Caswell Plating

[grannyknot]

Nice set up, what power supply are you using?

[Patcon]

@Nat0z

Sorry, I didn't see your post back in April. Some how it never showed up in my feed. I have also gotten better results with more current and when I use my barrel plater setup, I can run out of current if I'm not careful. I have a larger power supply but haven't tried it yet. That being said, I think your plating times are too short and your current too high. When my plating results are really good, the parts come out of the zinc looking like chrome. Really shiny, silver plate and generally takes 5-8 minutes for a batch of bolts. I looked for a picture of an example but couldn't find one. What makes the difference between shiny and a flatter grey color is the particle size. You want zinc transfer at a rate that doesn't push too hard. When you add a lot of current you add a lot of "pressure" to the particle transfer. My understanding is that causes larger particles to be transferred, which means the surface isn't as smooth. So less reflective. Also watch out for unevenness in the zinc color and areas that blacken. That is also an indication that current is too high and burning your zinc. Do you have any more results? Did you get your chromates?

[Patcon]

@sfm6s524

That's a really nice looking setup! Love the top to keep the tanks clean!

Post up some pictures of what your getting. Maybe we can remotely trouble shoot. Be careful with brightener. I have added too much at times and I believe it resulted in blistering. You have to filter the tank if that happens to reduce the organics.

[KenFirch]

3 hours ago, grannyknot said:

Nice set up, what power supply are you using?

It's a 5A from Amazon, hopefully lasts awhile.

Curious what heaters you all are using for your zinc tanks?  I'm thinking of getting this temperature controller along with a coil heater, but don't want to increase the amount of metal in the tank by too much.

[grannyknot]

6 hours ago, sfm6s524 said:

It's a 5A from Amazon, hopefully lasts awhile.

Curious what heaters you all are using for your zinc tanks?  I'm thinking of getting this temperature controller along with a coil heater, but don't want to increase the amount of metal in the tank by too much.

I used an aquarium heater but have a look at @Patcon plating thread, he produced outstanding results with his setup.

[KenFirch]

I used an aquarium heater but have a look at [mention=22019]Patcon[/mention] plating thread, he produced outstanding results with his setup.

Yeah, saw Patcon’s bench, barrel, and dangler [emoji15], but no heater info.

[Patcon]

1 hour ago, sfm6s524 said:

Yeah, saw Patcon’s bench, barrel, and dangler , but no heater info.

Those fasteners look really good!

I had 2 used Caswell heaters for a while. They eventually died. I am using a large glass aquarium heter currently but it doesn't get quite warm enough. I have considered using a digital temp controller and an element

[Patcon]

I like to use smaller wires for stringing. The larger ones can cause shadowing problems. I will strip some multi strand cable and use one or a few fine strands to string fasteners. Depending on fastener size

[KenFirch]

While replacing the throttle rod boot, I plated the bell crank and rod.  Not perfect, but almost there, and still learning.

This is the main reason I wanted to get a CopyCad system, so I can take a little extra time to make it look good as I'm working on a small area, without sending it off, and waiting, etc.   In this case I can get it all done in an hour or two instead of a week or two.  👍  Well, I should have let it dry at least overnight, and maybe bake it for awhile.

 

[Patcon]

Those kinds of parts are difficult to plate. Inside corners tend to be the real issue.  It looks good. I use a heat gun to dry parts and set the color. It also helps to prevent drip stains

[siteunseen]

On 2/22/2021 at 7:54 PM, Patcon said:

I like to use smaller wires for stringing. The larger ones can cause shadowing problems. I will strip some multi strand cable and use one or a few fine strands to string fasteners. Depending on fastener size

Cat 5 data wire is what I use for stringing stuff. No where near what you guys are doing but it's cheap and works for me.

5 pairs=10 copper wires. 500ft for $50.

 

[madkaw]

I just sent some out!

My first plater sucked so I found another one . These folks look like they did better . Can’t wait to see the stuff in person . Quick turn around too!