Rel at ed

About Thi s I nst r uc t abl e

Li c ense:
72,579 views
285 favorites
I work offshore in Norway in the oil
sector. Employed by Oceaneering as an ROV
Supervisor. Education : Skilled Industrial
Mechanic, Skilled Aircraft Mechanic
(Boeing737) ,and a degree as a Mechanical
...read more
k j egel an
Kjetil Egeland
Follow
28
Bi o:
Mor e by k j egel an
electroplating copper nickel chrome
buffing stripping polishing veteran
Tags:
Chr ome Pl at i ng of Car Headl i ght s and Par t s by kjegelan
Download
9 Steps
+Collection
Favorite
let's make
share what you
make >
Explore Create Contests Community
Sign Up
Log In
Login
I w ant t o shear my ex per i enc e w i t h El ec t r opl at i ng par t s w i t h, Copper ,Ni c k el , and
Chr ome.
Check in here early next week for more detailed instructions and videos about the mixing
of chemicals,plating, soldering, and buffing different metals to a high quality finish.
I f t her e' s anyone i nt er est ed out t her e, I w i l l hel p out as good as I c an.
Sor r y about t he l ac k of pi c t ur es and vi deo f r om t he buf f i ng and pol i shi ng. I
w as so f oc used, t hat i c ompl et el y f or got t o use t he c amer a :)
An I MPORTANT t hi ng, i s t o c hec k out w i t h your c ount r y' s r egul at i ons
r egar di ng t hese c hemi c al s. And NEVER EVER di spose t hem out i n t he nat ur e.
Some of t hem ar e har mf ul t o t he envi r onment , and poi sonous t o your sel f .
The gases f r om t he pl at i ng ar e odor l ess, but ex t r emel y c or r osi ve. I w as j ust
sl i ght l y unaw ar e a moment , and got some nose bl eedi ng af t er t hi s. NOT
r ec ommended..! Show r espec t f or t he c hemi c al s, and al w ays r ead t he
dat asheet bef or e st ar t . Use goggl es and gl oves.

St ep 1: Bef or e di smant l i ng.
See More
Show Al l 10 I mages
Hi gh Qual i t y (and Saf e)
Ni c k el Pl at i ng
by A_Steingrube
Hi gh Qual i t y (and Saf e)
Copper Pl at i ng
by A_Steingrube
I dent i f y Met al s
by tranoxx
Cl ean and Si mpl e
El ec t r opl at i ng
by nf119
DI Y Chl or i ne Bat t er y
by tngun
Here you can see the old chrome of the headlamp. Its really worn out. And the door handles are in
poor condition. Heavily infected with Zinc Pest. Had to clean out all the pitting with my dremel drill.
St ep 2: Equi pment you need / The Chemi c al s
The easiest way to get a good result, is to buy the ready made kits from companies that supply these.
The kit I ordered, I purchased from ht t p://w w w .gat er ospl at i ng.c o.uk / .
I`m sure that you can get these ingredients some other places, but the prizes are ok, and the service
and support are exellent.. :)
Show Al l 7 I mages
I started with :
Br i ght Copper pl at i ng KI T
Ni c k el Pl at i ng KI T
Repl i c a Chr ome Pl at i ng KI T
GP Al c al i ne Cl eaner
Ac i d Pi c l e
Chr ome St r i pper

St ep 3: Tank Set up !
I have no pi c t ur es f r om t he mi x i ng. I t i s r eal l y i mpor t ant t o use al l t he saf et y
equi pment r ec ommended..! Use goggl es,and
pr oper gl oves. Remember t o have pl ent y of w at er near by. And mak e sur e t o
r emove any spi l l s.
The Chemi c al s :
Repl i c a c hr ome 5 l t r
4 l i t r es di st i l l ed w at er
1 k g ni c k el sul phat e
125 g c obal t sul phat e
220 g ni c k el c hl or i de
160 g bor i c ac i d
230 ml ni c k el br i ght ener
Copper 5 l t r
4 l i t r es di st i l l ed w at er
560ml of 36% sul phur i c ac i d
900g c opper sul phat e
100 g sodi um c hl or i de
50ml c upr ac i d ul t r a mak e up
3ml c upr ac i d par t A
3ml c ur pac i d par t B
Ni c k el st r i k e 5 l t r
4 l i t r es di st i l l ed w at er
380 g ni c k el sul phat e
380 g sodi um sul phat e
115 g ammoni um c hl or i de
Heat i ng
When t he ambi ent t emer at ur e dr ops and t he pl at i ng t ank s ar e unheat ed t hen i t i s
t i me t o c onsi der some f or m of t ank heat i ng. Al l pl at i ng el ec t r ol yt es w i l l beni f i t
f r om t ank heat i ng of some f or m. Easy w ays t o heat t he t ank s ar e as f ol l ow s:
For smal l t ank s
1) si mpl y pl ac e t hem i n a bow l of boi l i ng w at er and w ai t f or t hem t o w ar m up.
