Hi Shawn.......
I run my flash copper between 110 and 120, and lower my amps to .03 per sq.in.
The steps I outlined in my previous reply are the ones I use, but I left out the nitryl glove. This is important to prevent any chemical residue from being left on the part. Don't feel bad, it took me 4 months to figure this out. Pot metal is probably the worst thing to try plating. Once you get it, it's not too bad to work with, but you'll still get a surprise every once in a while on old stuff.
BLASTING vs. WIRE WHEEL.......
A wire wheel can't open out the surface pores and remove the crud like blasting. this is one of the most important steps. In fact the wire wheel is basically just rubbing down the surface, kind of polishing it, which is burying a lot of the stuff you want to remove and creating more of a problem. Then, if you've used the wheel on anything except pot metal, you compound the problem even more.
The tiny pits created by the blaster get covered by the flash copper, and just a quick rinse with distilled water, and then directly into the acid copper, once you're sure all pot metal has been covered in flash copper. I sometimes go a couple of hours in the acid copper or more to make sure I don't polish through to pot metal when prepping for nickel.
IF YOU EVER BUFF THROUGH TO THE POT METAL, RETURN TO FLASH COPPER FIRST!!!
There's a post by 48Buick in this forum that outlines this all in more detail, you should check it out.
Hope this helps....
Dave
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