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Plate it yerself kits (PIY)

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MrDavo:
I know we have mad scientists such as Ashley on here that think nowt of doing there own plating, but given that I have zero experience, but a rusty O Level Physics understanding of how these things work, what does the team think of kits such as these?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zinc-Nickel-Plating-Kit-Electroplating-kit-Restore-Car-Bike-/252386206787?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275

Do I need to use all the chemicals and do a big batch at once or can I pour just a bit out to do a few bolts in a small container? Can I pour stuff back in the bottle or is it one time use only? Is the used solution hard to dispose of, assuming I'm not going to chuck it down the drain when noones looking? Will the wife and cat die from the fumes?

So many questions... I have yet to visit the plating forum linked to in the advert, I just wanted someone who knows about these things to tell me whether its worth the bother, or would I be better putting my parts in a bag and going to a professional, I could probably get a lot plated for that sort of money.

AshimotoK0:
I have done it myself Dave with good results but it's so cheap to get done professionally I don't bother anymore. It's useful for the odd bit which is tiny but has a high unobtanium value and you don't want to let the part out of your mitts. Also for the likes of Orcadian on here it's useful if you have to travel a long way to get it done professionally. I always liken it to fish and chips done in a proper chip shop range and the same cooked  in a home fryer. The large vats they use for dip & barrel plating alway seems to give more consistent results. The chemicals are not really hazardous compared with chrome plating though and it can be quite satisfying doing it yourself. Very time consuming though to do a large batch like this. I seem to remember this lot cost me about £60 to have done at Allenchrome in Pocklington.

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kevski:
Well as a former plater and metal chemist, follow the instructions to the letter taking care with the health and safety, disposal may be a problem as you won't have a treatment plant and no consent to discharge to brown water, but as with all things preparation is the key, if you put rubbish in you will get rubbish out, keep it well away from your animals and anybody stupid, i used to do all mine at work, but not being in the job no more i would rather buy new as most of the stuff you would plate in these kits is just consumables, i have never used one of these kits and probably never will, spoilt in a past life.

Rob62:
Allenchrome eh.... I’ll bear that in mind.. i was talking to my local plater about zinc plating last year and he was telling me that i would struggle to find any of the big plating firms who will do small batches of zinc plating for bike/car restorers..... This guy is a chrome plater who used to take on zinc plating and sub it out to other platers in the area... now he cant get anybody to do it? He was saying that one of the reasons his previous contact stopped doing it was because folk kept coming back and asking for it to be re-plated because it wasn’t perfect... They used to chuck bits in with the commercial batches, but restorers were expecting flawless perfect results and often weren’t happy... another reason is the amount of preparation required on rusty old screws....

Are Allenchrome happy to do small batches?

Nurse Julie:
We use Allenchrome for all our re zincing. The smallest amount we have taken is about 7kg. They do smaller amounts but they would all be wired individually, which is alot dearer. In the perfect world they like 50kg as they can fill a whole barrel. We are taking about 25 kg there next week.

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