2) Fi l l a pl ast i c bot t l e w i t h near boi l i ng w at er and pl ac e i nsi de t he t ank t ak i ng
c ar e not t o over f l ow t he t ank .
3) Pl ac e t he t ank on a heat mat nor mal l y f or l ow er pl at i ng t emper at ur es but w i l l
st i l l r ai se t he t emper at ur e.
4) Ther most at i c t ank heat er s ar e t he easi est met hod as you c an pr eset a
t emper at ur e and l eave i t t o w ar m up. Remember t o gi ve i t sever al hour s f r om c ol d
t o get t o t he c or r ec t t emper at ur e.
For l ar ger t ank s
1) Ther most at i c t ank heat er s ar e t he best met hod f or l ar ger t ank s.
Show Al l 13 I mages
2) Heat ed ai r agi t at i on i s somet i mes used i n ver y l ar ge t ank s.
3) Combi ned heat and f i l t r at i on syst ems ar e al so used.
4) Heat ed t ank j ac k et s.
Onc e up t o t emper at ur e t he pr oc ess of pl at i ng w i l l k eep t he t ank w ar m or i f
c ont i nuous pl at i ng i s done t hen i t may be a c ase of c ool i ng t he t ank i f i t get s t oo
hot !
Temper at ur e r anges f or our pl at i ng el ec t r ol yt es.
Met al Range I deal
Zi nc 15c - 40c 25c - 30c
Copper 15c - 50c 25c - 40c
Ni c k el 30c - 50c 30c - 40c
Rep Chr ome 30c - 50c 30c - 40c
Br ass 20c - 40c 25c - 35c
Cobal t 30c - 50c 35c - 45c
St ep 4: Cl eani ng..!
Cl eani ng (Copy/past f r om Gat er os Pl at i ng Home Page)
After seeing one or two customers of late with contamination problems (most of which we have been
able to solve with having to replace the electrolyte) I want to stress again just how important cleaning
is to both good quality plating and to ensure that the electrolyte is kept in prime condition.
It is vital that cleaning is carried out carefully and that the items to be plated are ultra clean.
First step is a good de-grease. This can be done with a solvent type degreaser or a hot alkaline
degreaser such as our GP1 alkaline cleaner.
The next step is to remove any traces of rust, paint or dirt. This can be done by electro-cleaning, bead
blasting or even buffing on a wire may be sufficient. Remember once you have started the cleaning
process you must always wear gloves as even the grease off your fingers will cause the plating to
blister at a later date!
Once you have completed the first part of the cleaning process, I would now advise a water break test.
J ust dip in clean water and see if the item is covered with a water film or if it beads. If it has a good
water film all over it with no beading then it can go to the pickle stage. If you can see the water
beading then you need to wash in detergent and water, rinse well and repeat the water break test
again until it passes.
Now onto the pickle. Some people try to skip this part but it is very important not to as it will ensure a
good bond between the surface of the metal and the following plate.
Our dry acid pickle is specially formulated for use as a plating pickle or as a metal activator. You can
also use HCL ideally at concentrations of about 20%. Some people use sulphuric acid but I find it a bit
smutty on some metals. We have had customers use vinegar but this is just not strong enough for the
job! Pickling time varies according to the type of metal and the strength of the pickle used. It is
normally between 1 minute to 20 minutes and remember always rinse well after pickling.
Once pickled and rinsed, you need to plate straight away. This way you will not give the metal any
time to form an oxide layer on the surface.
The better you can prepare a surface the better the results will be so spend time flatting, buffing and
polishing if needed. This is essential when brush plating as you are only putting a very thin plate on
the base metal so the more polished you can get the base metal the better. If buffing or polishing
remember to remove the polish film with a solvent cleaner if needed and wash in detergent and water
again after. Always check with the water break test before pickling.
Think about investing on a bench buffer/grinder. You should be able to buy one for as little as 35 for
a 3/4 HP 220v one. The amount of time and effort it will save you will make it well worth the cost.
Remember cleanliness is next to godliness so if you want to be a plating god then clean, clean and
clean again!
St ep 5: Pr epai r i ng t he Par t s...
The plan is to strip the parts from old chrome. Then smooth the surface and fix dents.
The first Plating will be a relative thick layer with copper. Then a layer of Nickel, and finally a thin layer
of chrome.
I had no sandblaster at the moment, so I had to sand down the surface first. One of the headlights
were badly bumped and had a crack. Had to weld it first with a silver soldering rod. I made a mistake,
and used to coarse paper . So I had to put on a thicker coating of copper first.
