Help with setting up tanks

[carts69]

Please can someone help with advice on setting up acid copper, regular nickel & chrome plating tanks.

Question 1. How much acid to 4 gal of copper soloution?
Question 2. What temp must this copper be heated to 4 gal?
Question 3. With nickel again, what temp 4 gal mix & any acid required?
Question 4. Chrome/ what temp & does this need acid added?

Any advice would be great as im totally new to this stuff & find manuals hard to understand.Thanks

[crob241]

I can help with the nickel, the book says 110f for the temp, I use from about 90-120 about 10% from the book should work.I always check the ph of all solutions and along with cleaning with sp cleaner I either use battery acid or pickle #4. Also I use copy chrome and it is pretty much the same thing except the temp is lower, 75-about 95% and also following the book for power settings with amperage and voltage.If you just follow the instructions closely in the book or product instructions things will go fine.I use both reg and electroless neckel and copy chrome and have the best luck with el copy chrome then reg cc, I get good results from both nickel solutions.

[carts69]

Thanks for the reply crob.... thats helped me understand the nickel side of things, as battery acid seems hard to get hold of can you confirm i can use 'ONE SHOT' drain cleaner,have been told this contains the acid i need for the copper set up,although if your not a uk resident you won't know?

[jimcarry]

You Can Buy BAttery Acid at your local autoparts store

[KCV6]

NO!

I just looked up ONE SHOT and it contains solvents that act as an odour blanket and are also used to to disolve styrene products stuck down your drain.

Plating is a precise process that requires precise chemicals. Any additional chemical agents will cuase unexpected results.

As Jim said try any Auto store that sells lead acid Batteries. Look up batteries in your local Yelow pages or business listings and make a few calls.

Cheers Mark

[carts69]

Thanks Mark, why i stated ONE SHOT is because i was told to use this from caswell uk. i must say im not happy with hearing this is likely to be no good as i have placed an order for a few bottles of this.
I think i need to contact them and find out whats what?
Cheers for the advice mark.

[KCV6]

No problems.

I assume it is the same ONE SHOT I looked up by Black Swan. The only reason I can assume they would recomend it is if the chemical agents included are 100% volotile and evapourate. Please post their response when you get it as I would be interested to see what it is.

Cheers Mark.

[carts69]

Mark....This is the reply i had from caswell uk:

Martin,

The product is 91% sulphuric acid and the inclusions are organic digesters and not solvents. the Product does not purport to remove plastics or styrene's.

I have just finished a conversation with the manufacturers on this technical aspect and the posting on the forum is incorrect. You should get a Safety Data sheet with your product which will

One Shot Instant Drain Cleaner does not contain solvents and in all instances of customers and myself, in the early days, using the product I have had no problems and have not had adverse comments from the users.

Kind regards
So based on this info it seems 'ONE SHOT' is ok to use for the acid side of things.....Watch this space,the proof is in the pudding....I will report back after my first copper plating task!

[KCV6]

Yep, from what they say there it should be ok, but I swear the site said it used solvents as a fume blanket. oh well.

[KCV6]

No I am not Imagining things. had me woried there!

Straight from the manufacturers site. I wouldn't use it based on the intro as shown below, however it may just be simple sell blurb. Gotta love Google.

"WHY ONE-SHOT IS UNIQUE

There are three features of Black Swan's ONE-SHOT that make this a very special product:

1. The Odor Blanket - A layer of solvent that stays on top of the sulfuric acid at all times. This solvent limits the odors that you get when working with most sulfuric acid drain pipe openers. The is makes the product much more pleasant to work with.

2. The Chaser - Sulfuric acid will not dissolve styrofoam, certain plastics and other polymeric materials. The solvents in the odor blanket dissolve these materials. These solvents acts as a chaser to get the materials that the sulfuric acid leaves behind. This makes ONE-SHOT a superior drain pipe opener."