DIY Plating

[pwdrive]

Any one had any practical experience with DIY plating, nickle, zinc etc.

Lawrence

[Michaelr]

Hi Lawrence,

Had a go with a plating kit from the web, to redo an eddystone chassis.I tried everything in terms of cleaniing the chassis down properly, adjusting the current during plating etc followed the instructions literally ........ total disaster.I wasted about £60 and weeks of messing about , I put this one down to leaving it to the experts.

Small items maybe within the means of amateurs but , chassis etc are too big. The unfortunate thing is that they are too small for the professionals unless you can get a favour with a local company.

Miike

[Bushbaby]

Hi All,
I would think that DIY plating is highly likely to lead to unsuccesful results compared to that of professional electroplating. As the professional processes utilise a number of highly toxic materials such as a cyanide bath, highly irritant metallic solutions etc its best left to the professionals.

Regards

Rob

[pwdrive]

Mmm, wasted £60 eh.....totaly against a Yorkshiremans constitution.... I thought this might be the case Mike, it's mainly for small stuff, knob skirts, small dials, pointers, screws etc. Maybe I will eventually get a bag together of everything I would like doing and take it to someone who does it for a living, I could see that it would be easy to mess it up DIY, it will be a while yet, I will await to see if anyone else has any thoughts. the DIY videos make it look simple, but then they always do.

Lawrence.

[tiv48]

i have had a go at brass plating using a brush plating kit ,i replated the brightware on a vidor lady margret it worked well the only thing i will say is that the plug top psu was not up to the job but using the bench psu sorted that ,also when plating was finished it took quite a bit of polishing i will try and rind some of the photos that i took ps the kit i bought cost £24 including the psu
rob t

[Skywave]

Yes, I have frequently pondered the same Q. as this Thread poses - and, based on research, have always come to the same conclusion as Rob in Post #3.

Al.
 

[tiv48]

photo of the results of brush plating
i had to rough up the plated one to stop it looking brand new

[Joe]

e-Bay item 140647157244 may be relevant.

-Joe

[pwdrive]

Thanks Joe, I could even drive there and back in a day, have downloaded the details and will make an enquiry when I know exactly what stuff needs to be done.

lawrence.

[Yorkie]

e-Bay item 140647157244 may be relevant.

-Joe

Looks a very useful firm Joe, albeit tucked away is cider country!

For many years I subscribed to a little vintage motorbike publication that looks like a tabloid newspaper, only available by subscription, known as 'Old Bike Mart'. The price of the subs only covered the postage and little more - they made their money from adverts. Every type of small firm advertised in the pages - you could get anything done - plating, alloy polishing, welding, crakshaft regrinds, paint lining, powder coating, tank repairs, wiring looms made, wheels re-built, and every type of nut, bolt, washer and spring imaginable. All little back-street frims that we think no longer exist, and all keeping very busy at their particular craft. Not surprisingly, many were in the West Mids around B'ham.

I've seen DIY plating done by the 'wire brush' method with passable results, but as always, preparation is vital or the slightest surface defects show up.