Gatepost (Gateros ) Plating kits

[DomP]

 I'm thinking of getting a Gateros zinc plating kit but I'm cautious of going overboard and buying the full kit, is the basic 5ltr kit with out the power supply going to get me reliable results n smaller items like engine bolts and carb brackets?

[AshimotoK0]

I have only every bought the chemicals and zinc electrodes, never the full kits. Had great results and experiences with them for many years. Tried pre-mixed zinc stuff from 'YouPlate' and it was sh*te finish. More like cad. plating finish than BZP. Gateros stuff is very good though and customer support is A1. Worth getting a digital multi-meter with 10A DC range on it, if you don't have one already for measure the plating current. I always work on 0.1A (100 milliamps) per square inch of the surface area. Make sure you don't get the polarity wrong, as if you do and try plating for a period of time, you get iron deposited into the electrolyte solution. Zinc electrode is positive, work is negative.

[DomP]

Thanks Ash, I think I will order a 5ltr kit to get me started and go from there.

[DomP]

Just seen my autocorrect title on this thread😄

[Bryanj]

Wonerful ting treknology

[SumpMagnet]

I was wondering where you could get a kit big enough to do gateposts...

[DomP]

Today I've setup my plating kit which has worked really well except for inside the recessed heads of the engine bolts that have blackened,  what can I do to get them plating as well as the rest of the bolt?

[Johnny4428]

I was wondering where you could get a kit big enough to do gateposts...

🤭🤭🤭

[Johnny4428]

I think it is most important to get in all nooks and crannies with the cleaning process. Maybe a dremel or such like with a wire wheel or proper attachment to get into those recesses.

[DomP]

I think it is most important to get in all nooks and crannies with the cleaning process. Maybe a dremel or such like with a wire wheel or proper attachment to get into those recesses.

Yes I think that is the conclusion I've come to, it's only the places that would have been hard to get very clean,  only a few botls so I'll just redo the affected ones and learn from it.

[Orcade-Ian]

Dom,
I've been using Gateros stuff ever since I came to Orkney (2005) as I didn't trust sending precious stuff away.  Those recessed bolts can be troublesome if you just suspend them by their threads as you can create an air pocket as you lower them into the electrolyte.  I use strips of that thin  perforated building strapping and run a 6mm tap through the holes.  Then you can screw the recessed bolts in sideways and suspend them horizontally.  I also have various bits of thin plate with lots of 3,4 and 5mm threaded holes which I suspend from the cathode bar.  It's a hell of a lot quicker than wiring each part separately.

Ian

[Orcade-Ian]

Just remembered a piece I put on my site in the early days before I hit on the strapping idea.

http://www.stallard-engineering.co.uk/Engineering/Zinc%20Plating.htm

Ian

[DomP]

Dom,
I've been using Gateros stuff ever since I came to Orkney (2005) as I didn't trust sending precious stuff away.  Those recessed bolts can be troublesome if you just suspend them by their threads as you can create an air pocket as you lower them into the electrolyte.  I use strips of that thin  perforated building strapping and run a 6mm tap through the holes.  Then you can screw the recessed bolts in sideways and suspend them horizontally.  I also have various bits of thin plate with lots of 3,4 and 5mm threaded holes which I suspend from the cathode bar.  It's a hell of a lot quicker than wiring each part separately.

Ian

That's a really good idea Ian!  I think you are onto something with the air pocket too, in my haste and excitement to get plating I overlooked that bit.  I'm having issues with rough finish now which I think is down to over estimating the surface area of my bolts, again I would imagine a slow plate is better if a bit time consuming.

[Orcade-Ian]

Hello again,
Yes, the rough plating is usually down to too much current or too much time (or both) Don't despair, just put them back into the brick/path cleaner until clean again and re-plate at a lower setting.  The air pocket does produce a dark surface.  I use a 3" wire wheel in the pillar drill and grip the bolt in an old Jacobs chuck with arbor and clean them up that way.  Sometimes I might just go round the internal wall of the recess with a scriber if there is stubborn crap there, then back on the wheel.  Occasionally they end up in a dark corner of the workshop, only to be found years later when looking for something else!
Got to say, although time consuming, it's very rewarding.

Ian

[DomP]

Yes it's certainly rewarding, I wouldn't say I've produced a perfect finish yet but I do now know why, tomorrow's batch should be somewhere near perfect I hope.  I've ordered a small waterfeature pump from Amazon to save me having to agitate the solution by hand.