Letter 14005

Electroplating Nonmetal Objects/ Commercially Producing Metals from Electrolytic Cells  

After experiments with electrochemistry in my Chemistry II class, I was wondering how nonmetal objects, such as baby shoes or leaves, are electroplated. Also, electrolytic cells are used in the manufacture of sodium, magnesium, and aluminum metals. How are these metals produced commercially.

Thanks!

Angie
- USA

The answer to your first question is a FAQ at finishing.com/faqs/organic.html, Angie. Your other three questions warrant a trip to the library, where the librarian can help you understand how to find trustable information about the subject in metals books. Good luck

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

In order to electroplate nonmetal substrates we´ve been following successfully the next procedure I hope it´s useful.

1) suposing the substrate is a non metal and non plastic material such as wood, leather, etc. plastify the substrate with a monophasic polyurethane enamell, this is verry important in order to avoid bath absortion and further contamination of other baths.
2) apply a cooper base enamel made out of cooper poder 100 mesh or less (verry fine cooper, such as 300 mesh or higher, poder is an excelent electricity isolator). Let dry for 24 hours.
3) inmerse the part prepared into an electroless silver strike bath made out of 70g/lt of potasium cyanide and 3g/lt of sylver cyanide. for .5 to 1 minute (untill the piece turns white)
4) rinse troughly.
5) electrolitic cooper acid bath for 4 to 10 hours at 0.5 to 1 V and 0.1 to 0.5 amp / dm2
6) rinse
7) watts nikel bath at 4 A/dm2 for fifteen minuetes.

that should be enoug to get a bright well finish ready to recieve the rest of metal plating materials as if you were plating a nikel part.
hope it´s finally usefull for all electroplaters.

JORGE AZNAR JEAN
- Mexico City

Ed. note: Thanks, Jorge.

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