"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Mar 2009 13:26:53 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Don Foreman" wrote in message
. ..
On Fri, 6 Mar 2009 23:36:15 -0500, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

Thanks again, Ed. Would you know whether nickel is significantly less
dangerous, easier or cheaper to apply to small parts on a hobby-level
scale?

I kinda suspect that both would involve about the same aspects and
safety
issues.

The only source of nickel I know of presently, would be rods for
electric
welding cast iron, but I'm sure there would be sources of the right
alloy
to
use for plating.

I think it's DoN that regularly applies electroplating to some of his
small
machined parts, so maybe there will be other comments regarding home
shop
plating.

Don, not DoN. I plate with zinc, tin, copper and nickle using
materials from Caswell. There are two nickle processes, electrolytic
and electroless. Once you get your parts absolutely clean, electroless
nickle plating is about as hard as boiling an egg.

Plating onto zinc, "white metal" or aluminum requires special steps.
It can be done but I don't do it. Caswell does offer materials to do
this, as in plating die-cast white-metal auto trim parts with chrome
or nickel.

Caswell also offers chrome, but I don't mess with that either. Chromic
acid is nasty stuff that produces toxic fumes, while the chemicals I
use are quite benign.

www.caswellplating.com

How difficult is the zinc plating, Don?

It's very easy and un-fussy. I think it's almost easier than painting
for small objects and projects. The work must be clean and if you
want bright zinc then you need to add a few ml of brightener if the
bath hasn't been used for a while. My zinc juice is in a covered
5-gallon bucket and it has been in use for several years. Figure
about 30 mA per square inch of workpiece. Zinc throws quite well so
orientation in the bucket isn't at all critical.

I often chromate the zinc because it's easy (just a dip) and it
significantly enhances resistance to mild acids like fingerprints and
acid rain.

Well, that sounds like it's worth looking into. Somebody once gave me the
impression that it was tricky and much more difficult than nickel.

--
Ed Huntress