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Decorative Plating Problem

 

Gentlemen,

I have been in the decorative plating business for quite a few years, bumpers and jobbing. I do have considerable knowledge and experience polishing and plating. I was just recently hired to do bumpers at a shop that has been doing jobing. The tanks are more than adequate to handle bumpers. But the problem that I have here is that they are using a brass strike before going into the acid copper. I know that brass is a cyanide based solution. I have been so used to a cyanide copper strike. The problem we are having is blistering. The bumpers look great before buffing, but when I start buffing the blisters start jumping out at you. One or two blisters creates a bumper that has to be reworked again.

Question, is this because of the brass strike.

Thanks,

Donald V. Dacy
- Stockton, California, USA

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I've never heard of using a brass strike before acid copper plating and, personally, I'd suspect it as being the culprit until someone authoritatively tells you otherwise.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
(Ted can offer longterm or instant help)
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
 

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Just a thought - you are loading 'live'. (i.e., put the power to the approx. voltage and put a fly lead (we use car jump leads) to the job before it hits the solution).

Martin Trigg-Hogarth
surface treatment shop - Stroud, Glos, England
 

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