I am getting close

drtyTshrt · Mar 8, 2013

Just a sample pic to show off.
http://www.electroplating.com/au.html

ilikesilver · Mar 8, 2013

nice stuff

drtyTshrt · Mar 8, 2013

Thank you. I just need to pick a process. Most all of my material is clean & plated over nickel. These are over copper. I was leaning toward nitric but I may do reverse electro plate.

Geo · Mar 9, 2013

big heavy thick base metal is not cost effective to process with nitric acid. i would recommend a stripping cell. after the initial cost of buying all the material, you can use the same cell with the same electrolyte over and over.

drtyTshrt · Mar 9, 2013

Geo said:
big heavy thick base metal is not cost effective to process with nitric acid. i would recommend a stripping cell. after the initial cost of buying all the material, you can use the same cell with the same electrolyte over and over.

Thanks Goe. This was my thought as well. These are the only big pieces I have. The rest of my material is the mil-spec pins and connectors that go with this type of stud I have shown above. With all the reading I have been doing I was going to go nitric until yesterday when I got into tearing these studs apart and read what the base material was and thought the same advice you just provided. The only thing about the pins and connectors is they are plated on the inside as well as the outside. I will have to expose both surfaces with the electro process. I think nitric is better for these I would just need more chemicals and do more processes. Oh the decisions of our addiction. I will figure it out. I have had fun just aquiering the material. I also want to try and figure a yield amount be for I start as well.