Chrome/Cad Plating at home..anyone got experience?

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Bazz... Satin chrome sounds about right for the application :D Took another look at my bike yesterday, and what bothers me the most are the big nuts and such that stick out; on the axles, rear iso and a few other things. As suggested, most of the small stuff isn't really that dangerous to change out with SS, but it sure would be nice to just have some way to gradulaly neaten up the bike, still get to ride it and not have to take it all apart at once and avoid paying for the new car the SS parts saleman wants to buy himself. A small setup to just do the small stuff would accomplish this. Besides...it is something I have never tried....got to try everything one has an interest in trying. Tried going to a "casting" for a TV show a few weeks back. Terrifying, but interesting. Going to try making beer soon. Should be interesting. Want to give a try at hang-gliding too....driving a tank....etc, etc.

So......got to give a go at plating...somehow. :wink:

PS...Stuart: Think there is a "paint on" material that will keep the areas you don't want plated from getting the treatment....look into it. By the way....why plate the rocker shafts?
 
Hewho`za
No No .. the point I was endeavouring to make that the end of the rocker spindle ~ opposite end to the oil feed is left exposed , and it would be "tidy' as you suggest above ~ to have it coated or treated rather than a dull shaft end . :)
 
might be daft...or something...but my rocker spindle is covered up on one end , the head, and the other end, the oval plate next to the oil feed line.....what exactly are you talking about? Not that it has much to do with plating kits.....but now I'd like to know :wink:
 
I believe Stuart SS is referring to his T150 rocker shafts (the very ends of which are exposed) ?
 
A Trident......now I know what it is. Scuze me! Had a workmate that drove one in 79 or so...but never rode it. Not many of them here, never seen another one. Thanks for the link....and we will give this forum back to the platers union..... :wink:
 
hewhoistoolazytologin said:
Had a workmate that drove one in 79 or so...but never rode it. Not many of them here, never seen another one.
Click to expand...

hewho,
Only seen ONE Trident!!!!!!!!
You have led a sheltered life!!
Pity you didn't ride it you may have liked it????
 
Bravo Hewho...

I like your attitude. Let's face it zinc plating or nickle plating aint rocket science so the worst that can happen would be to screw up a few nuts and bolts (the embrittlement thing might be worth some concern though). I would guess once you get the appropriate chemical medium for the transfer of electrons the rest should be simply a matter of trial and error. As I understand it your encouraging electrons via low voltage current to transfer zinc from an anode to the part being plated. Admittedly the amount of voltage, the temperature of the medium etc., etc. all play a role in the process but it can't be that hard.
Just as a side note, here in the US, a company by the name of Eastwood sells a relatively cheap set up for zinc plating (still sounds expensive for what you get) that could be used for smaller items. Although getting everything done at once by a plating compny for $85 would be hard to beat considering the time you would spend doing it yourself.

Scooter
 
LAB....Can't ride/drive everything :wink:
Only saw one Blower Bentley too, one 428 Shelby Cobra Mustang and one 23 RR Silver Ghost....but at least I got to drive them... :wink:

PS to scooter....heard of Eastwood...Hotrod suppliers. Will check it out....and....we most likely ALL have a bit of "lets give it a go" in us. No one in their right mind ever would put a leg over the saddle of any of these machines...if they didn't have a bit of it. Or?
 
hewho,
Only seen ONE Trident!!!!!!!!
You have led a sheltered life!!
Pity you didn't ride it you may have liked it????
Click to expand...

Yes I agree.. I figure I am a triples man at heart as much as I enjoy the twins. And I reckon the sound of a Triple (four stroke) under "stress" is the greatest sound created by man !!!

Hewhozah ~

http://www.bikerworld.co.uk/tech/T150en ... page3.html Stage 19

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRIUMPH- ... 4602964579


The rocker box and rocker shaft ~ unlike the Commando sits neatly on top of the head and is a separate entity. Very handy if you want or need to acess the rockers etc.

The shaft pressed firmly but neatly through from the primary side of engine. The right side is capped by the rocker oiler tube and acorn nuts.

The left side is simply a 'naked' shaft end that is left 'exposed' . Any cad or what ever job would 'require' that exposd end to be plated to add finish as it is as said pressed or even tapped in .
 
Good topic, and good posts all.

