zinc electroplating

[just ben]

does anyone here have any experience with zinc plating? It seems pretty simple to me to do on a small scale. I bought all the chemicals and what not to start playing around with it but if anyone has first hand knowledge I am open to any tips or tricks. my plan is to start out with nuts and bolts ect. and in time with some practice move up to bigger parts like axles

[bkm]

I've heard mixed reviews on the home kits. I know that just like anything, prep is the key. Make sure the part is corrosion free and then its all about playing with the power supply. Casewell plating has a forum that has a lot of good info.

[just ben]

I did some research on the eastwood and caswell home kits that only come with a small amount of electrolyte and for the price of the kits I was able to buy the zinc ignots(shaped like mickey mouse,not kidding) 5lbs of ammonium chloride,4.5lbs of zinc chloride,a gallon of muratic acid,a couple buckets and distilled water. I have enough chemical to mix up about 7 gallons of electrolyte. for a power supply I am using a battery charger that is on a dimmer switch to fine tune the voltage. I am going to give it a go today.

[El Camexican]

I did some research on the eastwood and caswell home kits that only come with a small amount of electrolyte and for the price of the kits I was able to buy the zinc ignots(shaped like mickey mouse,not kidding) 5lbs of ammonium chloride,4.5lbs of zinc chloride,a gallon of muratic acid,a couple buckets and distilled water. I have enough chemical to mix up about 7 gallons of electrolyte. for a power supply I am using a battery charger that is on a dimmer switch to fine tune the voltage. I am going to give it a go today.

I would love to see your results and hear what you learned. Good luck!

[just ben]

I learned so far that it is very easy or I just got lucky. I did a small run last night on a couple of axle nuts besides the tool marks on them they look like new.I plan to do another run today after all the easter stuff I will throw some pics up after the next run

[yaegerb]

Hey Just Ben, you get good at this and want to do this for other people let me know. I got some nuts and bolts for ya.

[just ben]

Hey Just Ben, you get good at this and want to do this for other people let me know. I got some nuts and bolts for ya.send em out. nuts and bolts seem easy (so far) the ultimate goal is to do larger parts like axles. I have off all next week so I'm sure I will have an axle done soon

[yaegerb]

cool, I will figure out what I need done and send you a PM in the next couple weeks. Thank you very much!

[Dirtcrasher]

Crap, it sounds like it's easier to make Meth! :lol:

Good luck, let us know!

[Swinger]

I would love to get some axles done. Keep us posted Ben.

[just ben]

I just did a kick starter turned great. camera is dead and I have to go do the family stuff now. pictures later when I can take a before and after. I'm pretty stoked I wish I would have done this sooner

[just ben]

well I didn't get a chance to do any more plating today but heres a pic of the kicker I did earlier and the mickey shaped zinc bar. I am building a tank tomarrow to do axles. 144710144711The mickey mouse bars were the cheapest by weight in case you are wondering why the hell they are mickey mouse

[cochran]

Looks great!

[Swinger]

Wow, looks good Ben. I thought you just ment they were kinda shaped like Mickey Mouse, not actually Mickey. Good stuff!!

[just ben]

well an axle is proving to be alot more difficult than nuts and bolts. My first attempt was a fail but I did manage to partially copper plate it. Ihave my second attempt in now but I'm not sure I have enough power for that much surface area. I guess I will find out

[just ben]

In another thread a couple people asked to see my set up. It's not much to look at just a storage tote and a battery charger with a dimmer switch. I still havn't been able to do a rear axle but I have done a few front axles that turned out nice.145123145121145122145124here is a link to all you need to know to get set up. http://mgonitzke.net16.net/zinc_plating.html I am using an industial grade ammonium chloride and a lab grade zinc chloride. I found the plating times to be way off from what is stated. I'm not sure if it is because of my power supply or the way I prep the parts for plating (bead blasting) Or that I used distilled water and upped the ammonium chloride slightly(on accident but seems to work better) Basically the ratio is 450 g ammonium chloride and 100 g zinc chloride per gallon of electrolyte

