh
So are you man
@@walkmanstudios9733 very kind of you
Thanks for the clear tutorial! Thought I would share something I found out that may help others avoid my mistake. I ended up getting small square blocks of nickel to use as an anode. I suspended them in the electrolyte with copper wire, I thought (wrongly) if the part thats getting plated can be hung with copper wire so can the anode... DO NOT DO THIS. It makes sense now but as the nickel was dissolving so was the copper wire suspending it. I ended up with a nickel/copper solution which turns parts a nasty blotchy dark grey colour. I started again making sure it was only zinc submerged in the solution and I am getting great results.
Haha, yeah. This is why I reckon people should start with vinegar instead of fancy brews. Awesome to hear you're getting good plating results 👍👍👍
What kind of wire should you hang them from? Just regular steel wire?
Jeff Stone from what I can tell on the anode side it should only be the metal you want to plate that should be submerged. If you also submerge wire of a different metal on the anode side you’ll get a mixture of both metals in the solution. It doesn’t matter on the other side that’s holding the item you’re plating.
@@blairwightman I see, yeah, that one flew past me at first. Looks like the best way suspend the nickel or whatever is used to do the plating is to allow some of it to be suspended out of the solution to hook up to, kinda like this gentleman does using strips that can be bent over the top of the jar or vessel that's being used.
@Michael Walter Good to know, thank you!
No wonder this is viewed in the millions-bloody fantastic!! thanks so much.......
Very simply explained, I feel confident now.
I absolutely love the tinny voice asking questions! When a lesson is fun, a lesson sticks!
(in high pitched voice) this was very informative, thank you.
Good stuff and easy to follow, thanks for doing the video!
Good show!! I like the partial plated appearance of the copper plate..but I have an affinity for worn lookin, vintage and antique things
I've watched this a few times now just for the entertainment value.
very good video Geoffrey!! i'm going to give this a try. i need to nickel some parts made out of brass i guess, but i'm not 100% sure, could be copper aswell. if it's copper i can nickel directly right? if it's brass i need to copper it first before nickel?
I think Nickel can go over either no problem.
i just covered a copper pipe with nickel
Can you replace copper ? I have copper knobs on stove , the plating is wearing off .
@@GeoffreyCroker What am I doing something WRONG? I zinc plated my bolts and than deposited into a Nickel plating bath. But after the nickel plating it looks like the zinc coating somehow got removed. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thank you
@@Asian_Connection Check the video description, "Don’t try and plate over zinc plated parts with anything other than zinc. The zinc will destroy the nickel/copper solutions. I mean, don’t let me stop you experimenting, but that’s probably what will happen."
Great, going to try this out myself now! Thanks
Yes, I can confirm - having tried this myself: it is essential you use a natural Greek yogurt container; preferably yoplait brand, but jalna seems to work almost as well
PARTSMADE here from the 🇬🇧 , another excellent tutorial mr C but got to take you to task on copper plating, in my restoration work copper first if surface poor then polish and on with the nickel plate , I’m luck as my stuff is never newer than the late 1920’s when chrome plate arrived , your plating current a bit high as bubbles on the surface of the parts will prevent proper adhesion and will show on highly polished parts I guess a few nickel bit going to appear on mr Land Rover 🤔😂 Cheers
Ah, yeah for sure. Do you use an acid copper bath to go straight over steel? I figured saying use nickel first was easier than going into all the details about different copper options. I actually only flashed the part very lightly with nickel, but again I left that detail out of the video to keeps thing simple for the people who are starting from scratch. I figured people will learn all the details if they just start.
Hi , yep acid solution for copper , sorry not picking fault , as you say striking a balance of tech detail and not putting people off is a fine line . Regards Robert PARTSMADE
That may be the coolest hack I've ever seen someone do on KZhead
James Samuelsen it's not a hack it's actually how you do it.
Amazing video. thank you for posting it. many times I have wished I could plate some gun parts etc.
Very simple and informative. This is what video guides is all about. I only have one question: I have an old charger for an akku vacuum cleaner on 25 volts and 0,2 A. Is the voltage too high for this task?
I have copper plated onto metals inwant to solder onto and itvworks extremely well. For example, i have copper plated the ends of some resistive wire (nichrome) and was able to solder the nichrome wire onto a circuit board. Works perfectly. I used exactly the same technique to plate the nichrome.
Thank you for this video. Can the same be done for gold electroplating?
you need to disolve the gold in aqua regia first
@@ghgfhhffg1912 No. Gold is actually dissolved in cyanide. As is silver. And you don't normally use gold anodes. You use platinum and plate directly out of the bath solution, replenishing as necessary with gold cyanide salts to maintain proper concentration. All the baths he made here were acetic acid-based. (i.e. the vinegar) with some chlorides added, (salt), to improve the conductivity. Aqua Regia will dissolve whatever it is you're trying to electroplate. You need to put a coating of copper on your part, and then a coat of gold or silver. So a steel piece would go into the nickel, then into a bright copper bath and then a gold or silver bath. Usually the tanks are arranged in a row on the plating line in the order you want the coatings. (30+years in the plating shop environment speaking)
This video is very helpful. I have some knitting needles that were plated in chrome but have become used
Love this video. My anodes came in the mail the other day and I'm just watching this for the third time to make sure I got everything 👍
Great job on tutoring this,..my question as several others here.: Do you have a tutorial on gold chromatic/plating..
I believe that in gold plating the gold is in a solution with cyanide (at least in the plant that I worked at) so that wouldn't be ideal for home use.
High level acid like...
I'm an electroplater in Germany. Gold and Silver are almost always cyanidic, which make them very dangerous. Chrome-VI (Sorry for the missing + fellow chemists) can cause cancer. Because of that, you can only use existing equipment for that in germany. Chrome-III is less dangerous, but way more complicated. Another difficulty is that you can't use Chrome anodes, you have to use led or titanium anodes and add the Chrome through chromic acid. Sorry for my English :)
@@Martin-hc6cm Hey mate. How is zinc-nickel combo plating should be done? Make two separate proceses like zinc first and then the nickeling? Or maybe nickle it in the zinc electrolite?
This video saved me from buying a $400 electroplating rectifier. 🙏🏻
You could build an electroplating rectifier lol
Brilliant tutorial mate- Many thanks 👍😎😎
I think this might be the perfect video. Well done mate.