Like most folk here, I muck around with bikes for fun. I have a zinc plate kit I purchased locally in Australia for around $120. I have found the kit works OK, however preparation is 99% of the result.
I have read a great little book that gives the bacis theory and chemicals involved. Now Zinc is the best bet for ease, most other electroplating process need heated electrolyte, lots of complications including estimating electrical fields Etc Etc. But Zinc is a good one to learn on. To sum up if you are really keen on elecroplating as a hobby, we go right ahead you will have a ball buggering around with acids and so on. However your plating tank is a highly corrosive device, so in a small shed/workshop, you know, like the one we all work out of; don;t leave it too close to other parts. Then again, if you look for a good commercial electroplater you can get a 2 litre ice cream tub done for around $65 and this is typically most of the fasteners on a full resto.

Cheers Richard
 
Richard S
Where in Australia did you find this puppy ~ kit? I hav efound a few including Just bikes add/s .. but all very XXX
 
HeWho-
I was just working on this last week. The platers I used locally have been shut down (Thanks, EPA!) so instead of shipping all my small bits off at risk of losing some and paying through the nose i came up with this solution. Here's where I started---
http://members.tripod.com/cb750k2/Techn ... ating.html

Sound principles.
For my zinc anode I talked to the local boat shop. They provided a sacrificial zinc anode for a boat motor that was ruined (stripped threads) that I modified into manageable flat pieces with a careful application of ball-pien. Cost--$0.00
For my electrolite salts, called the chemistry professor at the local collegeand told him what I was doing. He supplied me with all I needed. Cost-$0.00
1 gallon of distilled water to mix up the electrolite-Less than $1.00
For my acid pickle, went to the hardware store and got a gallon of muriatic acid-used for cleaning swimming pools-31% hydrochloric acid solution Got to be careful, but nothing that is overly dangerous. Just don't get any on you. Cost- $6.99
Power supply. Took an old, cheap flashlight, soldered a wire to the negative ring, cut a slot in the reflector for the wire to pass and soldered another wire to the contact for the bulb (+). Added an alligator clip to each end. Cost-Couple of bucks, batteries included.
A couple of jars for the acid dip and to store the electrolite, and a wide-mouth jar for the plating process. Used pickle jars, they have coated lids to withstand the acidity of the pickles. Cost-$0.00
The process- Pull the part, clean it on a wire wheel to knock off the chunks. Hang the part on a wire and give it a dip in the acid to clean. Rinse in clean water and hang it in the plating jar. Attach the neg. lead to the part wire, have your anode in the solution hooked to the + wire, and turn on the flashlight. When you see it's grey and dull, turn off the flashlight, wash the part in clear water and buff with 0000 steel wool. It works great, and you can keep it around to re-do small parts as you are working on the bike. Dosen't take a lot of room to store, and unlike chrome plating, you arent dealing with cyanide compounds or other stuff that would qualify as lethally hazardous. Costs are minimal, and if a part gets lost it's your own fault! I did about 50% of the nuts, bolts, clips and screws this weekeend (Man, that rear brake plate looks great with newly-plated parts!)and now I'm looking at those ratty-looking spokes. It's a PIA to disassemble and re-lace/true the wheels, but it sure makes a difference, and the idea of "must-see TV" is foreign to me anyway. I'd rather be out tidying up the Norton (or Triumph, or BSA, etc...) than vegging on the couch any day! Wouldn't Mr. Wizard be proud??!

Hope this helps-
Mike
Kansas, America
73 850 Roadster with some shiny bits!
Ingenuity and persistance can usually match a fat wallet
 
kanlimey

Yes I agree totally.. it is all a P.O.P. really.. with no thanks to the company that supplied the original kit.

The bottom line is 1.5 v dc ~ I use rechargeable torch batteries ~and I sand blast each part.. but only immediately prior to plating as I live in tropical environment, corrosion sets in very quickly.


I find it is dependant on size and number of the parts.. but 1-2 hours is perfect ~

I am also eyeballing the spokes on my current project ~ (T150V) ~

Certainly would like to know how effective it is on exhaust rose / flanges.. ??
I found buffing a right pain in the butt though ~

Your "snake oil" analysis is a handy asset as I bought the snake oil from the original supplier.

The results as you suggest , are excellent and well beyond my best expectations.

For those keen pundits I have posted an extensive and ongoing string on www.classicbike.net/ , including a article feature I came across.

http://www.classicbike.net/phpbb/viewto ... 4438#39329
 
Snake oil

Stuart i've read the diy plateing article that you wrote.It sounds like you are getting good results, Which electrolite are you using?
there seems to be references to three- zinc chloride and ammonium chloride and copper sulphate or is it a mixture of these?
 
