Project: Zinc Electro Plating

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Andrew 2.8i
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Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi All,
Another brief guide to give you some ideas in your own car part restorations. This time, zinc electroplating.

I recommend that you don't undertake this task if you don't have somewhere safe and well-ventilated to work and are not able to lock the chemicals away from pets and children.

Remember, the chemicals used in cleaning and plating are hazardous. Be sure to follow any safety instructions and read any SDS (safety data sheets) thoroughly. The minimum PPE I recommend are goggles, mask (not a cheap paper one), gloves and an apron (not shown). Wear the PPE at all times.

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If you're still interested, or if you want to prepare the parts yourself for a professional to plate, then read on....
I've split the procedure into 3 sections: setting up, preparation and plating process.

SETTING UP

I won't bore you early on with the chemicals you will need, I will describe them as I go.
Other than the chemicals, you will need:
A power source (a battery or battery charger)
A circuit breaker (not shown)
A current controller
A length of copper wire
A length of wire with a crocodile clip at either end
A fish tank pump
A stick

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Now you're ready to set up the electroplating tank.
You will need some pieces of zinc and a length of copper wire to suspend them in the electrolyte. Drill holes in the zinc and feed the copper wire through them. Leave enough wire at one end to attach to the power supply.
You will need a sealable container to enable you to store the solution once you have finished using it. The electrolyte I made consists of 8 litres of distilled or de-ionised water, ammonium chloride, zinc chloride and some other chemicals known as Zylite MB make up and Zylite MB maintenance. I also added a touch of anti-foam as well. All of these can be bought easily, I bought mine from a plating company, PM me if you need the specific details.

Once the electrolyte is mixed suspend the zinc anodes in the solution. Make sure the copper wire is not in contact with the electrolyte or it will ruin the quality of the plating. The electrolyte here is looking a little dirty as it's been used, but is still usable.

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Now on to setting up the power supply. Use a circuit breaker on the plug of the battery charger, just in case. Liquids and electricity don't mix very well....
Attach the live from the power supply to one end of the current controller. Use the length of wire with the crocodile clips. Clip one end to the resistance wire on the current controller and the other end to the length of copper wire that is fed through the zinc anodes. The current needs to be able to be controlled for the best plating results. As a rule, the bigger the item, the shorter the length of wire needs to be. For the small spring that I'm plating, more or less the full length of wire needs to be used. It takes a little bit of trial and error to get this bit right, but if the plating process is too fast, the plating will be grey and dull. Also be aware that the wire on the current controller may get hot while it's in use, so don't touch it!

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For the purposes of this demonstration I've selected a small and fairly clean item, a spring from the brake shoes. The cleaning and plating process is exactly the same, regardless of the item you choose.

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PREPARATION

The first, and most important stage to the electroplating process is the degreasing and cleaning of the part. The more heavily soiled it is, the longer this stage will take. I used spray gunk and an old tooth brush to thoroughly clean the spring.

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Well, if you really need to be shown how to use it.....

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For very heavily soiled parts, you may have to soak them in degreaser overnight. This spring isn't too bad, so it's on to the next stage.

Now, you need to clean the part of any old paint or rust. The most important factor in a good finish is the preparation, so take your time and do the job properly. You can use as variety of items for this, but I used my trusty rotary tool with a wire brush and a flap disc. For bigger parts, you may want to use something with a bit more oomph.

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Once all the surface rust and paint has been removed it should look something like this.

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If you intend to plate a part where appearance is vitally important, you may have to sand with a fine grade sandpaper to remove scratches. If the item is pitted, the process is more difficult, as the pits will have to be filled with solder and filed smooth. At the risk of preaching, the more time taken on preparation, the better the finished result will be. As this spring won't be seen, I'm skipping those steps and moving on.

The next stage is to attach the part to a length of copper wire. Unless, of course, you enjoy dipping your hands in buckets of cleaning chemicals!

