DESPERATE TO GET NICKLE PLATING TO WORK, CAN ANYONE HELP ?

[antiquetele123]

HI ,, DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW HOW TO DO NICKLE PLATING AT HOME , I JUST BOUGHT THIS CASWELL NICKLE PLATING KIT , FALLOWED ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS AND ABBSOLUTLY NOTHING HAPPENS , USED A WIRE BRISTLE BRUSH ON A ELECTRIC DRILL TO PREP. METAL PARTS , CLAMPED ON ALLIGATOR CLIP TO PART ANS ATTEMPTED TO BRUSH ON PLATING AND NOTHING HAPPENS . I TAKE IT IVE BEEN HAD AS FAR AS THE KIT GOES, AS THERE MUST BE MUCH MUCH MORE TO DOING METAL PLATING THAN THE INSTRUCTIONS LEAD ON TO , I GUESS KIT IS TOTTLE GIMMICK ,, THIS IS EXSTREAMLY FUSTERATING . IF ANYONE HAS SOME POINTERS OF HOW TO DO PLATING AT HOME WOULD REALY APPRICIATE SOME ADVISE . I REALLY DONT WANT TO PUT THE PARTS BACK ON THE PHONOGRAPH NOW THAT THEY ARE VERY BROWN AND GREY & VERY VERY UGLY LOOKING . ITS A SUPER MINT PHONOGRAPH CASE ALL ORIGANAL FINISH . IM ALLSO AFRAID TO SEND THE PARTS OFF TO SOMEONE AS IVE HAD VERY BAD LUCK AS FAR AS THAT GOES ,, LOST OR BROKEN ITEMS IS THE RESULT OF THAT EXSPERIANCE . WOULD REALLY APPRICIATE IF SOMEONE CAN TELL ME HOW TO DO PLATING AT HOME,, WHAT IS THE MAJIC TO THIS .,,,, ANYWAY ,,,; THANKS A BUNCH IF YOU CAN HELP ,,,;CHRIS B.

[physicist]

Hi,

The kit that you have SHOULD work. I was, briefly, concerned that you might have bought the black nickel plating system which would give a dark result instead of the standard nickel system but I think, from your pictures, that you have the correct kit.
It's important to clean the parts thoroughly before you start plating and you will need to buff the plated parts to get a shiny finish (I'm guessing you may have missed this stage).
The instructions also list the metals that the plating will work on:- steel, iron and copper based alloys. It will not work directly on pot metal. If you have pot metal, it needs to be copper plated first before then adding a nickel plating layer.

Hope this helps....

[recordmaker]

How Frustrating.

However I would suggest you do some test plating a non phonograph pieces of metal that are clean and new and must be degreased. (Detergent solution and then acetone for example)

You cannot have a plating surface too clean or polished before you start the plating is often then easy but the cleaning is time consuming and hard work on old parts.
if you have degreased a part then, when dipped in water surface will be evenly covered with no pooling up a, condition referred to as having no water break on the surface.

I assume the power supply was supplied by Casswell?
if not are you sure it is the correct voltage and is the polarity right.

The metal you are plating must be on the negative (cathode) side of the supply.

[Lucius1958]

Hi,

The kit that you have SHOULD work. I was, briefly, concerned that you might have bought the black nickel plating system which would give a dark result instead of the standard nickel system but I think, from your pictures, that you have the correct kit.
It's important to clean the parts thoroughly before you start plating and you will need to buff the plated parts to get a shiny finish (I'm guessing you may have missed this stage).
The instructions also list the metals that the plating will work on:- steel, iron and copper based alloys. It will not work directly on pot metal. If you have pot metal, it needs to be copper plated first before then adding a nickel plating layer.

Hope this helps....

Even with iron, it's best to plate the parts in copper first. Unless the surface is absolutely perfect and spotlessly clean, nickel plating directly on iron will
be vulnerable to peeling.

-Bill