Cleaning
My experience with SP degreaser leads me to the following recommendations.
Scrub first with Palmolive or Dawn and a toothbrush. Even on a polished copper surface this is safe. Then use SP. Heat it to 150-170 degrees and soak for 10 minutes. Then apply a reverse current (positive to the part) at 60mA/sq in for 20 seconds. Rinse twice and check for waterbreak. Use a stainless steel pot and an electric hot plate you can buy from Walgreen's for $10. The aquarium heaters will not be enough to heat the SP to this temp. DO NOT put anything into a plating tank unless you get a successful waterbreak. This is the key to cleaning (and ultimately plating) success. A waterbreak is successful if the water sticks to the part like it was painted on. No dry spots or beading. Don't put it in the plating solution until you get this result.---Ken
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