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Thoroughly rinse the part in clean water, then use the copper wire and the stick/cane to enable the part to be suspended in a container. Use a sealable container so you can store the cleaner after you have finished with it. When set up, immerse the part in neat alkaline cleaner for a minimum of 5 minutes. I used this cleaner, but others are available.

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When finished, remove the part and rinse again in clean water. Once rinsed, the final cleaning step is to dip the part in an acid pickle. Use the same method as described above to immerse the part in a solution of dry acid salts and water. Use 100g of acid salts to one litre of water. Always add the acid salts to the water and not the other way around. Again, use a sealable container to enable safe storage of the acid once you have finished.

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Leave the part immersed for at least 60 seconds. However, if you can see fizzing during the acid pickling process, as shown in the photo, you will have to leave the part immersed until the fizzing stops. This can take up to 25 minutes. When finished, rinse the part thoroughly in clean water, and if you need to touch the part, do so using gloves. I leave the copper wire attached so I don't need to touch it at all.

PLATING PROCESS

When completely clean and rinsed, immerse the part, suspended on the copper wire, into the electrolyte. Use the fish tank pump to agitate the solution during the plating process, as this will ensure even plating. Attach the negative from the power supply to the copper wire that the part to be plated is attached to, being careful to ensure that the live and negative wires don't touch. For safety, you can sleeve the bare copper wires if you wish. The electrical set up should be like this:

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You should now be able to switch on the power.

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The plating process will take between 20 and 60 minutes. While you're waiting, you may as well thoroughly wash your hands and enjoy a cup of tea and your favourite snack.

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When the plating is finished, remove it from the electrolyte and rinse the part again. It should look like this.

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That's enough to protect the part and give it a nice shiny finish. You may also wish to give the part a yellow passivate finish. To do this, simply immerse the part in the acid pickle for 10 seconds or so, then remove and rinse thoroughly. Dip the part in a yellow passivate mix made of yellow passivate and water. This process will take between 30 and 60seconds depending on the size of the part and the finish required. It will be trial and error to obtain the required finish, so practise will be needed. Here is how the part will look after being immersed in the yellow passivate.

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A before and after reminder:

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That's it!

I hope that you've enjoyed reading this guide, and good luck if you give it a go.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by MattMe »

A very interesting read, that. thanks for posting it up, Andrew.

It seems a fair amount of work, but the results look excellent. Well worth the effort.

Does the yellow finish add any additional protection to the finish, or is it just a preference thing?
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi Matt,
MattMe wrote:A very interesting read, that. thanks for posting it up, Andrew.
It seems a fair amount of work, but the results look excellent. Well worth the effort.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my thread.
Yes, I think it is worth the effort. I've mainly been concentrating on nuts and bolts at the moment. However, the zinc plating will really prove it's worth when I come to refurbish the parts that aren't available to buy new.
MattMe wrote:Does the yellow finish add any additional protection to the finish, or is it just a preference thing?
Thanks for staying awake until the end of the write-up!
The way I understand it is that a passivated finish adds an extra layer of protection, therefore the part should have better corrosion resistance. I also have clear/ blue and olive drab passivates, but I haven't tried those yet.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by atomic4 »

Great piece of information that. Many thanks. :cool:
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

atomic4 wrote:Great piece of information that. Many thanks. :cool:
Hi,
Thank you for your feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Craigorypeck »

Very good that is!

How much will you charge for 2 door strikers and latches? !
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Craigorypeck wrote: Very good that is!
Hi,
Thank you very much, your cmoments are appreciated. Obviously the spring illustrated is just a crappy little part, but the possibilities for refurbishing other parts are almost endless.
Craigorypeck wrote: How much will you charge for 2 door strikers and latches? !
I'd better get more practice before I start work on other people's bits and bobs! :D

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by andy a »

A very good write up Andrew, as is the one on polishing.

