Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Science fair project to plate screws

Hello,

I'm in grade 9 and looking to do a science fair project on electroplating. I was thinking along the lines of plating some standard screws, but I'm unsure of the necessary materials. My project is on practical applications of plating, so I'll need to coat them with a metal that doesn't rust, or easily corrode. I also need to know what kind of solution would be needed, where the chemicals are available, as well as proper disposal processes. I f you could reply before Friday the 24'th, that would be excellent. Thank You.

Max L.
student - Vancouver , BC, Canada
2004

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As I mentioned to another student this week, if your science project were about manufacturing of automobiles, you would not be expected to actually build a car that goes 230 mph and carries 8 passengers in comfort. Similarly, while your plating project should demonstrate principles, don't expect to produce coatings that perform equivalently to those produced by career technologists in multi-million dollar factories. Most screws are zinc plated and you can zinc plate your screws per our FAQs to demonstrate the general principle of zinc electroplating, but I don't feel you will be able to actually do truly practical electroplating any more than you can do truly practical automobile manufacturing. It requires toxic chemicals, proprietary addition agents, months of hands-on training, and expensive equipment. In fact, the plating will be so thin that you may not even see it on steel screws, so I suggest you demonstrate it on copper ones instead.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

Thank you for your response to my earlier question. If I decide to plate copper objects, what kind of materials will be necessary then? Also, If I do plate these objects, could I use a fish tank as a container? There is one at my school so I could borrow it if needed. I would really like to at least attempt a real plating demonstration for this project.

Max L.
- Vancouver BC, Canada
2004

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Fish tanks are often made of flat sheets of glass joined together with silicone. Silicone can introduce plating problems, so it's not really ideal. A glass goldfish bowl would be better. The previously mentioned FAQ tells you what materials you need.

There is no question that you can electroplate zinc with these safe household chemicals, and you will clearly be able to see it on copper, so your demo will be very real; sorry if I confused you about that. It's just that the quality of the coating and the thickness of the coating will be far below standard industrial quality.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

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Thank You for your responses, the plating was a complete success ( the metal on the top of the pipe was bubbly, due to the bubbling that occurred while the pipe was in the solution, but I do not think this is a problem). Anyway, For the final stage of my experiment, I need to prove that this zinc coated pipe can withstand tarnishing that the regular pipe is still susceptible to. So I was wondering if you knew a quick way to noticably tarnish (or any dramatic form of deterioration) a copper pipe. If you do know, it would be of a great help to complete my experiment.

Thanks,

Max L.
- Vancouver, BC, Canada
2004