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100% Road Princess
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29 Mar 2020 17:28 - 29 Mar 2020 17:45 #220435
by Scimike
Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
100% Road Princess was created by Scimike
Hi all,
Just some reading for the lockdown for those that are interested.
I always fancied a go at home plating but could never justify the cost of the kits you see on the market. I restore things as a hobby and have my eye on a few rusty brackets on the Jimny, so a few weeks ago I assembled the components to make up a home nickel plating kit.
It worked out fairly cheap compared to the kits.
Nickel plating salts £9
Nickel anodes £8
Fish tank heater £6 -heats solution
Fish tank air pump £7 - used to keep solution moving
Plastic Tupperware £3 - stops a mess on the floor
Brick acid £5 - acid etch and cleaner
I already had a power supply, so total outlay of £38 to make up a 2ltr tank plating kit.
As I am in lockdown with everyone else, today was the day to assemble the parts and have a go.
The nickel salts came with limited instructions and an A4 page of health warnings, so with the appropriate eye protection, gloves and face mask I went to Tesco for my weekly shop.
When I got back I took all that junk off, mixed the chemicals whilst holding my breath, clean a test piece of steel and had a go.
Here is my setup:
I set the Power supply at 2amps and left the test item for 50 minutes.
Here is the result:-
The lower half is the nickel plating, upper is plan steel.
It's not a complete success, the finish has what look like bubble marks on the surface (you can't see them in photo) and in a few places the plating had not adhered.
A post mortem revealed that the plating was too thick and in places it was not well attached to the base metal.
So what I think I did wrong.
Too many amps or in the solution for too long.
The part had surface contamination even though I believed it was clean. I need to rethink how I get the items clean.
If anyone has any experience of this alchemy and can give me some tips (other than pay someone to do it), please chip in. I the meantime I have some googling and reading to do before I have another go.
Mike
Just some reading for the lockdown for those that are interested.
I always fancied a go at home plating but could never justify the cost of the kits you see on the market. I restore things as a hobby and have my eye on a few rusty brackets on the Jimny, so a few weeks ago I assembled the components to make up a home nickel plating kit.
It worked out fairly cheap compared to the kits.
Nickel plating salts £9
Nickel anodes £8
Fish tank heater £6 -heats solution
Fish tank air pump £7 - used to keep solution moving
Plastic Tupperware £3 - stops a mess on the floor
Brick acid £5 - acid etch and cleaner
I already had a power supply, so total outlay of £38 to make up a 2ltr tank plating kit.
As I am in lockdown with everyone else, today was the day to assemble the parts and have a go.
The nickel salts came with limited instructions and an A4 page of health warnings, so with the appropriate eye protection, gloves and face mask I went to Tesco for my weekly shop.
When I got back I took all that junk off, mixed the chemicals whilst holding my breath, clean a test piece of steel and had a go.
Here is my setup:
I set the Power supply at 2amps and left the test item for 50 minutes.
Here is the result:-
The lower half is the nickel plating, upper is plan steel.
It's not a complete success, the finish has what look like bubble marks on the surface (you can't see them in photo) and in a few places the plating had not adhered.
A post mortem revealed that the plating was too thick and in places it was not well attached to the base metal.
So what I think I did wrong.
Too many amps or in the solution for too long.
The part had surface contamination even though I believed it was clean. I need to rethink how I get the items clean.
If anyone has any experience of this alchemy and can give me some tips (other than pay someone to do it), please chip in. I the meantime I have some googling and reading to do before I have another go.
Mike
Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
Last edit: 29 Mar 2020 17:45 by Scimike.
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- Grima
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29 Mar 2020 19:03 #220439
by Grima
Replied by Grima on topic 100% Road Princess
Use evaporating alcohol type cleaner with rubber glovers. The grease of your fingers will ruin any job. For a black finish on steel use gun blue / black as its not cheap paint it on instead of dipping. It reacts with the metal, leave to dry. Then paint with oil, leave to soak in, wipe dry, job done. Just a thought. Steve.
