cheap easy way to replate bandswitches, tank coils, etc....

[N3DRB The Derb]

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/plugnplate.htm

use a silver dime and buff and polish BEFORE you plate and then again after. Gonna use this on the Gonset. Taking out the bandswitch tonite. My Weller D550 is gonna get hot. 

[K9ACT]

Not sure what you mean by the dime business but I have used the gold versions of this stuff and it is easy if you dip it but the brushing method produces very inconsistent results.

And don't be confused by the carat business because it is strictly color and the 24 K looks more like brass so get the 18 k if you want it to look like gold.

I suppose "cheap" is in the eye of the beholder but $50 for the bottle of juice might not be considered so by some. 

The plating looks great but the shelf life of the juice is only a few months whether used or not.  I have never exhausted a bottle and have had to re-ordered several times so it almost becomes $50 per project.

The cyanide based stuff lasts forever but it is a bit more hazardous to use.

js

[W3RSW]

I'm not sure about apparent cheapness or ease of the "plugnplate" outfit described.  I mean they're using transformer power converted to DC just like a 'real' electroplating outfit.  They even mention full submersion if the part's small enough.

 I'd think if the coil or whatever to be plated is submersible in freezer container size, then just go ahead and read up on the voltage/current/plating time requirements, put your variac into a fil. xfor. to work, add a 5amp diode or so, use the dime, real silver dollar ($14.50's worth)of silver or whatever, another electrode, couple of wires/clamps, cyanide plating solution and go for it.  As  I recall if current was too high per square inch, etc. the plating would be grainy.

I'll bet a lot of us have plated stuff with a Lionel train transformer.  I sure have, even clamped down the whistle button to get DC.
 Lionel, - Variable, available, right voltages and we used to plate everything, even have a copper plated set of long nose pliars.  It's what we did as kids before we got a ticket.   Of course chemicals were a lot easier to obtain then.  Before I preach much more I'm going to Google home silver plating and see what comes up.
I may be all wet (plated) what with the costs these days... and you sure don't want to kype one of mum's silver spoons,  heh,heh.

[W3RSW]

Well I looked up 'home silver plating' and got;
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/silver.htm

Derb's right, $50 new is a lot cheaper than the $799 one and a half gallon kit but they do include a lot of raw silver.  I guess one could gather up a lot of this stuff cheaper and in smaller quantities but I just hate to pay $50 for a wall wort.

[N3DRB The Derb]

just to replate a tank coil and some band switch wafers and contacts for a restoration project 50 bucks is do-able. If the solution only lasts whatever a length of time, I'll plate my ass with it so I can have a ass of gold! 

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Gold is less conductive than copper or silver. But it doesn't corrode. Silver and copper do, but silver maintains higher conductivity when corroded than does copper.

[N3DRB The Derb]

It's overkill for what I am working on, but the bandswitch wafer has been arced over down to the base metal and every bronze phosphor contact except for 75 has been burned away. To make sure the unit will have no crap outs, i would rather overkill now and have no problems in the future.

IMO it was a vhf parasitic that burned everything to a crisp. Working on this as given me renewed confidence I can work on my own gear, even if I do have to hold the solder roll with my teeth when I'm having a bad day. 

BTW, the guy was a idiot for getting his gold coil plated with 24K. Too soft for plating use. A few turns down the counter and half his gold was wore off. About 10K with much silver and copper content
would be better by far. hard enough to last a while in switches and contacts yet not tarnish or corrode.

[K9ACT]

It's overkill for what I am working on, but the bandswitch wafer has been arced over down to the base metal and every bronze phosphor contact except for 75 has been burned away. To make sure the unit will have no crap outs, i would rather overkill now and have no problems in the future.

Chances are the burned away contacts won't take a good silver plate anyway. Most copper alloys must have an underplating , usually nickel, to prevent the copper from amalgamating with the silver.  The silver will disappear in days or weeks if plated directly over copper alloys.


>BTW, the guy was a idiot for getting his gold coil plated with 24K. Too soft for plating use.

As I mentioned before, the K number has nothing to do with the amount of gold.  It is simply the way plating suppliers have chosen to specify the color.  24K is very red (brassy) looking 18K is more yellow and gold like.  The gold in the solution is fine gold and the color is established with other ingredients.

If the plating wore off it was too thin or the surface not prepared correctly.

I don't claim to be a chemist but a browse of my Silver Page will give some idea of what I have done with this stuff. I have done a lot of gold plating and the wall wort was the first thing to go.

js

[k4kyv]

This system is cheaper.  No wall-wart to pay for.

http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/foxweb.dll/catalog@d:/dfs/elevclients/cemirror/ELEVATOR.FXP?PAGE=SUBCAT&SEARCH_TREE01=22_RADIORESTOR&SEARCH_TREE02=ELECTROPLATING

[N3DRB The Derb]

so 24K does not mean pure gold in the plating world?   Pure gold is much too soft for sliding contacts. The amount of actual gold in the alloy surely has an effect on the color, but on a switch that's not the primary consideration. For a switch contact, resistance to wear and sliding is much more important.

I did some reading and you're correct - I'd have to get the base metal plated first after preparation, then overlay with silver.

My local jewelers', where I bought my engagement ring from, plates things. I'm going to look into having it done and see what they say. Keep in mind only 1 wafer is defective. The other 3 are fine; if filthy and tarnished. The worse problem is going to be transplanting good contacts into the section I think. We'll see what's what when we get it removed.

BTW Don, you were the channel master a while ago on the Yaesu 101. 40 over.