OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => Tech Talk => Topic started by: kdx Geoff on November 03, 2013, 01:15:21 pm
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Who's had a go at this ?
Be very convenient to plate nuts, bolts, spokes and things as you need them.
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I have a zinc kit at the shed not bad handy like you say but time a bit time consuming.
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I've got a zinc kit and its very handy the time wanted taking parts to and from the platers and having them lose bit is far more than the time of doing it yourself and nowhere nears as expensive
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Unless you want to be the one and only person to single handed rebuild the bike then i would highly recomend getting all of the bits and pieces and taking them to the local plating shop, I did it recently with a CR125Z rebuild and was only charge $55 to zinc / die all of the bolts nuts and shafts no spokes though.
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Its not a money thing, its convenience with a bit of 'l did that myself' thrown in :)
So blokes, did you buy a kit or buy the chemicals you needed and supply the other bits yourself ?
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Geoff,
I made my own Zinc kit for maybe $50 with great results. I have plated everything from nuts and bolts, spokes to rear brake rods (using a wallpaper tray). The mix is important, I think a 100 grams of sea salt to 1 litre of vineger. And yes it takes a while but being the closest plater is an hour and a half away and I can do bits as I need them. I can find the link that I used for reference in the morning (2 am here) and some photos if you like. I also do it because I like to say I can.
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I just bought the kit mixed it up and do bits that I need still you get bolts that are gold zinc plated or black so then I would get them new or done by some one.
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Bought the Zinc kit off Janes and it works fine.
Will get the nickel one next time I order and yes it looks easy to use, just the initial clean up is the main bit.
Cheers
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I've been doing my own Nickel plating for a while as the local platers work is crap and he's also very expensive(he's the only one in town and the next closest is Melb).One very important thing to remember is not to introduce either copper or zinc to the mix.It'll destroy it in a flash.Caswell plating supplies are great to deal with.Not that straight forward though until you get the hang of it and yes preparation is everything. Buying new nuts and bolts is a better option sometimes.
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Bought the Zinc kit off Janes and it works fine.
Will get the nickel one next time I order and yes it looks easy to use, just the initial clean up is the main bit.
Cheers
I use the Jane kit but I glass blast everything 1st. Easy as!!
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Glass bead blasting? I have never tried that Paul how are the results from that is that all you do blast rinse then plate?
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Glass bead blasting? I have never tried that Paul how are the results from that is that all you do blast rinse then plate?
Yes real quick blast with glass ( never tried sand )
Rinse in water then quick rinse in the part clean (not the Jane clean)
Rinse water again and in to the bath for plating.
Works unreal and takes no time.
You will get a real shiny and even plate.
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Thanks for all the input :)
l ordered a blasting cabinet last week to prepare for painting and plating. Caswell has the chemicals, looks easy enough to buy off them.
l imagine the technique will come with a bit of practice
cheers
Geoff
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Thanks Paul I will be trying that where do you buy your part clean? thanks Michael.
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Thanks Paul I will be trying that where do you buy your part clean? thanks Michael.
Mine came with the kit.
It is just dish washing stuff.
I would recomend when you start to "plate out your bath"
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Yes I have done that done a heap of spokes etc etc some stuff came up great others not perfect.
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sugar soap from Bunnings works well for the final clean.Cheap as.Check out Caswell Platings web site,they've got just about everything you'd ever need for home plating.
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Ok Guys,
Looking at a bigger project. Want to try to zinc plate my frame. Read an article on a Husaberg Light bike where he zinc plated the frame and saved 1.5lbs. of paint weight.. How tough to plate a frame that would require a 12x24x40" pan to submerge the entire frame? Understand that you can do a "Bright Zinc" plating that should look pretty good. I do have a glass bead cabinet to clean it off with.
Thanks,
Swiss
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Ok Guys,
Looking at a bigger project. Want to try to zinc plate my frame. Read an article on a Husaberg Light bike where he zinc plated the frame and saved 1.5lbs. of paint weight.. How tough to plate a frame that would require a 12x24x40" pan to submerge the entire frame? Understand that you can do a "Bright Zinc" plating that should look pretty good. I do have a glass bead cabinet to clean it off with.
Thanks,
Swiss
Couple of things to think about with your idea:
1) Zinc has weight too, so probably not a significant weight saving by not painting.
2) Zinc oxidises very quickly, so over time your shiny bright frame will be a dull grey frame in the same way that your spokes and nuts and bolts go dull.
On the plus side, your frame wouldn't rust.;D
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l went around to Lewis's place today to look at the way he plates, lucky for me he only lives 15 mins away.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1033_zps68a0ab38.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1033_zps68a0ab38.jpg.html)
He plated this for me, shared his methods of plating and what l would need to buy to start plating.
Thanks for your time today Lewis, lm going to give this a go myself.