[big specht]

How is that differant then anodizing parts I want to get a rim done some time

[sixpackrt]

Here is the power supply I have. 145130145131
This 25 amp unit features a polarity- reversal switch and extra output terminals to speed between stripping and plating jobs. Especially useful when plating auto accessories.

http://www.epscoinc.com/platers.asp

[just ben]

Here is the power supply I have. 145130145131
This 25 amp unit features a polarity- reversal switch and extra output terminals to speed between stripping and plating jobs. Especially useful when plating auto accessories.

http://www.epscoinc.com/platers.asp very nice. I didnt want to spend a bunch of cash on a power supply right of the bat. hell I didnt even buy the battery charger,I found it under the kitchen sink in an apartment I was cleaning out

[bkm]

Ben, try wire wheeling the parts for a brighter finish. Also have you looked into the brightener that is added to the bath?

[just ben]

Ben, try wire wheeling the parts for a brighter finish. Also have you looked into the brightener that is added to the bath?The parts come out of the bath a dull grey then I wire wheel them. My pics may not show it but all the parts shine like chrome . Well all that will be seen anyway.I get lazy cleaning the threads sometimes. After wire wheeling 15-20 nuts and bolts you would understand. not that it matters much they will all dull at some point since I'm not much into polishing bolts on a machine that gets ridden.any links to the additive you are talking about?

[fire1]

I have the caswell plating kit here's a batch with brighter added. This is straight out of the plating solution

http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp71/fire1man2008/photobucket-5863-1334019440422.jpg

[just ben]

I have the caswell plating kit here's a batch with brighter added. This is straight out of the plating solution

http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp71/fire1man2008/photobucket-5863-1334019440422.jpgdoes it say on the container what the chemical is? I wonder if I would have to use their electrolyte to use the brightener?

[Bryan Raffa]

Nice guys!! I got a 5 gal bucket of bolt's im sendin ya ben!:lol:

[bkm]

The parts come out of the bath a dull grey then I wire wheel them. Wouldn't that remove the plating that was just applied? My wire wheel takes off everything down to bare metal.

[just ben]

Wouldn't that remove the plating that was just applied? My wire wheel takes off everything down to bare metal. no. it's not a coarse wheel and you barely touch the part to it. I called caswell yesterday and ordered the brightener.They tried to sell me their bath concentrate enough for a 1.5 gallon bath for 60 bucks,I politely declined.For that price I can make almost 20 gallons.

[bkm]

Ahh I see. Yeah that caswell stuff is pretty spendy.

[rjs89ia]

if you want a cheap and effective way for corrosion removal use electrolysis its the same concept as plating but in a reverse method. its very simple i used it to clean up some parts on my chevelle. just need to make up an electolyte using industrial baking soda or whatever you can find that would work better and negatively charge the part and suspend it in a 5 gallon bucket then place a postively charged steel plate or whatever you can find "larger surface area on the sacrificial metal yields better attraction of the particles on the part to be cleaned" its a timely process more power from the battery charger will speed it up and be sure to ventilate the area because it produces hydrogen gas and thats a good way to relocate your garage with a spark.

[just ben]

if you want a cheap and effective way for corrosion removal use electrolysis its the same concept as plating but in a reverse method. its very simple i used it to clean up some parts on my chevelle. just need to make up an electolyte using industrial baking soda or whatever you can find that would work better and negatively charge the part and suspend it in a 5 gallon bucket then place a postively charged steel plate or whatever you can find "larger surface area on the sacrificial metal yields better attraction of the particles on the part to be cleaned" its a timely process more power from the battery charger will speed it up and be sure to ventilate the area because it produces hydrogen gas and thats a good way to relocate your garage with a spark.I bead blast all the parts if they have old dried grease on them that a degreaser wont remove they get a bath in a muratic acid solution then blasted after that

