surface area

[txturbo]

If I wanted to plate the outside of a piece of pipe/tubing would I need to include the surface area of the inside of the pipe thats not getting plate when calculating the amount of current required? I'm assuming I would since its also submerged in the solution.

[chromo]

I could be wrong about this, but I think only the area actually being plated counts as surface area.

If you plug the pipes the inside is not plated or exposed to the solution so it would not count as surface area. If you plate the inside of the pipe also though then it would be surface area.

If I am incorrect please let me know

I beleave also if you are plating someting like valve covers or air cleaners, if you paint the insides so they are not conductive to electric they will not plate, so you would not count the inside as surface area either. Just the outside would be plated, so just the outside counts.

Chromo

[txturbo]

Well.....that interesting. That would allow me to plate larger parts if all I need to do is make areas non-conductive that don't need plate.

[mcaswell]

That's correct. Sections that aren't conductive (plugged or masked) don't count towards the surface area.

[chromo]

Yes, non-conductive means non-plating

Something I plan to try but have not yet done is a few patterns.

It will be a LONG time before I do this, but here's my idea of what I plan to try.

For a cutom car I'm building I'm thinking about trying to plate a large star or eagle onto the hood, door skins, and truck lid. Might be a black paint job and I might do lots of stars of various sizes. Not decided for sure, but it's different and that's what I go for.

I'll try brush plating similair items first, but if that isn't working then I'll try tanking them.

First I'll mask the area to be plated so I don't paint it, then I paint the whole piece. After painting and curring I'll remove the masking from the bare spot and plate that. I'll probably have to feather the paint edges before plating though or I'll get ridge lines where the paint meets the plating, I'm sure the paint is much thicker!

One thing I am wondering about, if you built a bottomless tank and sealed that to the part (using the part as the bottom of the tank) then fill with a solution if that would plate or not. Instead of the power flowing from sides torwards the part in the middle, it would be flowing from the top to the part at the bottom. My thought here is if the plating on doors, fenders, hood and trunk came out nice the top will not match since there is no way I could ever tank a whole car to get the roof. Although I do like convertables too

I may try that using a plastic 5 gal bucket with the bottom cut out, seal it to a scrap hood add some solution and see what happens. I'm sure I could seal the bucket water tight, but then I'd have to siphon out the solution when done. Or put a shutoff valve in the lower end and drain with tubing.

I try some wierd stuff, sometimes it works sometimes it don't, but that's the fun of experementing

Chromo

[newview]

While I havent tried plating after painting, I have had good results painting after plating. Prep the entire surface, plate an area larger than the pattern and polish to final shine, touch up the painted surface prepped area to ensure no waxes or compounds are left, apply pattern mask, paint color coats, remove mask, clear coat. To avoid a seam at the paint/plate line, apply and sand multiple clear coats to build it up, then final clear the whole item. Be very careful sanding the initial clear coats over the plate, you dont want to sand through to the plate and scratch it

I have only done this on one small item, but I'm sure that it would work on larger projects Use the best clear coat you can find, don't go cheap. use a two part clear{epoxy type}. How it works long term I don't know.
I would suggest plating a small item and the clear coating it to be sure you are happy with the end result first.

Robert

[chromo]

I may give that a try. I hven't clearcoated over chrome yet so I don't know how that would work long term either or if i will lose the shine?

Chromo