restoring old bolts

brewsky · Post by **brewsky** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 6:51 pm

Wilf, Thanks for the formula......I'm also going to give it a try.
What do you use for 3V power source?

davomoto · Post by **davomoto** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:03 pm

Wilf, you may have me trying it as well! What are you using as a power source, and what is the amperage?

Wilf · Post by **Wilf** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:20 pm

Brewsky and Davomoto--

The power supply I use is a 3 volt wall charger rated at 300 milliamps.

For small stuff like a bolt or two, or a coil mount the current is between 100 and 200 milliamps depending on the surface area of the zinc and the part to be plated. I monitor this with an ammeter while plating just to make sure I'm not exceeding the rated output of the charger. The ammeter also tells me if I have an electrical short in the setup and whether my wire hanger to the part is making good contact.

Wilf

brewsky · Post by **brewsky** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 4:02 am

Thanks again, Wilf!......Can the electrolyte be re-used later, or do you need to start with a fresh batch each time?

Wilf · Post by **Wilf** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 9:03 am

The electrolyte can be used for months because it's just a medium for the transfer of the zinc ions. After a time, the zinc anodes develop a coating that can be scrubbed off for more efficient plating, and the zincs do get used up.

Wilf

brewsky · Post by **brewsky** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:07 am

Great, thanks again.

Looking around to find some parts to try out now.

I'm getting ready to clean some carbs in Pine Sol to see how that works, maybe I'll try coating them when I'm finished............................

Just kidding!

Wilf · Post by **Wilf** » Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:26 am

Great! Let us know how you make out.

Wilf