[just ben]

well the caswell brightener doesn't work with the bath that I am using. maybe I will figure out what base their solution is and make my own.There is no way I'm paying 40 bucks a gallon for their solution

[ezmoney1979]

Nice work Ben. Very impressive DIY! When are you taking orders :)

[just ben]

Nice work Ben. Very impressive DIY! When are you taking orders :)as soon as I get all my stuff done. (like that will ever happen) I am working on setting up a bigger tank with multiple smaller anodes so I can do rear axles and alot more smaller parts at once. After I get that set up I will welcome any orders.I'm not sure why anyone would pay me to do their parts since it is such a simple set up. I posted a link with complete instructions somewhere in this thread. Then again I wouldn't mind getting paid to drink beer and plate parts :)

[brapp]

i ahve a metal dip tank if you want it it sabotu 3 feet long and 16 inches wide and 12 inches high if you can use metal let me know its yours iof you want it, and also did you ever come up with anything for the rear frame for the t-3?

[sixpackrt]

http://www.pfonline.com/articles/zinc-electroplating

145701

http://www.columbiachemical.com/reprints/Reprint%20Ammonium%20Chloride%20Makes%20Good%20Sen se%20020906.pdf

http://www.devecocorp.com/Data_Sheets/PZ018.htm

[250x]

Ben, you gonna Zinc all those engine bolt for the Tecate for me while ya got the engine?

[sixpackrt]

http://cb750k2.honda4.nl/Technical/plating.html

ZINC PLATING
Article from Classic & Motorcycle Mechanics November 1998 Issue No.133
You can of course get this done for you by electroplaters, but if you are adventurous and want to do it yourself, then read on...

You have no doubt seen gal-vanised steel articles such as buckets and wheelbarrows, and will have seen how long they last before rust sets in, even when dumped outside in the garden.

The great point is that the protection continues even when the surface is scratched or otherwise damaged, unlike a paint layer. Car manufacturers have made the same observation, and are now making use of more and more galvanised steel sheet.

Galvanising involves dip-ping steel into molten zinc. Unfortunately, this is not a practical option for the home workshop as the zinc fumes are poisonous. There are other processes such as Sherardizing, but these are equally unsuitable for us. So we need to use elec-troplating.

Briefly, the principle behind electroplating is the deposition of a metal layer on a base metal, using direct current through a solution called an electrolyte. Zinc is one of the easier metals to plate. It gives good corrosion protection, as we have seen, and can be pol-ished to give a finish almost as shiny as chromium. No exotic chemicals are needed (unlike other industrial plating processes which use cyanide salts).

The first requirement for plating is that your compo-nents are truly clean. The best way to ensure this is by some sort of degreasing, using solvent or even better, scrubbing with caustic soda. Follow this with what is known as a 'pickle'. You will need something stronger than vinegar, though - use hydrochloric acid. It is available as Spirits of Salts from an ironmongers. It needs to be diluted to a 20% solution. Hydrochloric acid is very corrosive, so be careful. Use gloves and goggles, and follow the normal rule when diluting acids: add acid to water, not water to acid. Used at room temperature, the pickle takes about four minutes to clean steel parts effectively. Wash the parts well under a tap, but don't touch them afterwards, otherwise you will have to start again. For the plating set-up, this is what you will need: # A suitable sized plastic or stainless steel container. # A dc electrical source, e.g. a car battery or charger, with an ammeter to check current levels. # A small quantity of pure zinc; You might be able to buy something called 'perforated zinc' (i.e. zinc sheet with lots of tiny holes) at an old-fashioned ironmongers. Alternatively, look up non-ferrous scrapyards in Yellow Pages. 1 bought about 5kg (much more than 1 could ever use) for £1.70 at my local dealers. # For the electrolyte - zinc chloride and ammonium chloride. You can get this from chemistry set suppliers, or good pharmacists; or lookup 'Chemical Manufacturers and Suppliers' in Yellow Pages. To make up one litre of the electrolyte, dissolve 120 grams of ammonium chloride in 750 ml of tap water. Then dissolve 20 grams of zinc chloride in 250 ml of warm tap water. Then carefully mix the two together. You will, of course, once again take the usual precautions with these chemicals, wearing gloves and goggles. Zinc chloride solution is corrosive (it can be used as a flux for soldering, when it is known as Baker's Fluid, by the way). You will need to have some way of controlling the current to your plating bath. If you have a model railway controller or similar that would be perfect. Otherwise if you are using a car battery as a power source, and can get hold of a rheostat, that would be OK. The current needs to be kept to around 100 milliamps per square-inch of surface to be plated. The zinc will be the anode.' so this is connected to the positive terminal. The workpiece is the cathode, connected to the negative terminal. Adjust the current to the correct level, and see what happens. Before long, you will see your component turning grey: this is the zinc layer forming. The longer you leave it, the thicker the layer. You might like to experiment with the current levels, as the greater the current, the faster the zinc is deposited. However, if the current is too high, the deposit is rough and hence no good. You will need to experiment to find out what parameters are best for your set-up. When the plating is complete, scrub the component under the tap, and let it dry. Then you can polish it up. With any luck, you should have a finish almost as shiny as chrome plate, but much more durable. Here's the diagram:

