Just a quick tip don’t aerate the solution circulate it so don’t use a fish tank aerator use a pump a small small water pump for a fountain. Putting air in you solution will make you have inconsistent platting, dark spots etc.
What about this one. Looks like it doesn't need to be submersed if you use two hoses. And what will the solution do to the pump, if anything? www.amazon.com/dp/B085NQ5VVJ/?coliid=I30UJEPDD82E0N&colid=2BC1CO1FLBN8J&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
I repaired my hand truck by replacing the front casters that had rusted bearings. The bearing and caster body was ordinary bright galvanized coating. It had worn almost all the way off and everything had a rust patina. The nut and lock washer that held caster in place were grade 8. They had zinc chromate finish and were only parts not rusted. The casters were exposed to wet salt in winter months. Point being zinc chromate even resist chloride!
Impressive. I left the dummy part out in the wet weather for about five months, and it didn't even affect it. The rest of the unplated steel got heavily rusted.
Impressive! I currently experimenting with zinc plating and gets pretty decent results. However i experience huge problems with smaller parts that have a lot of inside surface ( surfaces facing away from the zinc anodes). I suspect it's because the electric current runs primarily the shortest way from anode to cathode and therefore the insides gets very little of the electroplating effect. I'm not sure how to solve this problem on more complex parts so if you have found a better way of doing this im all ears. :)
Formula400Pontiac 2 things - stick an anode inside (roll of copper wire 14ga. bundled up) and agitate or pump more solution inside the part and make sure there is no air. Movement is key.
a trick for pumps that not enough people know is that you can run a bypass with a restriction to reduce pressure without a regulator. It's highly helpful when your playing with hydraulics or pneumatic. A bleed back to the tank or just a bleed.
You might try adding some sugar to the solution as a brightener. I've heard that it prevents zinc crystals, and therefore brightens the finish. You also might try turning down the current. I've heard that if it's bubbling, than the current is too high and you'll get the black and flat finish. It's all about amps/square in.
I hadn't heard about the bubbling. I will give that a shot. I will say that I used sugar in the beginning and about 65 milliamps per square inch and the results were the same. I upped the amperage per square inch because I found it wasn't plating well on larger parts. Too high, though, and it starts to burn. I could just bite the bullet and get the normal chemicals from caswells, but this was a spur of the moment thing to help a customer last year. I am by no means an authority on this.
@@ArnoldsDesign Your amps are set too high. Instead of 0.65 amps you need 0.1 amps per square inch. Watch this video, he explains it very well. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-awowG1ecYaw.html
Yeah, trouble is I'm in New Zealand... there is a Caswells in Australia but not sure about shipping even just to here!! I know one ingredient is Sodium Dichromate but not sure at what concentration and if other compounds are present. I read somewhere that 0.02% is the blue/clear conversion and from about 5% gives the yellow/gold finish. Nitric acid is also added. Is there any formula information on the packaging you got from Caswells? Cheers
You could put a wrap of plastic wrap around the finished part to avoid splashing. I dunno if it'd react with the acetate, but that's easy enough to test.
This is so cool.. regarding the use of an aquarium pump,,, how about a cheap ($5) battery operated food stirrer.. Just wondered if that would keep the zinc bath moving continuously,, without the possibility of splashing?
I managed to get zinc plating working with a sodium hydroxide solution, it seems to result in a more shiny finish then this one, however sodium hydroxide is more dangerous. This was just the conclusion from my preliminary tests though, im waiting overnight for the zinc to devolve better into the solution. Plating voltage was 2V at 1A (my powersupply cant do more), ironically i got my start in electroplating at home due to the need to fix a much more powerful lab powersupply. Sadly i cant get sodiumdichromate to get a yellow zinc finish the way the original part was, so ill use blue instead...
That is interesting. I will try using sodium hydroxide sometime. I don't know why you can't get yellow where you're at. Caswell online ships to other countries I think. The only difference I know of is, the yellow is sodium dichromate in sulfuric acid, and the blue is sodium dichromate in nitric acid, but the blue has a much lower concentration of dichromate. I've seen it for sale on ebay if you want to make it yourself. Also, keep your blue dichromate acid in an air tight and light proof container if possible, and wrap the container with black plastic or aluminum foil to keep out light, and keep in a cool area. Otherwise, nitric acid will break down into nitrogen dioxide which is yellow. That yellow will mix and make the otherwise blue acid start to appear green after a while.
Sadly i could not find a source for it in germany (where im living right now), heck sodium hydroxide was hard enough to get in a pure enough form. The best i could get is Potassium bichromate, not sure if that will work though. Thanks for the tip about the blue bichromate storage! Ill look more into the bichromate process.
Can you explain the function of the chromate on the zinc? I really like the color of the yellow chromate you did on the dummy part in another video but now I see you are doing clear chromate so there must be more to it than just color right? It is also expensive $$$
It creates a hardened conversation coating on top. Otherwise, when the zinc reacts with humidity it becomes white and chalky. I don't know the exact chemistry.
Awesome video. I just got some playing done for my 84 Husqvarna WR 400 thanks to you! Now the big question is where do I get Chromate? I need clear and yellow. Do you have any contacts for it? Tried Eastwood and nothing came up. Thanks in advance.
