I'm getting some incomplete nickle coverage

[wayzata]

Hi guys,

I plated my first parts today and they came out pretty well. They included a nut, bolt and a couple of spacers. They were just like I wanted, nice and bright.

The next couple of items had some issues though, and I'm hoping someone can help diagnose what I'm doing wrong. In Photo B, you can see the clutch adjuster in the middle back did not get complete coverage. I used pickle #2 to clean all of the parts, them washed them in water pretty thoroughly, then put them in the nickle plating tub which was about 110 degrees. I did the adjuster at the same time I did the big axle spacer, shown on the left, and plated them at 0.500 mamps (I calculated .05 per square inch) for almost two hours. You can see in the picture that the axle spacer came out okay, except for a little brown shadowing you can see, but that the adjusted has some big areas that didn't get covered.

Any ideas for me?

Also I am getting ready to plate a bracket shown in Photo C, but I don't know how to size the piece so I get the right amperage setting. I'm not sure how to estimate odd pieces like this. My first rough estimate is about 38 square inches, which I was going to run at 1.05 mamps (that is all the bulbs I have left) for over an hour. Based on the ruler you see there in the foreground, am I even in the ballpark?

Thanks everyone.

Phil in Minnesota

[XK120DHC]

Originally Posted by wayzata

Also I am getting ready to plate a bracket shown in Photo C, but I don't know how to size the piece so I get the right amperage setting. I'm not sure how to estimate odd pieces like this. My first rough estimate is about 38 square inches, which I was going to run at 1.05 mamps (that is all the bulbs I have left) for over an hour. Based on the ruler you see there in the foreground, am I even in the ballpark?
Phil in Minnesota

Phil;
In the back of the Plating Manual there are two pages of Geometry formulas that will help you calculate the "Surface Area" of items to be plated..
With the "odd ball bracket" you have, it can be very involved to figure the area.. A simple method is to take a sheet of paper, tape the paper to one "end" of the bracket.. about an inch in from the edge of the paper.. Now press the paper to conform to the curves of the bracket while outlining, with a pencil, the edges and openings of the bracket.. Basically, you are making a "flattened-out drawing" of the bracket.. Get a pair of sissors and "cut-out" the bracket and the openings so the sheet of paper represents the "solid area" of the bracket.. Now place this "cut-out" on a sheet of Graph Paper (on the graph paper, get the type with 1/4" squares-- also called a "Planning Pad" that's "4x4 quad rulled".. I paid less than two bucks for a pad of 80 sheets a goodly number of years ago.. It can be found in the office/school supplies sections of Wal-Mart, grocery stores, etc. Office Depot & Office Max, etc. should have it, as well).. anyway, trace your "cut-out" onto the 4x4 graph paper and simply "count the squares" (you will have to be a bit "creative" in counting the half and quarter squares to get "whole" squares).. sixteen squares equals One Square Inch.. and remember, this is only one side.. double your result for the total Surface Area of the Bracket..
Also, if the bracket has some serious thichness, like a sixteenth or an eighth of an inch, you will need to calculate the area of this edge.. Take a soft tape measure (a cloth tape used in sewing is perfect) and carefully measure around the outer edge.. this gives you the circumference (or a "height"), multiply that by the "width" (thickness--use decimal measurements for both-- 1/8" = 0.125" 6 1/4" = 6.25, etc.), the result is the "area" in Square Inches, add that to the Surface Area of the "unfolded" bracket sides, and you have the total Surface Area to be plated.. Simple, Huh??
Lastly, give some serious thought to getting a "real" Power Supply that has adjustable Amps (don't worry about the Volts!).. I have a 12Volt25Amp Plating Powersupply (found on eBay for $50) and it will almost plate more "area" than I have room for in my two gallon kits (except Chrome!).. With the Adjustable Amps, you can "dial-in" the exact amount you need for a particular piece.. I'd strongly recommend that you get something in the 25 amp range to start with.. if you expand in tank size, then you can get a bigger 100 amp or 200 amp power supply.. and we're talking serious money, now!

[wayzata]

Charles,

Thank you for your good ideas. They were very helpful. The bracket that I mentioned in my last post is now complete and came out really good. It is already on my bike and I am really pleased with the results.

I am concerned about power, but I would like to avoid an expensive power supply. I am using a 6v battery along with a reostat board as mentioned in the Plating Manual, using a series of .250 and .125 4v bulbs. I've attached a photo of my setup. I like it as my pieces are all small and the inaccuracies in size estimating are pretty big.

Do I want to use the same power level for chrome (.05 amps/sq.in) for nickle, or do I use a different level?

Wayzata

[XK120DHC]

Originally Posted by wayzata

Do I want to use the same power level for chrome (.05 amps/sq.in) for nickle, or do I use a different level? Wayzata

Phil;
Chrome requires about one amp per square inch to two amps per square inch with 1.5 amps being the average..
Your "Battery/Bulb" set-up would barely handle one square inch of surface area of chrome plating..