Zinc plating Passivation plant setup (DIY)

[sarel.wagner]

Started buying a Zinc plating plant components. Currently setting it up. Made the brackets for the top to bolt to the wall last night, will bolt it all up today. Will take some pictures of it all going together.

Anybody else with plating equipment on here?

Rgrds

 

[38Chevy454]

Home plating in small quantities is OK, but you quickly can get into hazardous waste disposal issues. Not something most do at home. You should be putting a chromate conversion coating on after the zinc for best results. Chromate can be clear (really slight blue tint), yellow to gold, olive drab or black colrs. Zinc will be silver color by itself.

BTW, passiviation is totally different than plating. Zinc is a sacrificial plating using the galvanic series as the basis. Zinc is anodic to iron. Passivation is not plating and is a method to lower the surface potential with respect to the galvanic series (make it more cathodic, or less reactive).

 

[Falcon67]

Plating goes to some company that has already delt with the EPA, Hazmat and local environmental regs and issues. Easier to to home powder coating.

 

[jwhcars]

We used to have a jewelry repair shop and did gold and rhodium plating.
The local fire dept liked to do preplaning and when they found out that the
Gases could kill you they where there the next day.

 

[chickenhauler]

Caswell's Copy Cad is the easiest to work with... Copper is pretty easy to plate, but Nickle (Copy Chrome) was a major PITA. I haven't even looked at my tanks for over a year. Zinc is nice, it plates quick, and pretty easily.

 

[sarel.wagner]

In case you missed it, I am not in the USA. I do comply fully to my local codes.


One shaft before and one after Zinc plating and Chromate passivation.
First results, perfect!

Rgrds

 

[Falcon67]

No, we didn't miss it. There's a reason we can't just buy one of your local cars, put it in a box and ship it over here to drive. It's called the EPA and be glad you don't have one. The requirements for the chemicals used for plating has run most small or marginal shops out of the business. I used to work for a company that had it's own plating / anodizing shop and paint shop. When we moved to Houston in 1992, the local authorities and TNRCC (backed by EPA regs) basically said "you ain't bringing that **** with you, period." Not all bad I think - our plating shop was a potential Super Fund site anyway. You'd felt like you were getting a birth defect just walking through there.

There is rule making in progress to limit how much or many cars a DIY car crafter can paint, and is some areas you can't do that under any circumstances.

 

[justsam]

Home plating in small quantities is OK, but you quickly can get into hazardous waste disposal issues. Not something most do at home. You should be putting a chromate conversion coating on after the zinc for best results. Chromate can be clear (really slight blue tint), yellow to gold, olive drab or black colrs. Zinc will be silver color by itself.

BTW, passiviation is totally different than plating. Zinc is a sacrificial plating using the galvanic series as the basis. Zinc is anodic to iron. Passivation is not plating and is a method to lower the surface potential with respect to the galvanic series (make it more cathodic, or less reactive).

I have a question regarding galvanizing which I know nothing about, and it appears you are on your game!

I want to use the proper hardware for some redwood above ground planter boxes that will not leave rust stains on my high dollar redwood. I have seen what I believe to be zinc chromate (yellow color) used, however after reading the attached link, it looks like galvanized is the way for longer term. The use is outdoors, and with soil contact.

I realize it is not 100% garage related, but I am building them in my garage. What is your recommendation?

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/galvanize.html

 

[gorilla]

That's a Jaguar rear suspension part, good luck with that job.

 

[sarel.wagner]

I have a question regarding galvanizing which I know nothing about, and it appears you are on your game!

I want to use the proper hardware for some redwood above ground planter boxes that will not leave rust stains on my high dollar redwood. I have seen what I believe to be zinc chromate (yellow color) used, however after reading

What is your recommendation?

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/galvanize.html

That's a Jaguar rear suspension part, good luck with that job.

@Justsam,
Sorry mate, no idea

@Gorilla, well spotted, its in a Cobra Kit car being rebuild after PO messed it up bad.

Rgrds

 

[38Chevy454]

I have a question regarding galvanizing which I know nothing about, and it appears you are on your game!

I want to use the proper hardware for some redwood above ground planter boxes that will not leave rust stains on my high dollar redwood. I have seen what I believe to be zinc chromate (yellow color) used, however after reading the attached link, it looks like galvanized is the way for longer term. The use is outdoors, and with soil contact.

I realize it is not 100% garage related, but I am building them in my garage. What is your recommendation?

http://www.mechanicsupport.com/galvanize.html

Galvanized hardware like you are going to use is "hot dip galvanized". Actually is dunked into liquid zinc and is not electroplated. The hot dip has a much thicker coating and is good for outside use. It does not have chromate, it is just the thick layer of zinc. It will not last forever, as the zinc does get depleted as it sacrifices itself (hence the term sacrificail coating), but is about the best choice besides using a stainless steel bolt. Increased moisture will cause it to deplete faster. Keep it dry and it will last a lot longer. May not be an option for your outdoor use.