how plateing is done

daewoomofo · Post by **daewoomofo** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:49 pm

i work in a plating shop (as in chrome plating, think of shinny wheels) and i want to explain how plating is done. well for starters, plateing is NOT done by dipping a part into a tub of liquid (melted) metal. it is all done with electrical currents. the electricity is supplied from a rectifier. it converts AC power to DC power. the amount of power or current used depends on the size of the part. the solution (made up from various chemicals) is held in a large tank. when the part is cleaned and "activated" you place it in the solution. it is suspended from a copper bar set on top of the tank, in the middel, it is the negitive ( - ) side of the electrical current or "cathode" .now on the outer edges of the tank are anode bars, these are the positive side of the current ( + ) or "anode". hanging from those bars are long bars of metal (the kind of metal depends on the kind of plateing) these bars ar suspended in the solution. when the current is applied the electricity flowes from the anodes ( + ) to the cathod aka part ( - ) when it travels it will take a very small particle of metal with it, the metal is drawn to the piect ot be plated and there you go you are plateing.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/s ... TEING2.jpg
i decided to explain how it is done because im sick of people aking me to "dip" something for them and its hadr to explain with out the picture above. you can plate a piece of plastic (or any thing that isnt metal) bu painting it with at special electrical paint, thats how our grils and head lights are chrome.

daewoomofo · Post by **daewoomofo** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:50 pm

wow sorry the pic is so small, let me know if you need a better (bigger) one

JohnnyC · Post by **JohnnyC** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:51 pm

Right on. I've read about how it's done before and seen it done on TV, but it's nice to get a first hand explanation.

Aneab · Post by **Aneab** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:45 am

=D i actually knew that, =) saw it on the History Channel.

daewoomofo · Post by **daewoomofo** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:59 am

you would be amazed at how many people think its a tub of liquid metal

Aneab · Post by **Aneab** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:00 am

daewoomofo wrote:you would be amazed at how many people think its a tub of liquid metal

I was actually one of those people at one time...

Audacity Racing · Post by **Audacity Racing** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:01 am

you mean it ain't like a bath of lava?

TheGreatAndPowerfulOz · Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:55 am

LOL ... I posted this several months ago when someone asked how to plate their plastic door handles.

It's good to see the subject come up again so more people can read how things are done.

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P.S. Audacityracing - I can't see your animated gifs. They look like they are stuck flickering on the first and second frame in a loop. Odd.

Audacity Racing · Post by **Audacity Racing** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:56 am

it's just you dude