I have been asked how to build one of these so many times, I'm considering starting a consulting side to my vapor blasting business. Building one is not too bad. Implementing it, and getting excellent results that your customers want can be a real challenge though.
What’s the handle made out of? Maybe I missed it. Plastic or rubber? And can you zinc plate fuel hose ends that are pressed on the hose and not removable?
The handle is steel with a rubber grip. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to plate the hose ends. Just make sure the inside of the fittings are clean so you don't contaminate your plating bath.
Thanks. It's more of a hobby. I've done a few nuts and bolts for customers, but nothing much larger. I'm just not set up to do it quickly enough to make a profit. Maybe at some point.
The solution lasts many years. Disposal would require special handling and govt red tape. Vapor blasting gives the satin finish to replicate the cadmium plated finish. Chromate is required to harden zinc, otherwise the zinc gets chalky and tacky feeling as it reacts to moisture.
the darkness on the edges is zinc buildup. It is drawn to the edges. I would try a "brightener" somebody else can correct me here but I think sugar would do the trick. Considering the used parts and surface prep (blasting) I would consider the process acceptable, Caswell's kits aren't much better. The cad platers charge me $150 for 50lbs if I prep the metal first. Sometimes it's cheaper if you prewire with copper also. They have vibratory drums, acid pickles and all sorts of ways to deal with problems. IMHO, if you can justify sending it out DO IT! I need a bolt done here and there so the home kits work, but not as well.
I was driving around yesterday and had the eureka moment where I remembered that the buildup on the edges is from the flux lines of current and added surface area. I also remembered that with fish tank bubblers (I have never used one) it is a good idea to swish the part around. The dullness can be caused by solution sitting. Although you have bubblers agitating it's not the same as a pump and you should move the part even with pumps. Cavitation may be the word here. We were sandcasting with aluminum, had to make sure there was no zinc or mag mixed in. Used vinegar and the zinc turned black. I'm mixing a batch up with piclking salt, i'll let you know how it works. Using a 12v pump out of a Monatana with rear heat and a wash tub I found in the garbage.
All good tips. I don't know about the magnesium. I know it won't plate without it because the resistance gets too high. I tried caswell brightener with no effect. I don't think it's compatible with this system. Sugar doesn't help either for some reason. It's supposed to, but... Like you said, send the parts out to a plating shop if you can. Occasionally when a good customer sends in a casting with a few stray steel bits that need plating, I will do it to help them out.
I am in the same boat. I had the issue with Caswell's copy cad doing small jobs where I can't spent $150 for 1 bolt. The stuff that comes back from the platers is always nicer and doesn't oxidize as bad. The material makes a difference as well ferrous/non. Does it make a difference if you dissolve more zinc before you plate (as in the solution is low)? Magnesium is a very soft metal and is changing the purity of the zinc. Mag also oxidizes bad. Pickling salt does not contain additives. If the acidity is off then maybe add salt. When I was last at the industrial shop they had baskets and threw a chain inside and then submerged my bolts in the cad like a tumbler. In the tank next door they hot galv dipped trailers. It's been 20 years since I plated, I'm trying to remember and not doing so well (:
I might try the salt. I don't know about zinc purity being affected, but I plated a colled rolled steel rod and yellow chromated it. I sat it outside for about 5 months for a corrosion test. The unplated part of the rod was heavily rusted and flaked, and the plated part was completely unaffected. Completely, like it had sat inside the whole time. I have a short video where I show the results of the test. I always dissolve zinc beforehand because I read there aren't enough ions to plate the part if you don't. After that though, ion saturation is ongoing.
I get it from amazon.com in rolls. I don't know where you're from but it's available online. Zinc is softer than stainless and will react with acids quickly. Stainless won't. You can also melt down US pennies, 1981 and later. They are copper jacketed zinc. The zinc will pour out, leaving the copper behind. Make a plaster mold and make an ingot of zinc.
Very informative videos. I am looking for the clear chromate, have tried the link to Caswll plating but am not finding it, all I could find was the yellow. I have been calling it "Clear Chromate" should I be calling it something else or do you have another suggestion as to where else I can get it?
Trivalent. You don't dispose of it. It stays in the bucket pretty much forever. Any rinse water spray goes right back into the chromate bucket so that none of it ends up going down a drain.
There's another guy on here that made his own from sodium chromate and sulfuric acid I think. He was dipping auto carbs in it. I do small stuff, so just sprung for the pre-made concentrate. I think Caswell Plating ships to Oz.
They are a couple different varieties of chromic acid. I don't know how to prepare them from scratch, though some people do from raw chemicals. I get them them as a premade concentrated solution. They are pretty cheap to buy, so I just order them from Caswell's. It is hazardous stuff, so don't rinse it down the drain or let it fume into your shop.
The yellow one is sodium dichromate and sulfuric acid, and the blue ("clear") one is sodium dichromate and nitric acid. I haven't looked up the precise ratios yet. Sulfuric acid is easy to come by, but nitric acid is a little more troublesome, as it is a key ingredient in most recipes for explosives.
Do you have any kind of formula for how much current volts and amps and possibly time that would be required for a small barrel operation. We are trying to do a zinc and clear Chromate for nuts and bolts. We have a barrel that will hold about 10 to 12 pounds of parts. We need to find a rectifier that will have enough capacity for this. Great videos.
