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Thread: DIY zinc plating?

  1. #1
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    DIY zinc plating?

    Has anyone tried zinc plating at home?

    I've been reading a little about it:
    http://members.tripod.com/cb750K2/Te...l/plating.html
    http://www.medial.com/suzuki/zinc-plated/
    http://www.nulltime.com/zincplating/

    It looks like I can get the Spirits of Salts from Mitre10, the zinc chloride and ammonium chloride from http://www.ajaxfinechem.co.nz/, then I'd just need to find a lump of zinc to use.

    I'm thinking it might be a good way to restore and protect nuts and bolts and other bits and pieces that are prone to rust.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by erik View Post
    Has anyone tried zinc plating at home?

    I've been reading a little about it:
    http://members.tripod.com/cb750K2/Te...l/plating.html
    http://www.medial.com/suzuki/zinc-plated/
    http://www.nulltime.com/zincplating/

    It looks like I can get the Spirits of Salts from Mitre10, the zinc chloride and ammonium chloride from http://www.ajaxfinechem.co.nz/, then I'd just need to find a lump of zinc to use.

    I'm thinking it might be a good way to restore and protect nuts and bolts and other bits and pieces that are prone to rust.
    you can get a galvised coating in a spray can, i think its called "Zinc it" by crc.

  3. #3
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    There used to be a DIY kit available, supposedly popular with the vintage car restoration boys. We tried one a few years ago but to be perfectly honest found it more hassle to get right than it was worth. More economical to send our items out for plating.
    For the occaisional bits we need immediately we use the spray on stuff.
    "Twilight's like soccer. They run around for two hours, nobody scores, and a billion fans insist you just don't understand"

  4. #4
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    I made a DIY nickel plating set up, worked quit well.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by rudolph View Post
    I made a DIY nickel plating set up, worked quit well.
    Reading material for this ?

    Consider power coating also.


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  6. #6
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    is the spray on zinc coating NOT that grey primer-like paint stuff in the white/blue cans? If it is that stuff- its hardly a substitute for propper coating.

    I suggest going to a fasteners retailer and just replacing all your rusty bolts with sparkly new ones :-D or dropping the bits off at a specialist.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by erik View Post
    Has anyone tried zinc plating at home?

    I've been reading a little about it:
    http://members.tripod.com/cb750K2/Te...l/plating.html
    http://www.medial.com/suzuki/zinc-plated/
    http://www.nulltime.com/zincplating/

    It looks like I can get the Spirits of Salts from Mitre10, the zinc chloride and ammonium chloride from http://www.ajaxfinechem.co.nz/, then I'd just need to find a lump of zinc to use.

    I'm thinking it might be a good way to restore and protect nuts and bolts and other bits and pieces that are prone to rust.
    Home plating is realitively simple and fun.

    Perperation of the pieces is about 99% of the job, the better the prep the better the end result.

    But be warned your playing with dangerous chemicals and heavy metals.

    Read up on the safety precautions and follow them otherwise it could all end in tears.
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    After a while you realise the pig is enjoying it.

  8. #8
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    You need to find a Variable Resistor the big long one with all the windings, an AMP meter a couple of car car batteries, an element for heating the acid solution 3 20ltr buckets and what ever you will be using for your anode

  9. #9
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    You might be able to find zinc in block or bar form at a marine shop. It is used on the hulls of boats as a sacrifical anode, to reduce corrosion on steel parts under water
    http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/23.htm
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  10. #10
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    I would suggest you find someone who knows what they are doing if you intend to go the do it yourself plating way, it is potentially lethal otherwise


  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Squiggles View Post
    I would suggest you find someone who knows what they are doing if you intend to go the do it yourself plating way, it is potentially lethal otherwise
    as lethal as smoking P and riding a motorcycle?

  12. #12
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    thanks for the comments, I'll report back when/if I give it a go.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by erik View Post
    thanks for the comments, I'll report back when/if I give it a go.
    give it a go erik, its always good/fun to learn / understand a new skill. When you learn how to do it, you could try choming up the sv or gsf
    Then I could get a Kb Tshirt, move to Timaru and become a full time crossdressing faggot

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by pete376403 View Post
    You might be able to find zinc in block or bar form at a marine shop. It is used on the hulls of boats as a sacrifical anode, to reduce corrosion on steel parts under water
    http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/23.htm
    Most marinas will probably have a few junk anodes kicking around - sneak in and ask someone who has just hauled out what they are doing with their old ones.. plating would be far better than spray can stuff which will fall off when you try and tighten the nuts/screws up for the first time....

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