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Q&As since 1989


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Simple Electroplating

Hey,
I'm a 15 year old student in high school and I saw some of the upper-classmen electroplate some pennies. I thought it was pretty cool so I got on the internet and found a lot of stuff about copper cyanide, nitrates, etc. that I simply cannot get and frankly, I do not want to risk my health. I've tried several plating experiments already with vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon], salt, salt water, vinegar and salt, etc. and I just simply cannot get the plating to work! If their is just a simple way to use household chemicals/materials (i.e., vinegar, salt, wire, etc.) to electroplate some coins, I'd love for some one to tell me that way and for some help and explanations for the experiments!
Thanks!

Matt R.
An aspiring chemist - Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.A.
2006

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Hi, Matt. I agree that you don't want to use cyanide or toxic chemicals. But we've given you the procedures in "Electroplating -- How it Works". We've done them ourselves repeatedly to prove them, they work (within the limits of non-toxic vinegar chemistry), and we photographed the result. The question we need answered to get you started here is whether the procedures we described at "Electroplating -- How it Works" are the ones that didn't work for you, or whether you're referring to some other instructions you found elsewhere on this site or on a different site? Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006