Cast iron in zinc
I'm trying to plate a cast iron brake caliper. I see a note in the new manual stating 20amps per sq ft with cast iron. Got that. I'm just having some issues getting a "ballpark" surface area calculation. How do most of you measure weird parts like this. There are a lot of knooks and crannies. I've masked off the brake cylinder bores with paint but intend to plate the rest. I thought about taking a sheet of paper and wrapping it around the thing to get an idea of sq in?
The last time I tried this the electrolyte just frothed like crazy at 16amp. I could never see the part the entire time. After I was done I took the part out and the zinc had only covered the higher areas and left grainy deposits elsewhere. The tank I used didn't allow for much space so the annodes were very close to the part. That may have had something to do with it? After an hour the platingin began to bubble and crack. I thought I had prepped the part well by sandblasting, pickle, SP degreaser and then rinse.
Ken-
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