(O.K. O.K..... I know this title is hard on the eyes but it seems so cool I just had to use it!!)

Whelp congratulations!!!!!!!! You have made it this far.

Your tanks are set up,your power supply is humming away, and now your trying to figure out how the heck to get your part all nice and shiny!

The next page will be setup in a step by step fashion with hints and tips as we go along. This is not the only way to accomplish electroplating. There are many ways to get to the end but this is the way that I use. (for now!)

The following procedure is for basic steel,copper, or brass. Don't use this for plating aluminum or pot metal.

***Look at the part. ****

***If the part is old and deteriorated you will have to strip the chrome, clean, and then start your plating with copper to build up the deteriorated areas.

***If the part is in good condition then you can simply strip the chrome,clean and either put a copper plate on, buff,plate with nickel, buff and then to the chrome.

1. Clean the part of all organic matter. Grease,buffing compound, and paint. This is accomplished by using a strong cleaner or paint remover heated to about 250-350 deg. If you heat the degreaser it will work much better. Use a nonflammable type because if you start heating up things like lacquer thinner and such you create a real flammable situation. Use a cheap hot plate or crock pot from the thrift store to do this. The reason to clean off the organic matter first is so the acid cleaner can get to the metal to do its work.

2. Strip the chrome off if there is any on the part. Plating will not stick to chrome. It must be taken off of the part. You can do this by soaking in the SULFURIC ACID bath or by using a very course grit on a buffing wheel. You can also sand it off but it is time consuming and leaves scratches. At this point if you used buffing compound go back to step 1 and re-clean the part so no buffing compound is on it.

3. Clean the part of all metallic contaminates. Rust,scale and corrosion will build up on parts as they age. This must be removed. Keep checking the part for its progress.

There is a split here in the procedure so hang on!

3a. If the part is made out of copper or brass then dip it in the HYDROCHLORIC ACID bath. Continually check the part and make sure the surface is a dull frosty color when done. This should not take longer then 20-30 seconds.

3b. If the part is steel or nickel then dip the part in the SULFURIC ACID bath. It may not get frosty in appearance so leave it in about a minute to make sure.

From here you need to rinse the part off and look at the surface for water beading up. If the water clings to the surface of the part without beading up then your part is clean enough to plate. If it is still beading up then reclean the part.

  Once you have figured out the square inches of surface of your part you are ready to put it in the appropriate plating bath.

Each bath will take a different amperage setting to get the plating working.

Take your square inches of surface area and multiply that times the amps per square inch figure listed with each bath.

I.E.............. Nickel bath takes .1-.3 amps per square inch.

My part is 5 square inches.

That means that my power supply will be set at .5-1.5 amps to get the correct plating on the piece. Add a little to the final answer to allow for the hook the part is hanging on.

Hook the POS. lead of your power supply to the anode.

Hook the NEG. lead of your power supply to the part. If you are using a copper bar across the top of the tank to hang your part from, hook it to that.

What you are trying to do with the plating will determine how long to leave the part in.

If you are trying to fill pits and scratches, leave the part in for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

If you are putting on plate on a smooth surface but want to buff it then put it in for at least a half hour.

If you want to put a strike plate on steel or pot metal, leave it in the bath for 10 minutes.

If you are putting on a finish nickel plate and are going to leave it just nickel then leave it in at least a half hour.

If you are putting on the final plate before chrome plating then leave it in for 15-20 min.