PLATING POT METAL...............

[goldmankc]

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
now that I got that out of the way, can somone tell me, after my repairs, I have these tiny holes, over and over, cannot get them out, I'm talking pinholes. will flash copper and then acid copper buildup cover these?
I'm at my wits end, have used solder-it, muggyweld, silver solder, still have the pin holes. blasting, sanding, buffing, cannot get rid of them. have started this piece over about 50 times{no s..t} arrgggg, rotten pot metal.
Thanks
Clint

[SLOSteve]

Originally Posted by 48Buick

Bryan:
The biggest thing with potmetal is to just stick with it until you learn how to deal with it. Its the hardest metal to plate.
Practice a lot on scrap.
Good luck and let me know if you need any advise.
48 Buick

Sticking with it is the key! I'm living (still) proof of it. When you mentioned pulling your hair out before plating pot metal you were right. UGH. What a pain but it is fun learning as long as I take a day or two break when I get frustrated.

I've been working on a pot metal radio bezel for quite sometime. Being the really smart guy that I am I didn't start out with the copper pipe practice pieces and went straight to the pot metal (if I'm going to plate pot metal I might as well USE pot metal to practice on, right?). Anyway, to make a long story short I screwed it up so now it IS my practice piece!

I have a couple of quick questions: First, does the part need to be polished to a mirror shine before each plating process, and second: activated in 33% sulphuric acid solution just before the next plate? I think I goofed when I mixed pool acid at a ratio of 1pt to 1gal of distilled water. It should be stronger than that, yes?

Btw.......add me to the list of people you have helped a LOT with your pot metal plating experience and procedures!

[bobgurkin]

Well, this is a question rather than a reply. I have about 250 old capguns from 1950 thru 1958. (Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, ect, ect.) I have just recently figured out how to disassemble these riveted guns and put them back together. It is very cost prohibitive to get these guns nickel plated so I am going to try to learn how to do it myself. Is there any such thing as a plating book for idiots? Any help is appreciated. Bob Gurkin bobgurkin@nc.rr.com

[gordb52]

I just bought a copy chrome kit. I was wondering if you could tell me what I need to know to get started? I read the manual but dont understand quit everything. I bought a power source and a 1.5 gallon kit. Could you tell me how the current is hooked up to everything? Like the negatives and positives and anything else you can help me with to get started. Im starting small and hoping to get bigger and ad it to my buisness. I sandblast and paint now always looking for an expantion.
Thanks
Gordon[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

[XK120DHC]

[quote=gordb52;51398]I just bought a copy chrome kit. I was wondering if you could tell me what I need to know to get started? I read the manual but dont understand quit everything. I bought a power source and a 1.5 gallon kit. Could you tell me how the current is hooked up to everything? Like the negatives and positives and anything else you can help me with to get started. Im starting small and hoping to get bigger and ad it to my buisness. I sandblast and paint now always looking for an expantion.
Thanks
Gordon[/quote}

Gordon;
I can tell you, from my personal experience, that you WILL need to understand everything before you even mix your chemicals, much less connect any wires.
Electroplating, regardless of the type of process (Copy Chrome, Zinc, Copper, etc.) is not something that you can stop in the middle of to ask a question.. You need a firm grasp of how to do each and every step before you start.. Then, when you screw up, you can ask a "to the point" question.. Believe me, you will screw-up.. It's part of the process!
We "newbies" (myself included) can be overwhelmed with the in-depth level of learning required to just "begin" to start plating.. After I bought my first Caswell Kit, I spent the better part of two years learning the "how to's", obtaning the remaining "bits & pieces" (as detailed in the Plating Manual) and setting up my plating area.. I have since plated a few things.. most were crappy then I started getting better. The "Learning Curve" is steep and plating on "practice pieces" is a MUST!
Best of luck.

[maahi]

Thanks for the wonderful replies of you all.Nice information.