(Please note that we are unable to sell any Cyanide
kits in the UK and Europe. The
questions on these products refer to the USA and other parts of the world.)
I Think I Want To Buy A Kit, But I'm nor sure whether
I'll Be Able To Figure Out How To Use It?
- Understandable! We suggest a small investment of £15.00 in our Complete
Plating Manual. Reading through this book will show you how easy it is. This
stuff is easy! We sold a kit to a 13-year-old in Houston, TX and he's plating
everything in site. Also, if you get stuck, we're here to help.
Can I Store a Kit Without The Solution Going Bad?
- Yes. You can put the kit aside for as long as you like. Just remove the anodes
and securely attach the locking lid. We recommend transferring any chrome
solution into a glass container. Acid can very slowly dissolve a plastic tank.
What Size Items Can I Plate? - Well, you can technically plate anything, but we recommend sticking to parts that are manageable. Don't bother with car bumpers or wheel rims. They require huge tanks, huge amounts of power, and way too much time. Leave items that large to the plating shops.
What If My Parts don't fit in the Tank?
- Our manual describes several ways to get around this. One trick is to use a
plastic window box, or a downspout cut in half, to plate long, thin objects.
Another is.... well, we don't want to give away too many secrets.
How Long Will My Plate Last?
- That depends on how long you plate your part for. The longer you plate it, the
longer the plate will last. All our plating kits use the same chemicals and
processes as the plating shops that plated your parts originally. You can expect
the same or better durability than the original plate.
What's
The Hardest Part of Plating?
- By far, the surface preparation. The real trick to a great looking finished
product is getting the part to look great before you plate it. It's actually
quite easy -- Using our buffing wheels and compounds, and following the
instructions in the manual, you can get the part looking like it's been plated,
before you plate it! Then you know you're ready to plate. The rest is simple.
What If I Get Stuck or Can't Get Something To Work?
- Help is just a phone call away. We've been helping people get set-up, get
results, and win shows since day one. We can usually diagnose the problem the
first time you call. To help us help you, keep detailed notes as you plate.
For example temperatures, amps, volts, the size of the items you're
plating, what metal it's made from etc. It's well worth the few bucks for a
phone call -- diagnosing problems over e-mail, fax, or mail is tedious at best.
I've Already Got Tanks & Heaters & Stuff, Can
You Give Me A Deal? - Sure! Just realise that we sell our kits at a HUGE discount over
buying the parts individually. You'll save some money if you don't want certain
parts, but you get a better overall 'deal' if you buy a kit. Give us a call and
we'll work something out.
Why Would Anyone Want To Copper Plate?
- Copper is probably the most useful kit we sell. Plating shops use copper as a
kind of high build filler, and so do we. Because copper is a soft metal, it can
then be buffed up to a high shine, smooth even finish. This removes any small
pits or scratches or other defects that would show up in the final finish.
Copper can also be soldered using our Plum-Loy or Solder-It, to fill in more
serious marks.
How Can I Plate Onto Plastic?
- You can plate onto most non-conductive parts by using one of our conductive
coatings. The part is coated with a conductive paint, which makes the part
conductive. You can then immersion plate the part in your plating tank.
Can I Use Your Kits to Plate Aluminium?
- Yes! Using our new Zincate Concentrate the parts are pre-treated and can them
be plated in most of our plating kits.
Why is a pre-treatment Required?
- Because aluminium forms an oxide layer when exposed to air. This layer
prevents plating from sticking and must be removed by zincating. The Zincate
leaves a thin layer of zinc over the aluminium, which prevents another oxide
layer from forming when removed from the solution. This oxide layer also makes
keeping polished aluminium looking good, so hard. A good wax or polish will
prevent the oxide layer from forming for a few months.
If Copy Cad Isn't Cadmium, What Is It?
- It's magic! No, it is actually a type of zinc plate. We've changed the
chemicals and messed around with the colour until it was right for colour,
hardness and durability.
How do you remove old chrome plate?
- By using a weak solution of hydrochloric acid and a stainless steel or lead
sheet, you can reverse plate the chrome off. Because chrome plate is a very thin
layer, the chrome is stripped very quickly. You can also buff the chrome off
with an abrasive compound, such as emery, or a Brightex wheel.
How do you remove nickel plate?
- By using an acid pickle made from diluted battery acid and a stainless steel
or lead sheet, you can reverse plate the nickel. This technique is described in
detail in our plating manual.
Do I Need To Spend A Fortune On A Rectifier?
- No! You can use a 12v or 6v battery and car or motorbike light bulbs in the
circuit to control the current. Our manual demonstrates how to do this, along
with a few other low cost power control ideas. Rectifiers are useful tools if
you can afford them, but not necessary.
How About Silver Plating?
- Our The Silver Solution and Silver Maintenance Solution do a good job of
silver plating small objects safely. We also have a cyanide free Electro-Silver
Plating Solution as well,
How About Gold? - We have several gold plating kits. Both
these kits are designed to be used as brush plating set-ups. We also have a
cyanide free gold plating solution.
What Is Aluminium Anodise?
- It's a very hard coating that is electrochemically grown out of the aluminium.
It is great for corrosion resistance because it is so hard, but if it does
become dull and need polishing, forget it! It takes on the appearance of the
aluminium before it is anodised, i.e. If the aluminium is polished and shiny,
the anodise will be shiny. If it is rough, sand cast, the anodise will appear
similar. It can also be coloured using a million different combinations of food
dye.
If Polishing It Is So Hard, Why Would Anyone Anodise
Anything? -
Because aluminium oxidises so quickly, it requires almost constant polishing to
keep it looking great. Anodising the part prevents the oxidisation process, and
maintains the finish much longer. It also resists scratching. The downside is
that once the anodise has become dull, the only thing to do is to chemically
strip it using Anodise Stripper or sandblast it off, then re-apply.
What Is Electroless Plating?
- Electroless plating requires no power source. The metal is deposited on the
part using a complex chemical reaction, rather than being forced onto the part
by a power source. Electroless plating usually requires that the solution be
heated to high temperatures (190eF) for the reaction to take place.
What are the Advantages over Regular Electroplating?
- Firstly, you don't have to spend money on a power source and you don't have to
make any electrical calculations or connections. You don't have to worry about
anode placement, because the solution will plate anywhere that it contacts, even
inside tubes. You get very even coverage. It surface plates in pits and other
irregular areas and also plates inside odd shapes easily.
What are the Disadvantages? - Because the solution needs to be heated to high temperatures, it needs to be placed in a Pyrex container and placed onto a heat source, like a hob or gas ring, so you're limited in the size of the part you can plate by the size of the Pyrex tank. You can't use a metal tank because the solution will actually plate the tank itself. Also, the metal plates out of the solution, so it needs replacement much more quickly than regular electroplating solutions.