Cheers
Geoff
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Looks the bees knees Geoff! Fine job Lewis ;) Would one of you boys be able to pop the starters list of gear up? Cheers Tim754
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This plating stuff is pretty straight forward and lm happy with the results I've gotten trying things out.
l plated some bolts that were in good reasonable condition so l took on something a bit used.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1141_zps2c4af71f.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1141_zps2c4af71f.jpg.html)
Washed the greasy stuff off, glass bead blasted and filed some of the rough edges.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1142_zps03b5079c.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1142_zps03b5079c.jpg.html)
In a weak bath of pool acid to remove the old plating, note the rusty bolt. Nasty fumes at this point !
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1144_zpsf1089de2.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1144_zpsf1089de2.jpg.html)
After the acid and a soapy wash, things look really good but rust very quickly, like the bolt in the bath. The acid wont move rust.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1145_zps804c478c.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1145_zps804c478c.jpg.html)
This doesn't look much different to the above pic after plating but its shiny now, very smooth to touch and wont rust
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1147_zps6250c154.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1147_zps6250c154.jpg.html)
This would look better with more filing preparation but the plating has gone well.
l had a few of hours of instruction (thanks) and watched a bit of utube, cost around $400 to set up with equipment and chemicals, happy to chat to anyone that wants to have a go :)
Freshly plated bits on your bike look awesome but plate one part you're committed to the whole bike, this way l can plate bits as l go.
kdx Geoff
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Is that zinc or nickel ?
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That's nickel Paul
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Geoff does your kit use electrolises to transfer the nickel?
The jane kit I have uses a liquid which has the nickel suspended in it and uses no electricity at all. It is then mixed with distilled water and I heat it to just under boiling point and have the parts hanging in the liquid until the nickel attaches to the part.
Sounds like magic but works fine I use it for fasteners, spokes and small parts like foot pegs etc. The liquid can be used several times until it starts to become less effective, them I just ad some more of the magic liquid and away we go again.
Zane
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Hi Zane,
l didn't buy a pre packaged kit, l saw how another forum member plated, copied there technique and bought accordingly.
The nickel crystals and anode come from Caswell in Melbourne.
http://www.caswellplating.com.au/store/store.php/products/nickel-crystals-with-brightener
I heat the nickel liquid (crystals, brightener and distilled water) to around 55* with the nickel anode and the item to be plated in the liquid, apply a current to the anode and the item and with no bubbles to indicate that anything's happening, the anode begins to slowly corrode and the item gets plated.
As lm just getting started, lm plating in a plastic cup big enough to hold the part so if l muck it all up, l haven't ruined all my chemicals, so that would be less than a litre and the anode might be 1cm by 8cm.
I don't know the life of the liquid yet but its easy to see how the nickel anode is diminishing as l plate.
Cheers
Geoff
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(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG1263_1_zps2e3179e1.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG1263_1_zps2e3179e1.jpg.html)
This is my first wheel refurbishment, nickel plated the spokes and cleaned the nipples as I'd like to color them simular to original but haven't yet worked out how or if l can do that with nickel. I've not laced up a wheel before either, l put another wheel next to this one and copied the spoke positions, after a while l could see the pattern in the spokes layout but may still be in the shed if l didn't have a wheel to copy :o. The sheen of the paint on the drum is a bit higher than original too so I'm still trying different brands of satin.
kdx Geoff
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Nice job Geoff.
Galmet Satin Black is good paint, which gives a nice finish and is quite tough. I'm sure that there's a lot of other products on the market as well.
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I may try the nickel later on. I have been watching this thread and one on Café Husky. I've been doing zinc plating a bunch of stuff for my Husky project. These spokes are zinc plated and polished out. They came out almost looking like nickel.
(http://imageshack.us/a/img27/1346/clpn.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/clpn.jpg/)
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Thanks for the link to the Caswel site. The anodising and powder coat kits look good. You can even get an additive to mix with powdercoat so you can spray it through a normal spraygun.
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Because l wanted to color my spoke nipples gold as per original and nickel can't be colored, l bought zinc supplies to try it out.
Nickel plated spokes and zinc plated nipples with gold chromate for color.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG2602_BURST002_zps1e0e7289.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG2602_BURST002_zps1e0e7289.jpg.html)
The longer the freshly zinc plated part stays in the chromate, the more color it picks up.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG2597_zps5f5e038e.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG2597_zps5f5e038e.jpg.html)
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG2600_zps21905f9d.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG2600_zps21905f9d.jpg.html)
l'm finding the zinc easier to do than the nickel because the temperature of the electrolyte only needs to be around 30* compared to 55* for the nickel.
Got my hub paint sorted too. The one on the left has been washed and rubbed with a rag but no polish and on the right is repainted.
(http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag23/kdxGeoff/IMAG2478_zps8a37b3fe.jpg) (http://s1297.photobucket.com/user/kdxGeoff/media/IMAG2478_zps8a37b3fe.jpg.html)