The doorhandles were badly pitted(Zink pest) , and had to be sandblasted first, and then I used a
Dremel tool to grind out all of the cracks.
For circular objects like the headlight and rim, it is a good solution to make a jig. Then you can mount
it in a handheld drill in a wise.

I even used this method during buffing. J ust put the felt polisher in another drill ,and counter rotate.

Show Al l 14 I mages
St ep 6: Nex t st ep, t he door handl es...aar gh
The Door handl es i s made of POT Met al . Thi s i s an al l oy of : zi nc , l ead, c opper , t i n,
magnesi um, al umi ni um, i r on, and c admi um.( Al so k now n as ZAMAK, and Monk ey
Met al )
To pl at e t he handl es w i t h c opper , you f i r st have t o St r i k e Ni c k el pl at e t he handl e.
Thi s i s t o seal t he sur f ac e. Ot her -vi c e t he c opper w i l l k i nd of r eac t w i t h t he pot
met al , and peal of f .

The handl es i s best sandbl ast ed. You c an not use c hr ome st r i pper l i k e you use on
ot her met al s. Ot her vi c e you have t o sand i t dow n by hand. The ol d c hr ome have t o
be c ompl et el y r emoved. Remember t o use gl oves t o not c ont ami nat e t he par t w i t h
oi l /gr ease. Then, t he par t i s di pped i n t he Ac i d Pi c l e sol ut i on f or about 20 sec onds.
The par t w i l l now appear t o be boi l i ng! Then i n t o t he Neut r al Ni c k el St r i k e bat h.
The l ow ac i di t y mak es t he ni c k el bi nd t o t he POT met al . When a dul l even l i ght
Show Al l 29 I mages
gr ay sur f ac e i s ac hi eved, t he par t i s r i nsed and goes i n t o t he c opper bat h. Af t er a
uni f or m bui l d up by c opper , t he par t i s r i nsed and dr i ed. Then you c over t he par t
w i t h sol der i ng f l ux . Be ex t r emel y c onsent r at ed w hi l e sol der i ng t o pr event
di sast er ..! The t emper at ur e r ange bet w een t he sol der and t he par t s mel t i ng poi nt
i s qui t e nar r ow . St ar t w i t h t he t hi c k est par t f i r st , and w or k t he sol der t ow ar ds t he
t hi nnest par t .

Then, sand dow n, st r i k e pl at e w i t h Ni c k el agai n. Then a t hi c k er c oat c opper . Sand
dow n t o a smoot h sur f ac e usi ng f i ner and f i ner sandpaper . Wet or dr y sandi ng ..
THEN i t s t i me t o st ar t buf f i ng. I used a Fel t w heel on a benc h gr i nder f or t he j ob.
The c ompound used i s BLACK c ompound. HERE :
ht t p://en.w i k i pedi a.or g/w i k i /Pol i shi ng_(met al w or k i ng) i t i s ex pl ai ned on Wi k i pedi a
about pol i shi ng and buf f i ng.
St ep 7: Headl i ght s..!
The Headlights was quite easy compared to the door handles actually. I will list up the events from
start to finish:
St r i p of f t he ol d c hr ome. (Sandbl ast i f possi bl e)
Get a smoot h sur f ac e usi ng c oar se -f i ne sandpaper .
Pl at e a l ayer of c opper .
Sol der dent s/c r ac k s.
Sand dow n t he sol der i ng .
Pl at e i t w i t h anot her c opper l ayer .
St ar t buf f i ng, and get t he sur f ac e MI RROR l i k e,usi ng r i ght c ompounds and r i ght f el t
di sk s.
Cl ean and r i nse (see pr evi ous st ep)
Then st r i k e pl at e w i t h Ni c k el .
Buf f t he Ni c k el t o a mi r r or l i k e sur f ac e. (What you see i s w hat you get f i nal l y af t er
t he c hr ome)
Cl ean and r i nse
Pl at e w i t h Chr ome.
Buf f and Pol i sh ...
Fi ni shed...!



Show Al l 43 I mages

St ep 8: Rust r emoval
I had t o put i n some r ust r emoval t i ps her e. Ther e ar e many w ays t o r emove
r ust .You must f i nd a w ay t hat w or k s f or you. My w ay i s t o mi x Bak i ng soda and
w at er . J ust a c oupl e of spoons t o a gal l on of hot w at er . I al so use Caust i c Soda
(Sodi um hydr ox i de) and w at er . REMEMBER..t hi s i s ver y har mf ul t o your sk i n, and
c an c ause sever e bur ns. So, bak i ng soda w or k j ust f i ne.
