Transcript Nickel_Plating_-_AWA_2010 - Lozier`s Parking Lot

Get shiny again…
 Nickel plating small parts is easy.
 And the good news is that most vintage
radio parts are small.
 All you need are four things.
And those four things are:
 A nickel plating solution (bath).
 A pure nickel anode.
 A way to heat the solution.
 A source of direct current at a low voltage
and adequate current.
Your one stop shop for plating supplies is
Caswell, Inc.
They are happy to sell
you a complete outfit
for nickel plating
(minus power source)
for $199.
But that is more than I really need.
 Download their catalogue and right there on
Page 1 is what you really need….
1.5 Gallons is way more than I need.
 Go in with a buddy and split the expense.
 Nickel plating solutions can be thought of
as permanent baths.
 Just don’t contaminate it. (More later.)
 Add distilled water as needed.
The nickel anode.
 Good nickel plate is much less than 0.001” thick.
 That 6”x8” anode sheet can plate over 45 square
feet of surface.
 That’s a LOT of small hardware!
 And it will likely plate even more than that.
While at the Caswell site…
 There is a wealth of information on this site.
Well worth bookmarking in your browser.
You need to heat the plating bath.
 About 120 F is a nice comfy temperature.
 That big immersion heater in the Caswell
outfit is WAY too big for most tasks…
 Find an old hot pot at the flea market or
local thrift store.
 It’s going to get TOO hot…
 Run it off your shop Variac or a light
dimmer rated at 600 Watts or more.
That DC voltage and current….
 The voltage will be somewhere between 2.5
and 5 Volts.
 The current depends on the surface area
being plated and the temperature of the
plating bath.
 I see ranges of 0.5 to 5 Amps. in my work.
 But the current needs to be current limited!
There are several ways to supply it.
 Got an old battery charger that’s not too
smart?
The light
bulb limits
the current
to a safe
level.
Go to a hamfest…
 Industrial grade power supplies can be
really cheap out in the flea market!
Just look for one that
has a CURRENT
LIMITED output of 3
Amps. or more.
Going… Going… but not quite gone.
 Power supplies to service 6 & 12 Volt
vibrator supply car radios…..
 They are almost indestructible!
The parts have to be shiny first!
 Sand or wire brush parts….
 Buff with a 4” cotton wheel charged with
white rouge.
 Wash with solvent.
 Buff with another 4” cotton wheel charged
with red rouge if necessary.
 Wash with solvent again.
String the parts on wires…..
 Keep in mind that any connection will
‘shadow’ the plating current from the part.
 So connect at inconspicuous points.
Remember electroplating is an
electro-chemical process…..
 Parts have to be chemically clean to plate.
Now to the bath.
 Is it up to 120 F yet?
 Allow the parts to pre-heat 5 to 10 seconds
before turning on the current.
 The parts must be in constant motion or the
bath must be in constant motion!
 Gas bubbles insulate the surface and must
be immediately removed if you are to have
smooth plating.
You will poison the bath if…
 You put the parts in and allow them to stay
past the pre-heat time with the current OFF.
400 & 600 mL beakers work best for me.
A dull finish on shiny parts probably
means the current was too high.
 Nickel is REALLY hard and therefore hard
to polish.
 Better to sand off and start again.
If the Nickel plate flakes…
 You did not remove all the oxides before
you started.
 The parts were really not chemically clean
to start with.
 Better to start over….
When you are done, rinse in HOT water
immediately and FORCE DRY!
What about other finishes?
 Coloring brass….
 Making solder joints look old.
 Making nickel plate look not so new.
Another source for supplies…
To color brass escutcheons...
Always cover colored brass with a
clear coat of lacquer or varnish.
To blacken brass hardware…
The secret to old looking solder
joints revealed!
 Solder your connection.
 Clean with alcohol to remove flux.
 Scratch the surface a little bit with a very
fine stainless steel brush. (Dremel has a
little cup brush that works fine.)
 Put a drop of JAX Black on the joint.
Bingo! 80 years in 80 seconds…
 When you get the look you like, daub the
joint with a cotton ball saturated with
distilled water to remove any excess JAX
Blackener.
 FORCE DRY…..
And something I have not tried yet.
These are all ‘lifetime supply’
quantities for folks like me.
 So consider dividing the solutions with a
buddy.
But the containers should be of high
quality…. Consider these….
Be aware of this…..
It’s not hard…. Give it a try…
Robert Lozier
[email protected]
http://kd4hsh.homestead.com/index.html