SOHC.co.uk Forums > Anorak's Corner

Got my old plating setup back up and running after 10 years

<< < (2/3) > >>

Lobo:
A general question…. How do you get the ‘difficult bits’ spotlessly clean for the plating bath. I’m thinking screw threads, the internal threads on the nuts, hidden recesses etc.

AshimotoK0:

--- Quote from: Lobo on February 17, 2022, 12:00:37 PM ---A general question…. How do you get the ‘difficult bits’ spotlessly clean for the plating bath. I’m thinking screw threads, the internal threads on the nuts, hidden recesses etc.

--- End quote ---

Basically a PITA

Dunk in solvent or petrol to remove main oily crud
Rinse in very hot soapy water
Strip old zinc off with my magic brew (alkali based not acidic) ..you can use around 25% Hydrochloric Acid but this method can cause hydrogen embrittlement  and snot so kind the base steel, so I wouldn't recommend for critical parts springs or spokes.

 http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,12925.msg188251/topicseen.html#msg188251

Bead blast with 0/50 glass beads .. preferred... or clean with rotary wire brush
Dunk in acid salts solution immediately prior to plating (Gateros and YouPlate sell this & not too expensive)
Rinse in DI water
Plate at around 100mA/square inch of surface area at constant current for around 40 mins.
Rinse in DI water
Immediately dunk in chromate passivate either yellow or bluish tinge (unfortunately I don't think Gateros sell the proper stuff any more ..may be wrong though so check ... Oddjob may know ....mine I bought around ten years ago and will last for all of my plating I reckon)
Rinse and then air-dry to develop the iridescence you get with gold/bluish passivation

Told you it's a PITA and if you don't get everything scrupulously clean the results won't look very nice.

philward:

--- Quote from: Lobo on February 17, 2022, 12:00:37 PM ---A general question…. How do you get the ‘difficult bits’ spotlessly clean for the plating bath. I’m thinking screw threads, the internal threads on the nuts, hidden recesses etc.

--- End quote ---

I clean with petrol etc then rotary wire brush - can also use food grade citric acid (buttons off ebay) to remove zinc

linuxrob:
Also use Gateros chemicals now, v helpful chap, they are a short run form my daughters house so visit both on occasions.

have to be very matriculates about the cleaning, would love to know where i can get Nitric acid as it helps a lot before passivisation.

pic of my setup [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
Rob you're a bit early for having eaten all your Christams Chocks in October just to use the tin for bolts!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page