145826

[just ben]

thats the same set up I am using. cheap and works well.

[sixpackrt]

Did you use your zinc brightener yet?

[just ben]

Did you use your zinc brightener yet? yeah no good with the bath that I use. I have to figure out the base chemicals caswell uses. I know I can request the hazard sheets from them but I don't know if it will have the chemicals or just the hazard information for "zinc concentrate". did you order that zinc chloride yet? For being in the uk I got mine quick and shipping was very reasonable.

[sixpackrt]

Yes i ordered the zinc chloride I bought 4 500g bottles. Here is the company from ebay website http://apcpure.com/products.php?product=481 you can order bigger quantity of zinc chloride. Caswell uses potassium chloride in their mix msd pdf here http://support.caswellplating.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/225/20/zinc-plating-crystals-part-b Here is a news group I found on yahoo http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Electroplating/ I been doing alot of reading on zinc plating.

[fire1]

yeah no good with the bath that I use. I have to figure out the base chemicals caswell uses. I know I can request the hazard sheets from them but I don't know if it will have the chemicals or just the hazard information for "zinc concentrate". did you order that zinc chloride yet? For being in the uk I got mine quick and shipping was very reasonable.

I looked on the caswell brightner bottle and it doesn't give the ingredients

[just ben]

Yes i ordered the zinc chloride I bought 4 500g bottles. Here is the company from ebay website http://apcpure.com/products.php?product=481 you can order bigger quantity of zinc chloride. Caswell uses potassium chloride in their mix msd pdf here http://support.caswellplating.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/225/20/zinc-plating-crystals-part-b Here is a news group I found on yahoo http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Electroplating/ I been doing alot of reading on zinc plating. interesting, I can get potassium chloride 5 min.from my house. I bought 4 of the zinc chloride also. Enough for 20 gallons at the ratio's I am using

[sixpackrt]

I found this for sale.

146432

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANODIZING-COPPER-NICKEL-GOLD-PLATINUM-PLATING-RECTIFIER-30-AMP-15-VOLT-/170835206919?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c6926307

[just ben]

I found this for sale.

146432

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANODIZING-COPPER-NICKEL-GOLD-PLATINUM-PLATING-RECTIFIER-30-AMP-15-VOLT-/170835206919?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c6926307I have found a few power supplies on there. If I need more power when I build a bigger tank I plan to use my welder.

[just ben]

I finally set up a new tank and can now do axles146720

[fire1]

Looks great how much power was required to do the axle

[just ben]

I'm not sure. I think I was around 20 volts for an hour and a half or so with 4 anodes. That axle was the worst one I had (pretty pitted) but still turned out decent. I will do a nicer axle today and take better pics, before and after

[sixpackrt]

My new toy. Electroplating Barrel
161693