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- CC Baxter
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29 Mar 2020 19:25 #220441
by CC Baxter
Replied by CC Baxter on topic 100% Road Princess
I worked next door to a plating outfit for a while and remember the smell of alchemy. Even small items such as your test piece were dipped for about 16 hours (over night plus some) which suggests lower amps. Most of there nickel plate went on to be chromed but the finished nickel seemed to get extensive polishing. This is just the ramblings of a fading memory but might make some sense to you. My lasting memory is the thickness of the industrial rubber gloves and aprons they wore, that was enough to steer me away from home plating. Chris
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29 Mar 2020 21:57 #220449
by Scimike
Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
Replied by Scimike on topic 100% Road Princess
Thanks Steve and Chris.
Yes it's the cleaning process and amps I got wrong. I want to master the process simply because I have always wanted to have a go, but if I can't no loss, as you say plenty of alternatives. Found some good information via Google.
" My lasting memory is the thickness of the industrial rubber gloves and aprons they wore, that was enough to steer me away from home plating"
That will be the acid bath and the chrome plating solution, a particularly nasty substance which is toxic and a carcinogen. Nickel plating is lower down the "bad for you scale", but still requires suitable PPE and care.
Mike
Yes it's the cleaning process and amps I got wrong. I want to master the process simply because I have always wanted to have a go, but if I can't no loss, as you say plenty of alternatives. Found some good information via Google.
" My lasting memory is the thickness of the industrial rubber gloves and aprons they wore, that was enough to steer me away from home plating"
That will be the acid bath and the chrome plating solution, a particularly nasty substance which is toxic and a carcinogen. Nickel plating is lower down the "bad for you scale", but still requires suitable PPE and care.
Mike
Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
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- Max Headroom
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- OPEN AIR MOTORING... 93 MILLION MILES OF HEADROOM
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31 Mar 2020 07:47 #220493
by Max Headroom
IF IT AINT BROKE, KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS
Replied by Max Headroom on topic 100% Road Princess
Well done Scimike - its an interesting science.
I experimented with similar kits some years ago but the results were, to say the least, rather crude by professional standards and I felt not good enough for using on a historic car, so I gave up
I experimented with similar kits some years ago but the results were, to say the least, rather crude by professional standards and I felt not good enough for using on a historic car, so I gave up
IF IT AINT BROKE, KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS
The following user(s) said Thank You: Scimike
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31 Mar 2020 11:56 #220503
by Scimike
Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
Replied by Scimike on topic 100% Road Princess
Thanks Max,
I have my eye on a few Jimny brackets, but mostly parts on my classic bikes and cars. But I am with you at the moment, my results are not good enough to go anywhere near any of them!
A lot of the cheap kits just give you a cheap fixed voltage power supply, but what has become apparent after reading a few articles is that current (amps) and duration against surface area is the key (cleanliness aside). Based on the information I have found, my first attempt should have been 0.36 Amps for 52 minutes for a rust resistant deposit, not 2 Amps. :blush:
Luckily I already have a current / voltage regulated power supply that can achieve any of the required settings. Don't know how you would do it without.
Just waiting for my next essential shop before I try again. Hopefully I can get some soda crystals to make an electrolytic cleaner as an extra cleaning stage and sort out my initial problems.
There may be more !
This thread will eventually turn in things I do to my (road biased) Jimny, it's just the parts I have on order are all stuck in transit due to C-19.
Mike
I have my eye on a few Jimny brackets, but mostly parts on my classic bikes and cars. But I am with you at the moment, my results are not good enough to go anywhere near any of them!
A lot of the cheap kits just give you a cheap fixed voltage power supply, but what has become apparent after reading a few articles is that current (amps) and duration against surface area is the key (cleanliness aside). Based on the information I have found, my first attempt should have been 0.36 Amps for 52 minutes for a rust resistant deposit, not 2 Amps. :blush:
Luckily I already have a current / voltage regulated power supply that can achieve any of the required settings. Don't know how you would do it without.
Just waiting for my next essential shop before I try again. Hopefully I can get some soda crystals to make an electrolytic cleaner as an extra cleaning stage and sort out my initial problems.
There may be more !
This thread will eventually turn in things I do to my (road biased) Jimny, it's just the parts I have on order are all stuck in transit due to C-19.
Mike
Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
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