Where do you source your chemicals from for the plating, I will have a lot to do on the Mk1 once I get started, and it looks like the type of thing that can be left on the back burner to do between other tasks if that makes sense, plus of course there's the added bonus that by doing it myself I'm not paying a plater to do it,

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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Ghia15 »

Nice little write up and a very interesting read.

Think it will be time to clear some space to make a plating area.

Might be sending you a PM on chemicals soon.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Ghia15 wrote:Nice little write up and a very interesting read.
Think it will be time to clear some space to make a plating area.
Hi,
Thank you for your comments.
Yes, you will need quite a bit of space to work in and storage space for 4 or 5 15 litre containers.

I'll post a list of chemicals and a link to the name of the company I bought them from when I have some time. Although I did notice that Frost sell a plating kit, that might be worth a look.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi All,
I bought a complete kit from a company called Gateros plating.
http://gaterosplating.co.uk/Home.php
I hadn't done any zinc plating before, so I did not have a clue what was needed or how to do it. The kit was a little expensive (just over £100) but it did contain everything that is needed except de-ionised water and the power source. The zinc included will plate 50,000 square cm at 10 micron thickness.

If you don't want to buy the whole kit, I suggest you buy just the chemicals for the electrolyte from Gateros Plating and shop around for the rest of the equipment that is required.

Chemicals needed:
Ammonium chloride and zinc chloride £29.00
Zylite MB make up £3.00
Zylite MB maintenance £3.00
Yellow passivate £10.00
Anti foam £3.00
Alkaline cleaner £10.50
Dry acid salts £10.50

You will also need:
20 litres of distilled or de-ionised water
4 sealable 10 litre containers
Around 200g of zinc
Current controller
Power source (car battery or charger)
Fish tank pump (with filter, preferably)
1m of copper wire

PPE:
Mask
Apron
Goggles
Gloves

Optional extras:
Olive drab passivate
Black passivate
Clear/ blue passivate

If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by 347 V8 »

Very interesting and a great write up. I bought a kit from those guys. I think the postman thought I was taking the bongo.....all the parts were in buckets. I hope to try it out in the new year, but your results look superb.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

347 V8 wrote:Very interesting and a great write up. I bought a kit from those guys. I think the postman thought I was taking the bongo.....all the parts were in buckets. I hope to try it out in the new year, but your results look superb.
Hi,
Same here. The way the parcel was wrapped, the buckets looked exactly like a drum.

The instructions were easy to follow, you shouldn't have any difficulty setting up and getting excellent plating results.
Don't forget that you'll need to buy some de-ionised or distilled water for the electrolyte.

Good luck, please keep us up to date with your projects. I'll look forward to seeing what you can do.

All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi All,
The infamous tea towel has been put to good use again!
Here's another item to show what can be achieved with a little patience.

Before.

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After.
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All the best,
Andrew.
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi All,
It's worth mentioning that if you prefer to have the yellow passivated finish to your new nuts and bolts instead of a BZP finish, it's possible to do this yourself. Passivating takes less than 2 minutes from start to finish.
You don't need to buy the complete zinc plating kit, the yellow passivate solution can be purchased on it's own.

Before and after.

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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Jim »

While looking at my fuel pump earlier, looking a bit rusty, I was wondering how would you get the original finish on the top part, it has that yellow coating on top. Would you plug the petrol pump ends? or if not would it zinc the inside of fuel pump and ruin it? Cheers!
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Re: Project: Zinc Electro Plating

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Jim wrote:While looking at my fuel pump earlier, looking a bit rusty, I was wondering how would you get the original finish on the top part, it has that yellow coating on top. Would you plug the petrol pump ends? or if not would it zinc the inside of fuel pump and ruin it? Cheers!
Hi Jim,
Yes, I would say the best technique would be to use two short lengths of spare fuel pipe and plug the ends of those. If that is not done, the zinc will coat everything the electrolyte is in contact with.

Andrew.
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