I've been down the road you're thinking of, maybe my experience can send you in a better direction. There's a few reasons why a dipping basket like you're thinking of aren't suitable.
1) They have HUGE amounts of surface area which you have to include in your current calculations. If it's the one I think at McMasters (#32525K35 ?), I roughly calculate that basket at @ 145 sq-in.! The basket alone will need 7-14 amps!
2) the walls of the basket are going to draw the majority of the plating current, and will in effect, shield the parts inside the basket. They won't plate well unless the current has a free path to them.
3) since you're plating the basket along with the parts it contains, you waste a lot of anode on it! (as well as excess electricity).
I first tried what you're thinking of too. See my
"shaker" basket prototype
That tiny little 3 x 5 piece of screen mesh was 22 sq-in!
It worked well enough as a "shaker", if the parts were able to shift around easily, but bolts tend to "lock up" against each other and it's difficult to get them tumbled about adequately. That's why I attempted to build a rotating barrel to auto-tumble the parts.
Sean