You w i l l need 12V dc f r om a pow er suppl y or bat t er y. The negat i ve l ead on t he
par t you w ant t o r emove r ust f r om (c at hode) . As a anode(posi t i ve+), you c an use
w hat ever of sc r ap i r on you have. I use Lead st r i ps al so, as you onl y need t o get
t he el ec t r ons t o f l ow t hr ough t he sol ut i on. Lead w ont det er i or at e i t sel f . On t he
vi deo her e, I use st eel w i r e f or c onc r et e ar mor i ng as an anode. They c ompl et el y
di ssol ve i n t hi s pr oc ess. J ust c onnec t , and l eave over ni ght .Remember t o t r eat t he
par t s qui c k l y af t er t hi s. Ot her w i se i t w i l l r ust agai n. For my t ool s, I used a st eel
w i r e br ush on my benc h gr i nder . Then sandpaper , c l eani ng, and a l ayer of ni c k el .
A good buf f , and t he par t i s r eady f or many year s ser vi c e..!
St ep 9: Fi nal l y... Some r esul t s, and my c ar !
Nov 3, 2013. 12:21 PM Reply
49
Nov 4, 2013. 12:39 AM Reply
I am ver y pl eased and ex i t ed w i t h t he r esul t mysel f . I t w as muc h mor e w or k t hat I
c oul d even i magi ne. But t he r ew ar d af t er w ar ds w er e huge. Now i t i s easy f or me
t o pl at e al most anyt hi ng, and get a pr edi c t abl y r esul t . I have al l of t he equi pment
r eady f or t he nex t j ob now . Thi s i s absol ut el y r ec ommended. But you shoul d st ar t
w i t h si mpl e t hi ngs f i r st , and not w i t h t he mai n t hi ng f i r st , as I di d..!!

1-40 of 50 Next
andr ea bi f f i says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to andrea biffi
Well done Kjetil, in addition that's a beautiful car!!
Post Comment
3
J ul 2, 2013. 12:33 AM Reply l k l under says:
Hello again Andrea, and thank you...;)
I was lucky to get my hands on this car to "care" for.,, It have had most of its time
in Belgium i believe. It is small enough to have inside my workshop. I would like to
get some more space, but that will be in 2014. I need space for all my future
projects.
Do you have any coming projects Andrea..? I follow you in here, but have spend
most of the summer at work, or trekking in the Norwegian mountains. So now it is
time to work inside again. I am lucky to have a job offshore that I can combine my
interest for electronics, hydraulics, and mechanics. And, we have a LOT of
waiting, and fast internet connection...!
i made myself a bad copy of your pcb drill stand. I bought myself a laser printer,
and started to produce some pcb`s. It worked fine, but I need a better motor with
a regulated powersupply, or just a cheap dremel like drill to fit to it.
My ongoing project now is to make myself a sort of visual wave generator. The
one with clear acrylic glass, blue coloured water, and clear mineral oil.
The other ongoing projects is :
A laser cutter/CNC drill/ router/ engraver
Plate and practice on more metals. And expand/ adapt to plate longer and odd
parts.
A remote/wifi controlled rover car with live view transfer.
Make a small cutter for acrylic plates.
Make a pan/tilt camera stand for my sony camcorder from a cheap pan/tilt
camera.
Explore the RGB leds, and make a RGB led cube.
Explore the new powerful led`s, and be able to focus the beam.
Make myself a Pixie tube clock.
Combine my acrylic paintings with arduino and fiber optics.
And MANY more..... Most of them just to learn how they work... For many of them,
I will use Arduino I think. I got myself a bunch of cards, and enjoy to explore their
potentials.
Ok...have to pressure test my acrylic tube ;)
Have a nice day...!
Regards,
Kjetil
Hello again Kjegelan
I have several parts of zamak in bad conditions, these parts needed be filled with solder,
but I am confused, I understand that the first step is clean the metal with sandblast, what
type of abrasive you use to get out the chrome ?.
Then the part is ready to first bath and here is my doubt between the following options:
a) The first bath is dipped in the Acid Picle solution and then in to the neutral nickel strike
bath and then nickel and cupper or
b) The first bath is nickel to seal the pot metal and then the cupper bath to apply the solder
?.
After the solder what is the next bath to apply ??
Could you tell me exactly the steps I should follow ?
Thanks in a advance
May 24, 2013. 5:05 AM Reply
May 27, 2013. 10:31 AM Reply
3
May 19, 2013. 12:43 PM Reply
1
May 19, 2013. 1:18 PM Reply
3
May 26, 2013. 1:42 PM Reply
1
bl ac k 58 says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to black58
c l azman says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to clazman
c l azman in reply to kjegelan
Looks fantastic. Well done.
Thank you :)
Nice for the you but what if many others take this up?
What did you do with the remaining solutions? You didn't dump them down the sewer!
It's bad enough that a business does this, but that case, the waste can be localized, rather
than in everyones garage, and disposed of in an ecological way (hopefully).
But we don't want any more government control. We want to do what we want. Pollute how
we want...
Yes, as a kid, it bothered me when my dad, as an auto mechanic, would dump waste
materials on the ground right outside our garage and close to the house.
The car is cool though and your work looks good.
I`m sorry if you feel that way. I tried to emphasize this in the beginning,of the
importance to handle these chemical the right way. These solutions mainly
contains relatively mild hazardous chemicals, but could harm the environment if
spilled in nature. In my area, and in my country of Norway ,we got strict rules
about this. And is by law forced to deliver all of the spills to the local waste
company. And I,myself know that these chemicals do get the right
treatment/destruction. I earlier had a job there myself, and have collected all
imaginable waste materials and chemicals from both industry, hospital, and private
households. Even radioactive waste..!
Another thing. If you keep doing this plating, there will never be any waste. You
will mainly just add chemicals like salts, acids, and alkaline solutions. The "spills"
will be the drops from when you dip the parts from a bath to another. Most of the
chemicals will therefore neutralize themselves.
I live in a very clean country, and would like to keep it that way. It is all our
responsibility to keep it like this. But I cant control what everybody else is doing. I
would like to think that everybody cares about this planet after all. And I will
continue to experiment with both plating, and other chemicals.
I will encourage you to see the possibilities with this techniques, and not the so
called negative sides with it. But I see your point, and I agree in some of it.
Have a nice evening , and thanks for the input :)
Kjetil
I'm sorry for being too strong with my comments. I didn't mean to attack you
personally. I do, however feel we need to control our waste products, whatever
they may be.
I do fear that if too many people try this and are not as environmentally cautious
May 27, 2013. 10:30 AM Reply
3
May 23, 2013. 12:18 PM Reply
May 27, 2013. 10:14 AM Reply
3
May 23, 2013. 12:16 PM Reply
May 21, 2013. 8:00 PM Reply
2
May 23, 2013. 2:31 AM Reply
3
k j egel an (author) in reply to clazman
l k l under says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to lklunder
l k l under says:
j ust i n.j ac k son says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to justin.jackson
as you that would indeed be a bad situation.
Again, I am sorry for attacking you personally.
That is OK my friend. I understands your concern, and I agree with you in the
Environment issue. Many of these chemicals are "just" concentrated salts witch is
found naturally in the nature. Like Natrium Chloride.(NaCl) This is just normal salt
used in food. But, like I cant made clear enough : Despite that the quantities of
these chemicals are low, It is still hazardous to the enviroment and to yourself.!
Said that, I am more concerned about other projects in here, that often make use
of electronic equipment that contains far more hazardous chemicals and heavy
metals..! These components are often sealed to make sure that nobody can come
in contact with them.
I do not want to make a joke about this, but I will also say that all the Bacon and
cupcake projects also have a bad effect on the human body..!
Hello again, and thanks for your answers !!
I see that you use a 12V battery to process but in some pictures I see a some like a
rheostat ( half reed with winding wire ); is this to limit the current in some baths and how to
do this part ???
Thank's in advance
Hello....!
The current control is made by a spiralling wire provided in thew kits. This is ok to
use, but if you want a more controlled current, you must use a adjustable power
supply. I use now a self made thing that uses a series of 12Volt /10 watt halogen
bulbs. 10 of them makes about 10 ohms. Same as the provided current controller.
I will try to show this in a video soon. Feel free to ask questions :)
Hello again, and thanks for your answers !!
I see that you use a 12V battery to process but in some pictures I see a some like a
rheostat ( half reed with winding wire ); is this to limit the current in some baths and how to
do this part ???
Thank's in advance
How much would you say this cost you?
Hello...!
May 22, 2013. 10:20 PM Reply
May 23, 2013. 12:53 AM Reply
3
May 22, 2013. 5:59 AM Reply
May 22, 2013. 6:25 AM Reply
3
l k l under says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to lklunder
mok i ng says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to moking
It is hard to say how much it cost me. But I think it is around 400 british pounds.
You can see the prices at http://www.gaterosplating.co.uk/Home.php
I have considered to get the chemicals myself from other places. But it is far more
simple and cheaper to just buy a ready Kit. It will not be easy to get hold of all the
chemicals for "normal" people either.
And another thing is that these Kits will last for years probably. There will be little
spill from it, and the fluid that disappear, is mostly water evaporation.
Thanks for you answer.
I have a doubt about the weld type.
What's type of welding you used to refill the holes on the handles, do you use silver or
other type ???
Thanks in advance
Hello...!
I used a normal 60/40 soldering tin. 60% tin and 40% lead.
After the first layer of nickel, I put on a layer of copper. And then it is ready to be
filled with solder. J ust cover the whole surface with flux , and start heating. When
hot enough on the thickest part, you can start filling. J ust make sure that it fills all
the holes up above the surface. The tin will cover a large area of the surface.
That i ok. Its better to put on to much than to little. After this you have a major job
to sand down the handle to a smooth surface, with all the access tin removed. I
hope that this was helpful :) I will make a detailed youtube instruction of this in
some days. And publish here.
Considering all the pitfalls associated with metal plating, and Chrome is one of the most
difficault metals to plate, the quality of your final result is excellent. You seem to have
cottoned on to the most important aspects of chrome plating, which is to clean to the
molecular level, as the new metal you plate with does bond at the molecular level and as
such the cleaning at all stages needs to be thorough. I hope the thicknesses lain down are
within the required perameters, as I know all about the UK acid rain having spent 60 years
there before departing to the sunnier climes of Spain.
Hello..!
Yes, it is quite difficult to get it all right. It takes days and weeks of training. The
replica Chrome, is not actually chrome, but Nickel with the use of cobalt salt in the
electrolyte. This makes it more brighter like chrome, but without the use of
Chrome acid solutions. But it does not madder. The finish of this, is very mirror
like, and the nickel itself is fairly resistant against acid rain.
But...I am NOT an expert in this field. I started with this just 5 weeks ago. So I am
still in the trying/failing phase. But It is really fun and a rewarding hobby...! I have
a background from the Aircraft industry. Otherwise I would not have started this.
Now I work offshore in the North Sea, so I am quite eager to get home to provide
some more instructions and videos to the Instructable here. The plan is to take a
part, and follow the process straight to the last finish. The easiest job is the
plating, and the hardest part is the buffing and cleaning. On the door handles, the
most difficult, is the soldering of cracks and pits. I would say that 1 doorhandle is
more work than the 2 headlights together..!
Have a nice day ;)
May 21, 2013. 10:25 AM Reply
2
May 20, 2013. 9:35 PM Reply
May 21, 2013. 12:18 AM Reply
3
May 20, 2013. 6:28 PM Reply
1
May 20, 2013. 11:47 PM Reply
3
May 20, 2013. 8:15 AM Reply
c nl udw i g says:
l k l under says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to lklunder
sk w oor l says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to skwoorl
danzo321 says:
Regards, Kjetil
Great instructible! Thanks for all the awesome pictures!!
Hello, excellent instructable !!!, I have two questions. How do you make to strip off the
layer old chrome from zamac ??.
The holes on zamac that you made was refilled with tin solder after the cupper layer ????
Thanks in advance
Thank you, and Good morning..;) The handles is best sandblasted. You can not
use chrome stripper like you use on other metals. Othervice you have to sand it
down by hand. The old chrome have to be completely removed. Remember to use
gloves to not contaminate the part with oil/grease. Then, the part is dipped in the
Acid Picle solution for about 20 seconds. The part will now appear to be boiling!
Then in to the Neutral Nickel Strike bath. The low acidity makes the nickel bind to
the POT metal. When a dull even light gray surface is achieved, the part is rinsed
and goes in to the copper bath. After a uniform build up by copper, the part is
rinsed and dried. Then you cover the part with soldering flux. Be extremely
consentrated while soldering to prevent disaster..! The temperature range between
the solder and the parts melting point is quite narrow. Start with the thickest part
first, and work the solder towards the thinnest part.
I have worked with frp and epoxies in winter and have used everything from water bed
heaters, electric blankets and therapeutic heating pads from the pharmacy to pre heat my
resins. Would something like these work? If heat regulation could be achieved.
Hi there...! I also worked with composites during my work with the B737, and we
used heat mats and vakuum for the molds. In this case I just use the tank heater
that is included in the kit. It has a thermostat, and heats the tank to right
temperature within 30-45 minutes. I just throw this heater in the tank before
plating, and remove it during plating. You do not need constant heating. The bath
stays warm enough for a long time. But for the copper,witch need a longer plating
time, I think it would be enough to just wrap some kind of insulation around the
tank. It is not that critical. Have a nice day, and do not hesitate to ask if there is
something else :)
What means "replica chrome"? Is it real chrome?
May 20, 2013. 11:30 PM Reply
3
May 20, 2013. 2:42 PM Reply
May 20, 2013. 11:31 PM Reply
3
May 20, 2013. 6:19 PM Reply
May 20, 2013. 7:20 AM Reply
29
May 19, 2013. 7:12 AM Reply
16
May 19, 2013. 8:27 AM Reply
3
k j egel an (author) in reply to danzo321
mec oman in reply to danzo321
k j egel an (author) in reply to mecoman
t hi nk padt 30 says:
aw esomec r eat i ons says:
bar ef oot bohemi an says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to barefootbohemian
Hello...! I recon that they call it replica chrome ,because of the simplified operation
of it. Normal chrome is a two stage operation, with Chromium trioxide witch is
highly toxic. Not sure about the metal used, but i suppose it is chrome. It looks
similar to Nickel, but is definitely different after plating. Much brighter and easier to
buff and polish. But that's my experience with it.
Looking at the list of ingredients, I don't see any chromium at all. Therefore, it is
most likely a higher gloss nickel plate that looks just like chrome.
Hi... I just copy and past the answer I gave to "danzo321" : "Hello...! I recon that
they call it replica chrome ,because of the simplified operation of it. Normal
chrome is a two stage operation, with Chromium trioxide witch is highly toxic. Not
sure about the metal used, but i suppose it is chrome. It looks similar to Nickel,
but is definitely different after plating. Much brighter and easier to buff and polish.
But that's my experience with it. "
I am very impressed, not only with the professional instructable, but with your awesome
car! Did you restore it yourself? Is that an Anglia? The paint is like a mirror, and the
interior would look at home in a Rolls Royce! If that were my car, my face would always be
hurting because of the wide grin I would continually have! Again, congratulations both on
the instructable and on the car.
Nice job!
The country I live in is the world's biggest exporter of Chromium.
Exceptional work!! Should I just leave my address here for delivery? Ha ha. The work
made a very nice car over and above!! And not wondering if I can put some of this well
written information to work on my antique clocks that aren't for restoration or conservation,
but so far gone I just want to see what I can do with them so they look amazingly cool. And
I definitely commend anyone and everyone who opts for conservation as a 1st choice.
Thanks ..;) Often ,the parts look much worse than they are.. So with some caution,
its mostly easy to get good results. Not sure about your clocks, but it might be a
brush plating job..? With my car, I dont stress to get a perfect result. The car is
almost 80 years old, and shall have a "old" look. It would be strange if your 85
year grandfather suddenly got a pair of Hollywood teeth...hehe.. You work with
glass..? I want to try that out for myself... but now its only this plating and
acrylic/oil painting. Kjetil
May 19, 2013. 12:04 PM Reply
16
May 19, 2013. 11:52 PM Reply
3
May 20, 2013. 7:04 AM Reply
16
bar ef oot bohemi an in reply to kjegelan
k j egel an (author) in reply to barefootbohemian
bar ef oot bohemi an in reply to kjegelan
Iam totally with you about keeping all possible parts original and I do my best to
use the original techniques the makers used in the time period. I really like it that
way. Besides always giving me new things to learn, I often get to learn a skill that
has been obscured by modern technology and substance that might come in
handy later in life :)).
Having said that I guess the need to money to support my habit (doing a little of
everything and selling little of anything) so I can keep on doing what I like doing
without going to far in the hole financially lol. I'm known for underpricing when I
even set a price. The reward of sharing something really cool is just so worth it!
I have a feeling you would like doing glass work. Which type have you
considered? I started in mostly leaded and stained glass panels and repair, but
when the opportunity came to purchase a glass kiln at a good price, my little world
of cutting and piecing spiraled into learning the art of melting, fusing and all the
little things that aren't so little when it comes to how different glass types are
made. I was naive enough to think window pane glass was boring, it is far from
boring.
I keep up with the acrylic and oil part too, plus still go back to computer generator
graphics on occasion. Guess the weather dictates a lot of what I do, since the
summer here means stay inside for me, and winters pass too quickly to really get
anything complete.
And I just type to much ha ha!! But I will say before I go I am totally jealous!!
Norway?? That has got to be so incredible, makes me think of fiords and Edvard
Grieg! And then you get to play with ROV controls? Not sure I would want to be
looking around at offshore well sites, more would want to just explore the ocean
depths where its so cold things have just froze in time or develop in such
incredible ways to survive!
Guess you can't drive over and drop that nice looking ride off to me tho eh?
Agree with you..Feels good to preserve and keep the good old ways to do things.
But I also like to explore new things in life. Thats what they did earlier also. Our
ancestors had to adapt to survive. We are lucky to just do whatever we like
without starving. Of course the majority of people in the world isn`t as lucky as a
small percentage of us that have all we need. So you do a little painting? I also do
some art when I feel like it. Made a gallery on my homepage.
http://kjetilegeland.com/Galleri/index.html The glass melting and fusing must be
explored when I get the space for it. I`ve started a Instructable now to describe a
little of my techniques in painting and art projects. J ust for fun.
And yes. I am very privilege to live in Norway. A fantastic country to live in, and is
lucky to have a job that is also what I have as a hobby.
The ROV business here is not only about oil. There are many other projects we
are involved in.
K
I do agree yet again with you. I think what I find so incredibly interesting is finding
out the how to some of the ancient ways of doing things. Who ever though to eat
the inside of a prickly barb of artichoke? We're that starving so that it was an
accident to find the delectable inner heart, or did they see some animal consume it
while spitting its way past the "choke" and they decided to try it as well. I think I
had always thought about those things, but the first time I used shellac I really
found myself wanting to dig further and learn more. Who ever was it some 2000
years ago even considered using beetle excrement to cover a priceless treasure
and protect it. So many things that on the surface appear ludicrous for the uses
and manner they ended up being.
Went and checked out your paintings. I definitely like your technique. Not so many
artist willing to get that involved in the process and get their hands dirty. Art is
sentient and feeling it through the body and soul should be part of the creation. A
piece speaks much louder to others when it has the imprints of the creator I think.
I unfortunately am not so free in thought and creation to be that way. I do a lot of
May 19, 2013. 1:01 PM Reply
May 19, 2013. 11:26 PM Reply
3
May 19, 2013. 10:43 PM Reply
12
May 19, 2013. 11:21 PM Reply
3
May 19, 2013. 1:55 PM Reply
bpar k 1000 says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to bpark1000
El venChi l d says:
k j egel an (author) in reply to ElvenChild
agi s68 says:
landscapes from "back home" I think keeping the memories of the mountains fresh
in my mind helps me tolerate the dry desolate area where I am at. Plus I have
unfortunately had to resort to painting for the sake of what others will buy more
than I would like to. Have to support my habit, and paints and pigments aren't
cheap. I would love to create in such a way that my hands were covered in the
pigments of creation. I do really like the eye picture. It reminds me of a
photograph I had done of my daughters eye to study in preparation of an idea for
an acrylic that I never got to. Did keep the eye photo tho and have worked it into
a photoshop creation. The overlays of people are also very intriguing. You are
quite talented! And it was nice seeing your daughter working by your side on the
chrome parts. DNA can't be left to its own devices for forming young minds in
creativity. Of course I think the United States had such a poor educational system
that creativity is left far in the background and the lack of individual attention to
each child's strengths and desires leaves too many behind.
Yes, although I have never even been to Norway, I have often thought it would be
a wonderful place to live. I'm sure what my imagination pictures it as is not entirely
correct, but it would be nice to see someday and find out just what it is like. I tried
to upload a photo of a corner in the room relegated to storage so I could show
you some of my work. It stayed trying for a few minutes and I don't think ipad and
instructable programs always mesh. But if you go to pintrest you can find a few
things I've dont I think. I am not onto the social network side of things, I don't like
much of what shows who I am being broadcasts on the Internet. But I do post a
limited amount of things especially enjoy posting instructsbles to share a little of
what I have learned over time. I am "Barefoot Artist" on pintrest if you ever want
to check it out. And yes I type far tooooo much ha ha
Be sure when doing electrolysis (whether plating, pickling or rust removal), to have the
"other electrode" (anode for plating and rust removal), or cathode (for pickling) be
distributed and surrounding the work so the electrolytic current will be uniform all around.
Hello..! Yes..you are completely right. I didn`t got that clear in the Instructable. But
if the part is plated ,hanging in a wire under the agitation pump, you need to have
an even distance to the anodes. In my case, the tank was to small for the job
actually. So I had to keep moving the part all the time. This was boring and time
consuming, but I got a good result.
And, for the first time doing this I thougt it went very well.
Kjetil
What car is that? It looks nice.
Thank you,....;) This is an Austin Ten Lichfield Deluxe - 1936 model. Produced in
the UK. Not a big car, but fun to drive..! 21 horsepowers ,4 sylinder. Around 700
kilos.
Have a nice day...Kjetil
this is fantastic job!!! I will try it for my classic motorcyle!!!! thnk you
18
May 19, 2013. 10:29 AM Reply c ol ar gol et says:
1-40 of 50 Next
Wow, cool instructable. I always wanted to know how to chrome plate stuff, now I know.
Thanks for the instructable.
About Us
Who We Are
Advertise
Contact
J obs
Help
Fi nd Us
Facebook
Youtube
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+
Resour c es
For Teachers
Artists in Residence
Forums
Answers
Mobi l e
Download our new apps for
iOS and android!
Android iOS
Go Pro Today
We're Hiring!
espaol
portugus
Deutsch

()
English
Terms of service | Privacy Policy | Legal Notices & Trademarks | Mobile Site
J oin our newsletter:
J oin!
Copyright 2013 Autodesk Inc. All rights reserved.
Post Comment
Join!