I've electroplated something!

Joseph Shaul

Member
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206
Location
Madison, WI
After much work, I've managed to electroplate something!

It looks sufficently awful that I'm not posting pictures, but I've managed to successfully plate an old steel screwdriver with a heavy coat of nickel. I used a rather crude mixture of roach killer (60% boric acid, 40%...something else?) and nickel sulfate which I will hopefully refine in the future. The plating anode was a piece of stainless steel from the hardware store.

(NOTE: Nickel sulfate is cheap stuff - about $8 a pound if you buy from the right place. However, many places won't sell to residential addresses.)

Next up is finding some higher-quality boric acid (can anyone recommend a source that will sell to residential addresses?) and finish my current-regulated power supply.
 
I've looked through the Rio Grande catalog. While most of their stuff gives better results than anything I can make, I really don't need it - ten minutes on the buffing wheel and the lack of brighteners is a moot point. However, I have ordered some of their prep supplies and hope to use their electroforming solution.
 
I have address and #'s back at the shop for chemicals all over the country and will post what your looking for in the morning when I am back at work.

I am very interisted in your process I have a few europian mounts I would like to do the skulls.
 
I have address and #'s back at the shop for chemicals all over the country and will post what your looking for in the morning when I am back at work.

I am very interisted in your process I have a few europian mounts I would like to do the skulls.

I'll PM you with my AIM username so we can chat. To be honest, I wasn't sure the recipe would work - I fished it out of a student guide somewhere. It's not perfect - for starters, it can't get nickel from the anode, so you'll need to replenish it pretty frequently - but it does seem to be pretty effective. About half the finishing.com mailing list told me it wouldn't, but that nickel seems to be stuck on the screwdriver pretty darn well.

The process was very simple: Add nickel sulfate to a few ounces of water 'till it stops dissolving. Then, add boric acid until it, too, stops dissolving. Apply voltage to screwdriver (cathode) and strip of stainless steel from the hardware store (anode.) The current wasn't even regulated - next time, I'll have a current-limiting PSU prepared, which might give better results.

For those not familiar with electroplating, there's generally three steps: A thin layer in a special bath that adheres to everything, a thick layer of something easy to plate, and then a finish layer of something resistant to the elements (generally chrome.) Copper is fairly easy to plate - all you really need is root killer (copper sulfate) and drain cleaner (sulfuric acid) - but it won't stick to a variety of metals, notably steel unless you use a fairly unusual plating solution (often alkaline instead of acidic) or first plate the steel with another metal - in this case, nickel.

One additive I've read might help is saccharine - the artificial sweetener. I'm a bit fuzzy as to why, but it's supposed to help give a more even deposition of the metal. Anyone know where I can get some?
 
After much work, I've managed to electroplate something!

It looks sufficently awful that I'm not posting pictures, but I've managed to successfully plate an old steel screwdriver with a heavy coat of nickel. I used a rather crude mixture of roach killer (60% boric acid, 40%...something else?) and nickel sulfate which I will hopefully refine in the future. The plating anode was a piece of stainless steel from the hardware store.

(NOTE: Nickel sulfate is cheap stuff - about $8 a pound if you buy from the right place. However, many places won't sell to residential addresses.)

Next up is finding some higher-quality boric acid (can anyone recommend a source that will sell to residential addresses?) and finish my current-regulated power supply.

Joesph
Might not be as cheap as you want but the source for small plating supplies is
http://www.caswellplating.com/

Garry
 
Well, you've been warned. :D



Not a lot of plating, but it was a crude effort, and I didn't clean it very well first. I'll get some boric acid from Wallgreens (apparently I need to special order it) and get cracking.
 
You're getting there. Little steps make a long journey. Remember, ol' Einstein didn't invent the phonograph his on first try either. :rolleyes: :rofl:
 
Next up is finding some higher-quality boric acid (can anyone recommend a source that will sell to residential addresses?) and finish my current-regulated power supply.

My local Hardware store sells Ant/Roach poison that is 99% Boric Acid, I buy it for curing deer sculls when mounting antlers.
 
You might check out some taxidermy supply places. Brownells also has a cold nickel plating solution. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1069/Product/ELECTROLESS_NICKEL_PLATING

I'm not trying to talk you out of electro plating, I think it is great you are doing it. I grew up with a scientist dad who was always showing us kids fun things to do like this. There is no better education than to try things like this yourself. You also might check educational supply places. Sometimes you can get chemicals from them although it may be in small quantities. Isn't 20 mule team borax basically boric acid?

I sometimes find chemicals from secondary sources. Photo chemicals, baking supplies, industrial supplies, (Graingers) cleaning compaies, etc.
 
Not a lot of plating, but it was a crude effort, and I didn't clean it very well first. I'll get some boric acid from Wallgreens (apparently I need to special order it) and get cracking.

Far's I'm concerned, that's a doggoned good start. That's more nickel than I've ever laid down with electricity, I guarantee you.

Yep, superclean, pristine clean. The least possible oxide layer, zero oils. Clean with lacquer thinner or acetone, after wire-brushing or sanding the surface.

Next time'll be BETTER. :) :) :)
 
In days of old (OK I am really showing my age here) in the printing world there was a lot of nickle coated electro plated printing plates for hot stamping dies (those used for book stamping dies). Check that possible source and maybe something will come up there.
 
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