Post by thread:[EE]: Recipes for electroplating?

Russell McMahon wrote: > > I've had a quick look on the web but only seemed to find either commercial > > outfits offering proprietary chemical preparations, or unhelpful "old > > fogies" saying that the chemicals were far too dangerous to be entrusted > to amateurs. I don't know about "too dangerous", i used to do a lot for fun as a kid. I think most of my family members had copper plated keys and doodads! :o) Copper plating is very easy, just get some copper sulphate crystals from the pharmacist, and a plastic constainer. Using a variable power supply you can plate copper from one electrode to the other. Cleaning the metal well is critical, some people use acid but there are some kitchen cleaners that work well. I've had a lot of stuff chromed for motorcycles, they always plate copper, then nickel, then chrome. (triple plate). Don't be scared by people trying to put you off. It's not rocket science. ;o) -Roman -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

>Russell McMahon wrote: > >> > I've had a quick look on the web but only seemed to find either commercial >> > outfits offering proprietary chemical preparations, or unhelpful "old >> > fogies" saying that the chemicals were far too dangerous to be entrusted {Quote hidden}>> to amateurs. > > >I don't know about "too dangerous", i used to do a >lot for fun as a kid. I think most of my family >members had copper plated keys and doodads! :o) > >Copper plating is very easy, just get some copper >sulphate crystals from the pharmacist, and a plastic >constainer. Using a variable power supply you can >plate copper from one electrode to the other. > >Cleaning the metal well is critical, some people >use acid but there are some kitchen cleaners >that work well. > >I've had a lot of stuff chromed for motorcycles, >they always plate copper, then nickel, then chrome. >(triple plate). Don't be scared by people trying >to put you off. It's not rocket science. ;o) >-Roman Roman, I sincere hope you didn't done the crome plating home. The Crome salts are very dangerous for human health as they are cancerogene! The wasted chemicals after the plating are subject to special treatment. Again my advice is NEVER DO THIS IN HOME! Tsvetan --- PCB prototypes for $26 at http://run.to/pcb -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

> I don't know about "too dangerous", i used to do a > lot for fun as a kid. I think most of my family > members had copper plated keys and doodads! :o) > > Copper plating is very easy, just get some copper > sulphate crystals from the pharmacist, and a plastic > constainer. Using a variable power supply you can > plate copper from one electrode to the other. In electronic terms you could consider this the battery- and-light-bulb end of things. Getting professional results requires some complex solutions, involving metallurgy, electro-chemistry and a witches brew of acids, cyanides, hydroxides, sulphates and so on. Just as an electronic circuit builds up, so chemicals are added - one to stop this happening, another to stop that happening, another to make it all happen faster. A real mix of art and science analogous to designing a circuit which, in a way, an EP bath is. Perhaps the only big difference is that in an electronic circuit you're directing electrons, in EP you're directing atoms -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

Tsvetan Usunov wrote: > I sincere hope you didn't done the crome plating home. > The Crome salts are very dangerous for human health as they are > cancerogene! > The wasted chemicals after the plating are subject to special treatment. > Again my advice is NEVER DO THIS IN HOME! No, only the copper plating was done at home. And I believe I saw it on a kid's science show of things you could do at home, that's when I started doing it. :o) -Roman -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

I remember back inthe early 70's we had an electroplating kit. There were screw-in containers with the solutions for plating silver, copper, nickel (I think) and gold. The whole thing worked on a couple of D cells. Slow as heck, but it did work, I was the only Boy Scout in my troop with a gold-plated blade on my official Scout pocket knife. I'm sure the electrolyte solutions were poisonous, but I know for fact they weren't deadly skin-eating perils to life and limb. This was sold commercially as a craft-type kit, much like the woodburning kits. Dale On Sun, 22 Apr 2001, Roman Black wrote: {Quote hidden}> Russell McMahon wrote: > > > > I've had a quick look on the web but only seemed to find either commercial > > > outfits offering proprietary chemical preparations, or unhelpful "old > > > fogies" saying that the chemicals were far too dangerous to be entrusted > > to amateurs. > > > I don't know about "too dangerous", i used to do a > lot for fun as a kid. I think most of my family > members had copper plated keys and doodads! :o) > > Copper plating is very easy, just get some copper > sulphate crystals from the pharmacist, and a plastic > constainer. Using a variable power supply you can > plate copper from one electrode to the other. > > Cleaning the metal well is critical, some people > use acid but there are some kitchen cleaners > that work well. > > I've had a lot of stuff chromed for motorcycles, > they always plate copper, then nickel, then chrome. > (triple plate). Don't be scared by people trying > to put you off. It's not rocket science. ;o) > -Roman > > -- > http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: > [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads > > --- The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..." -- Isaac Asimov -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

>I remember back inthe early 70's we had an electroplating kit. There were >screw-in containers with the solutions for plating silver, copper, nickel >(I think) and gold. The whole thing worked on a couple of D cells. Slow >as heck, but it did work, I was the only Boy Scout in my troop with a >gold-plated blade on my official Scout pocket knife. >I'm sure the electrolyte solutions were poisonous, but I know for fact >they weren't deadly skin-eating perils to life and limb. This was sold >commercially as a craft-type kit, much like the woodburning kits. Any college science book explains how to do it! Solution: Chrome nitrate Cathode - something cromed (!) Anode - your thing to be chromed Voltage/tension: I used a 12VCC PSU with amperage control Here you have your home-chrome-plater! :oD -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

>Copper plating is very easy, just get some copper >sulphate crystals from the pharmacist, and a plastic >constainer. Using a variable power supply you can >plate copper from one electrode to the other. I was directing this reply directly to Roman, but I think it's of some interest to the list... Ok. If I use copper suplhate, I can apply a nice coat of copper in my keys...But think, if I drill my PC Board completely, and use both sides as anode/cathode of the "circuit", maybe there will be a growing of copper inside the holes of my PC Board??? Will I get the so dreamed metalization of the drillings of my PC board??????????????????????? :oDDD Hmmm, I think I gotta get copper sulphate tomorrow... :oD -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

> I was directing this reply directly to Roman, but I think it's of some interest to the list... > > Ok. If I use copper suplhate, I can apply a nice coat of copper in my keys...But think, if I drill my PC Board completely, and use both sides as >anode/cathode of the "circuit", maybe there will be a growing of copper inside the holes of my PC Board??? Will I get the so dreamed metalization of the drillings >of my PC board??????????????????????? :oDDD > > Hmmm, I think I gotta get copper sulphate tomorrow... :oD Don't waste your time, the copper will plate only the conductive surfaces. The pcb holes are not conductive. Tsvetan --- PCB prototypes for $26 at http://run.to/pcb -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

> and-light-bulb end of things. Getting professional results > requires some complex solutions, involving metallurgy, > electro-chemistry and a witches brew of acids, cyanides, > hydroxides, sulphates and so on. Just as an electronic Correct, and one way to get them is to buy a set of chemicals ready made (powder + liquids + instructions), at least until some experience is gained. Re-inventing the wheel is for real chemists (the kind who enjoy cleaning the black goo that shouldn't be there and doesn't come off with anything when finished). ;-) Peter -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics