Plating many small items at the same time.

[pourdjee]

Hello,
I am new at this, so please forgive me if I have not followed propper protocol.

My goal is to be able to plate small brass Findings (jewelry components)
in nickel and copper.

One of my conserns is that the number of items to be plated is in the thousands.

For example I would like to copper-plate 25,000 tiny brass clasps at the same time.

Do I need a custom made set-up or does Castwell have somthing that will help a person in my situation?

[mcaswell]

You simply need a tank big enough, and enough power to fit all these parts.

Then you'll have to rig up a system that allows you to hang all of these parts in the solution at the same time.

It's not complicated to do, just time consuming.

You might find it more convenient to send these to a plating shop. Was there a specific reason you want to do this yourself?

[pourdjee]

My main reason for wanting to do the project myself was to reduce the cost of the goods. I run a business, and at the moment I am obliged to purchase the items finished (at a higher cost). I thought that by taking this project upon myself: I could reduce the overall cost and learn something new at the same time. I was also hoping to be able to create a more exclusive product line.
Here's what I think... (and by no means do I mean to be disrespectful):
I know that the process used by the commercial platers does not involve hanging the items in the solution one by one.
I assume that they have process by which the many small items are mixed while they are being plated. I am almost sure of it.
I thought that Castwell might have a scaled down version of such a device.
What are your thoughts?

Respectfully,
Pourdjee

[mcaswell]

You could set up a tumbling basket like system, where the basket is on a motor and is electrically charged. As items tumble in the basket, they will make contact with the basket, forming the circuit required to deposit a plated layer.

We don't supply anything like this however, but it shouldn't be too hard to rig up.

Give us a call and we'll discuss the details.