Mate..
The one I was supplied with by Caswell is marked as copper sulphate ~

Smell like soldering solution which was in fact mentioned I the article i found.

A word of warning~ don't leave in too long as I left several cylinder / barrel base nuts in for about 4-5 hours ~ and they ended up looking like porcupines ~

But having said that ~ if you do this ~ it can be reversed but switching the positive and negative leads, which effectively reverses the 'roles' of the part ~ cathode and anode ~ and the over coated part become source of the zinc ~ so all is not lost as it were ~

I have not been able to find a 240 V (Aust standard) to 1.5 V dc transformer which is the optimum voltage, and ideally around 1000 Ma, thus the use of 1300 Ma 1.5 batteries in parallel.

Thus is dependant of course on the size of the part you wish to plate ~ plus the time element ~ it is all about trial and error really ~
 
Hi Folks-
I've never heard mention of copper sulphate. All I know about is the zinc and amonium chlorides. Is the copper a base for the zinc? I do use copper sulphate for my rental houses in town--it's a root killer to keep the sewer lines clean!
The plating went very quickly for me. Using a smallish jar (maybe 1/2 liter size) it took only minutes to achieve a nice even grey coating. On the larger exhaust hanger brackets I switched to a small bucket and it did take longer, maybe 10-15 minutes, turning the bracket for even coverage. I found that any longer in the bath would leave a dark grey excess that would wash off in the water rinse. Of course this was on very small batches, plating as I removed bits from the bike. Tried a window screen basket for screws and such, but the acid ate it up after a couple of runs. A perforated steel cylinder of some sort would be the ticket there, but haven't sourced one yet.
I did have a thought about the final polishing of small bits. Years ago I was active in reloading ammunition, and a part of this was a case tumbler. Fill a small drum with crushed walnut hulls and put brass cartridge cases in and set to turning. They came out dazzling. Might be an option for the tedious small parts instead of steel wool(?) It's a gentle process and I don't think it would hurt the plating.
Today will be the test for corrosion resistance on the parts I plated. Rode to town today in a pea-soup fog. Got 'em nice and wet on the way in, and will leave untouched to test the theory. At worst a bit of wax would do the trick, I would think, if the zinc isn't up to the task.
Practice makes perfect.

Mike
Kansas, America
73 850 Roadster
 
I found that if the plating did not take properly, the item ~ if steel or corrosive potential will rust over night because essentially the acid base will simply corrode in a very short time.

kanlime
It is intriguing that you can get an effective coating in 15 mins..
What exactly is your voltage via the torch.. 1.5V , 3V or 6V.

Using any more than 1.5 volts has proven a miserable failure with copper sulphate ~

I have heaps of transfomers that range form 3 v to 12v ~ Only 1.5 V works effectively.

I find I have to leave for a minimum of an hour and more.. agreed too long will result in a dark grey rather than the light grey which seems more effective.

Additionally I have found that the finish is very hard'y and will take fair amount of punishment ~

The clean seems to work in three stages after initial washing ~
I usually start with a grey scourer then to a clothe buffer along with a little brasso or metal polish will polish to fair degree, but to get that desireable finish.. buff off with a clean clothe..
 
Hi Stuart-
Honestly, I don't know what voltage I'm using. I looked at the makeup of the Eastwood kit and saw that their battery holder used 2 D cell batteries and went that route, just in my own way (the modified flashlight). I tried a small model railroad transformer first. It was a miserable failure. Went with the D cell setup and it worked like magic!
I'm just running a single dip of zinc, after wire brushing and an acid wash/water rinse. Maybe the use of distilled water for the electrolite mixture or the fact that I'm only doing a few bolts, nuts, etc. at a time contributes to the coating speed? My cathode (part) is also within an inch or so of the anode as well? When the zinc coating starts to go dark grey and pile up I pull the part from the bath. This takes just minutes, maybe 4-5 for a few small bits, to a high of 10 minutes with a few turns for the large exhaust hanger bracket. this was in a larger container, as it wouldn't fit in the jar I was using for the small parts.
I still don't get the copper sulphate. Is it an addition to the zinc/ammonium bath, or an additional process to add a copper layer before the zinc bath?
Thanks for the replies, this is like using the old chemistry set when I was a kid, but with very practical results!
Best,
Mike
Kansas, America
Mr. Wizard Wannabe :D
 
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