The Electroplating Process In 8 Steps

The electroplating process is a complex procedure and while there are several different techniques, this info-graphic may make the process a little easier to understand:

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The Plating Process

1. Disassembly &#;Taking apart a project with multiple attachments ensures an even coating on every nook and cranny as a result of attention to detail.

2. Stripped &#;&#; All particles are removed from the project. If they are not, blistering or flaking may occurring on the plate-layer, therefore this is an important part of the cleaning process

3. Polishing &#; This step refines and evens surfaces in preparation for electroplating.

4. Cleaning &#; Dipping the project in a cleaning solution and electrifying it cleanses it of any specs on the surface.

5. Set-Up &#; Connect the negative electrical lead of the rectifier to the substrate and place the positive lead directly in the plating solution, finally we are now ready to start electroplating.

6. Plate Bath &#; Dipping the project in the desired solution begins the plating possess, as a result the longer the object stays in the solution the thicker the layer of plating.

7. Post Treatment &#; In order to prevent tarnishing and improve resistance, an anti-tarnish or clear coat treatment may be used.

8. Waste Disposal &#; The electroplating process can create hazardous material. If processed correctly, this waste can be recycled back into the plating process.

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Is your favorite garden tool getting rusty? Are you going to bury a metal post in the ground and want to know how to protect it from rusting away in the wet ground? This instructable will give you solutions to these problems!

When iron gets wet in the presence of oxygen, it forms iron oxide also known as rust. This can be written as a chemical reaction like this:

Fe (s) + O2 (g) --> Fe2O3 (s)

During this reaction, what is happening is the oxygen gas is taking electrons from the iron. Before the reaction, the iron atom has a charge of zero because it an equal number of protons, which have a charge of positive one, and electrons, which have a charge of negative one. After the reaction, the iron ion has a charge of +3 and the oxygen ion has a charge of -2.

To prevent iron from rusting, you can either coat the iron with something like another metal or have another metal nearby that is easier to remove electrons from than the original piece of metal.

Your object is now nice and clean, its time for the main event -- electroplating!

To assemble an electroplating system, you need two metal objects, a container, an electrolyte (like salt water), some wire, and a power supply.

In the example in the picture there is a bucket of salt water, a horseshoe that has been cleaned, a wire the goes between the horseshoe and one end of the battery, and a wire that goes between a chunk of zinc and the other end of the battery. A long strip at the end of the wire has been stripped of its insulation so there is a long section of good contact between the horseshoe and the exposed copper wire. I wrapped the wire around the tip of the horseshoe several times to hold that wire securely in place. If I wanted to coat the whole horseshoe, I would periodically take it out of the bath and shift the wire wrap farther down the horseshoe. I used a 9 volt battery to power my electroplating system.

When you are electroplating, the two metals objects are connected to the battery but not each other. The part of the metal you want coated needs to be completely submerged. For this trial, I was resting the horseshoe on the side of the bucket so that only the tip of the horseshoe would be coated with zinc.

The solution, called the electrolyte, contains ions which are atoms with an electrical charge. When you use salt water, the ions are positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chlorine atoms that form when sodium chloride is dissolved in water. The two metal objects are called electrodes. The electrodes and electrolyte choices make a difference in how well the electroplating system works. These electrodes and electrolyte make a complete circuit with the battery so energy will flow from the battery through one of the electrodes to the electrolyte taking some of the metal ions from that electrode to the other electrode where some of those metals ions are deposited and then back to the battery to repeat the cycle. The electrode that is connected to the positive end called a positive terminal of your battery is the metal that you are using to plate your object, so the piece of zinc in my zinc plated iron horseshoe example. The electrode that is connected to the negative terminal of the battery is the object you want to plate so the iron horseshoe in my example. I used sodium chloride because I had lots of cheap sodium chloride around, but to get an even better coating you can match the metal ion in your electrolyte solution with the metal you want to coat. For example, if you are coating something with copper you can use a copper sulfate solution for your electrolyte. Or for my example I could have used a zinc sulfate solution instead of sodium chloride. Just remember to research how to properly dispose of your left over solution according to the disposal rules in your area when you finish with your experiment.

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