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How to make Silver Tinned Solid Copper Wire at home

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Hi,

I am purchasing some 200' of 10 GA solid copper wire with silver plate for electrical application. I am paying a premium for the silver plate (about 1.85 / ft for 110 copper). I generally use small quantities at a time - 75 to 100 ft.

Is there a way that I can use a silver solder and "silver plate" the wire myself? I imagine a process similar to tinning copper wire.

I looked at a typical plumbing silver solder but I see that it has copper in it. Could this create copper oxide? I need the plate to prevent oxidation of surface copper. Silver is what has been recommended to me for use. Local plating shops have balked at plating such a small amount of material and few are set up to handle wire.

Thanks ahead for all replies!

Regards,

Bob Leyendecker
engineer - Austin, Texas

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Dear Bob!

You can use simple immersion silvering solution (very thin silver layer,but very simple and cheap process).If oxidation is only problem maybe nickel plate is better solution.

Goran Budija
- Zagreb , Croatia

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Sir

I want to establish a company for silver plating on copper wire. So I want to know how plate silver on copper wire echonomically.

Umesh Kumar
- Chandpur, Uttara Pradesh, India