Summary for zincate dip for aluminum Discussion
The thread centers on a zincate dip for plating on aluminum and what "Russian Salt" means in Baris Sen’s earlier suggestion. Ted Mooney re-read the post and concluded it was almost certainly an auto-correct error for Rochelle salt, meaning sodium potassium tartrate tetrahydrate. Baris Sen then clarified the bigger point: Bondal is a proprietary product, not a generic formula, so you cannot really make Bondal yourself the way you might make an automobile from parts. He said zincate, by contrast, can be formulated if necessary and is basically zinc dissolved in sodium hydroxide, with or without cyanide, though buying it from a supplier is preferable as James Watts advises. Baris also noted that direct plating on aluminum without zincate is possible only in limited, specialized cases and is not the right answer for this question.
Q. What is “Russian Salt“ as suggested by Baris Sen below to make Zincate solution?
Arvinda Kumar
Finishing engineer – Noida [India]
January 11, 2022
A. Hi Arvinda.
You got me curious so I re-read Baris Sen’s posting and came to the conclusion that this was an auto-correct error and he surely meant “Rochelle Salt” (sodium potassium tartrate tetrahydrate)
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Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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January 2022
⇩ Similar, related, Q&As — oldest first ⇩
Q. Hi, I need formulation for Bondal dip solution for electroplating pre-treatment of aluminium.
Aftab Jahangir
chemist – Karachi, Pakistan
May 28, 2008
May 28, 2008
Hi, Aftab. I think there is a misunderstanding here. Bondal is a trade name for a proprietary mixed-metal zincating process. No one can give you the formulation because it is a trade secret. If you want Bondal you must buy it from Macdermid. That does not, of course, prevent you from using straight zincate compounds or from attempting to develop your own mixed metal process as long as it doesn’t violate international patents. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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 | A. There is no good visual check for a zincate step, so I would definitely go with a proprietary double dip zincate. Home brew may be cheaper, but what do you do when it fails? You do not have any tech service help. Also, there are minor additives in it that you will not have in a home brew. James Watts Q. Ok thanks. Is there any possibility to
June 1, 2008 |
A. Aftab, an interesting question — can you directly plate aluminium. Conventional electroplating says NO and this is correct, because aluminium has a very tenacious oxide layer that forms incredibly quickly and prevents good adhesion. BUT I have successfully deposited nickel directly onto aluminium using no pretreatments whatsoever, by using “jet plating”. However, this is a laboratory “trick” and I don’t think it would be commercially viable.
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
June 3, 2008
| June 4, 2008 A. Sorry, Aftab, I think you misunderstood me. I was trying to say that Bondal is a proprietary product, it is not a generic name. Just as you cannot build a Mercedes Benz yourself, but you can build an automobile yourself, you cannot formulate Bondal yourself, but you can formulate zincate yourself if you must. Zincate is basically zinc dissolved in sodium hydroxide, with or without cyanide. You can and preferably should buy this from a supplier as James Watts advises, but you can formulate it yourself if you must. It is possible under some limited circumstances to plate directly onto aluminum without zincate, but it is difficult and specialized, and that would be the wrong answer to your question. Good luck.
A. Brush platers can plate on some aluminum without a zincate step, but it is limited to small parts and is normally one at a time and with no bad geometry like corners of a metal box. James Watts |
A. Not a Bondal dip formula, but Sodium Zincate formula is:
For 10 Liter
~600 gr Caustic
~100 gr Zinc Oxide
~250 gr Russian SaltRochelle Salt
10 gr Iron Chloride
You can easily use this formula instead of Bondal dip …
Have a nice day …
Baris Sen
Ader Savunma – Ankara, Turkey