How to get smooth heavy copper plating

A. You might want to try plating very slowly. Turn your current way down, use just enough amps to know your plating. Turn your barrel speed down, a slow tumble. Use a cyanide copper to plate. It's a starting place.

As stories go, there was a plater who beat out all the other platers for a job of heavy silver plating pins. Very tight tolerance. He was the only one who could meet the requirement. After a few martini's at a plating society meeting, he let out his secret. Not wanting to tie up his barrel during the day, he put the work in at the end of the day, turned down the current and slowly plated all night. The next morning the work was done.

I'm not suggesting that you run an operation unattended all night, just try plating slower.

Good luck.