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Old 04-26-2008, 09:04 PM
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KCV6 KCV6 is offline
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Default Re: Electrolite?? what happened to it ???

I'm not sure exactly what you mean? if you mean can you buy the smaller kit and add it to try and boost the chemicals then yes.

I'd just add some brightener and keep plating test pieces. It is just chloride zinc so it is just a mix of ammonium Chloride and Zinc concentrate with a brightener. It went cloudy, so there is no doubt the Ammonium Chrloride reacted with the new tank, or something in the new tank.

Ring your local chemical supplies and get a pound of Ammonium chloride crystals. Half fill a small air tight container with crystals and fill up most of the way with distilled. regularly shake this until all the crystals disolve. Get your tank running and start adding through a filter a small amount of the ammonium chloride solution at a time and see if the plating improves. The ratios of ammonium chloride to zinc concentrate for 25L (you do the conversion) is 1 litre of zinc concentrate to 2 Kg of ammonium Chloride to about 22L distilled/de-ionised water. The way to mix is make sure the water is ambient (between 25 and 30 degrees celcius) mix the crystals to 10 litres of water (about half the water) till disolved (takes a few hours). filter through cloth filter, add all the zinc concentrate and then top up with remaining water. This solution will plate dull cad like zinc at room temperature at a voltage range of 0.5 to 1.2Vdc (0.02 ASI). Add any zinc chloride brightener and you will get bright zinc.
In fairness to Caswell I will not divulge what zinc concentrate is, however it's not hard to work out with a bit of searching.

Happy plating

Mark
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