Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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How To Make A Home Made Electro Plating System For Copper

Hello All, I would like to make an electro plating system so that I can plate copper on to some of the steel hardware I've been fabricating. The final finish is to be the oil rubbed bronze look which I need to match with some of the store bought hardware. The pieces that I am wanting to plate are relatively small 10"x8"x1" for example. What acid should I use to dissolve copper items I have laying around [water pipe, flat stock and the like]? What should I make the electrodes and tank out of? How do I know if my solution is saturated enough and anything else that I probably haven't thought of? Thanks for the help in advance. Steve

Steve Dauria
I restore old cars and make things as an artist - Sierra Madre, Calif
July 2, 2008

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It is not that simple! iron^^copper will ^^immersion deposit, not plate onto iron and will have very very little adhesion. IE: it will rub and or flake off.
The way around this is to use cyanide. Trust me, you will be far better off in the long run to have it commercially plated.
USEPA and OSHA will eat you alive if they find out that you have cyanide and have not conformed with all of their requirements which starts with a Haz waste generator permit.
Expect all of the local governmental units to get very excited when you say cyanide.
There are some very good metallic paints available if you look in the right places.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
July 3, 2008

Try internet archive webpages-there you can find some download free 19-th century books on electroplating (Gore,Langbein,Watt). Aklaline Copper tartarate solution can be used instead of cyanide.There must be many proprietary cyanide-free solutions too. Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
July 4, 2008