Jump to content

Electroplating At Home

Vich
 Share

Recommended Posts

Vich Distinguished Member

Vich

Posted
Posted

Just noticed that my Accutron which is humming nicely still no longer looks as "golden as it used to".  The sides are really worn now and look more like nickel or SS whilst the back which is separate is still in really good condition, this after only about 8 months, though I did wear it continuously for about a month in LA and was hot and sweaty most of the time. 

 

I have a couple of 10k Accurton cases and may swap it over. But I would not sell this case on to anyone.  I think that the person I bought it from must have used an immersion kit to give it a good but quite temporary shine.

I was wondering if anyone has dabbled in home plating.  I have a bit of old gold in my drawer so the raw material is there.  I believe the solution can be made up by dissolving gold in a Hydrochloric / Nitric acid mix and then you are looking at the transference via a current through the liquid.

 

Has anyone tried this ?

 

Cheers,

 

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vich Distinguished Member

Vich

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I think I will look into it.  It seems like an interesting and potentially usefull thing to be able to do, especially with old watch cases or even crowns. 

 

I like Bobs info particularly the electroplating in miniature part. 

 

I think that one of the highest costs is the soulution itself and if we can get that bit sorted out it might be quite feasible.  Worth a shot anyway.

 

Cheers,  Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vich Distinguished Member

Vich

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Thanks Nigel, I will PM you about it.

 

Still tied up with the amp but always on the look out for something new and interesting.

 

Bob's suggestion is looking good as those small kits are available in the UK as well.  i think the most costly thing is the electrolytic fluid, if you can make that yourself I think the problem is largely cracked.  Lots of nasty chemicals involved but nothing I have not used before.  Muriatic Acid is, I believe just Hydrochloric acid which is available from most DIY places as it is used to wash down brickwork - further research needed :D

 

Cheers,

 

Vic

Edited by Vich
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mark Distinguished Member

Mark

Posted
Posted

I used to have a big plating machine. There are two main kinds of plating, flash plating and hard plating and I used to do both with it.

 

Flash plating OK for anything that will not come into contact with your skin as it will wear off very fast. This is more useful for plating watch hands or movement plates etc. not so much for plating cases due to the lack of durability. The pen plating kit falls into this category.

 

Then there is hard plating. This is suited for watch cases as the plating is more thicker, typically 5 or 10 microns or more. The hard plating solutions are very prohibitively expensive for one-off jobs and you need an agitator as the piece needs to be in the solution for a long time and always on the move.

 

Some materials (like brass) will need a base coat (nickel (poisonous), Rhodium (expensive)) to start with as you cannot gold plate directly onto it.

 

I never managed to plate onto SS as I never had the knowledge or equipment to do so.

 

I am by no means an expert on plating, just a complete novice really. I keep a pen plating kit as it is useful for touching up bit and pieces on occasion. But I would say that plating onto a SS case could be very difficult and I would rather send the case in to a pro.

 

Be warned though - if you do get into plating (it's fun) then you will be looking all over the house for stuff to plate :D

 

I hope this helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vich Distinguished Member

Vich

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the info Mark. 

 

I take it that you purchased your electrolyte rather than made it up yourself.  It seems like that is the main cost. 

 

I just thought it may be interesting and a bit of fun and you have confirmed that.  I am still on the research phase but it seems like it is not too difficult but some of the chemicals are a tad nasty.  Loads of stuff on you tube about it - one is a guy from the uk using household cleaners to make up the electrolyte !? I have not seen all of his Vids yet but had to laugh as he explained that there was a US patent which he could not infringe then proceeded to tell what the constituent components were.

 

Cheers,

 

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mark Distinguished Member

Mark

Posted
Posted

Never made my own salts - used to purchase from CooksonGold.com or HSWalsh

 

Now I just use a pen plater and I only use that a handful of times a year. There are sellers on eBay with kits at a reasonable price so that may be the best route because the kits from Cookson or walsh are quite pricy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • RichardHarris123
      Simeon from Down Under

      By RichardHarris123 · Posted

      Hello and welcome from Leeds, England. 
    • Simeon
      Simeon from Down Under

      By Simeon · Posted

      Hi,   My name is Simeon I am based in Sydney, Australia and have recently got into watch repair / watch making.  I am very much a learner having serviced multiple forgotten watches, some of which were actually successful!   I have a slowly growing collection of watches, mainly old Soviet, a few Japanese and (not pictured) some Raketas, a Poljot Alarm, an Omega Speedmaster Reduced and a vintage (1972) Tissot Seastar.  I like unloved vintage watches, with quirky faces and enjoy bringing them back to life through the simple(!) act of disassembly, clearing and reassembly. I am an Electrical Engineer who also undertook a trade apprenticeship so I am reasonably handy - It's fair to say, I know just enough to get myself in trouble. 
    • Waggy
      Chinese clone demagnetizers

      By Waggy · Posted

      ha ha looks like a WMD.....you know I want one now  
    • Simeon
      Citizen Cosmotron X8 04-4800 Fault finding

      By Simeon · Posted

      I took a chance on a non running Cosmotron X8 ("perhaps just needs a new battery" said the advert). Sure enough, I open it up and it has the wrong battery installed (a Renata 344 rather than the correct Renata 386) and the screws holding the battery contact had been sheared off to half a head on both ends. Ho ho, I thought - there's the problem. I got the broken screws out easily enough and as soon as I placed the correct battery in place the balance started. This picked up speed when I reinstalled one side of the battery contact and looked like it was a runner. As I was trying to get the replacement screws in, I did one side but the second was a bit of struggle (hold down the battery contact against its spring while dropping the screw in with tweezers) the balance stopped again. This time it wouldn't start again. 98 percent sure that I didn't stick anything, anywhere important or break it in a mechanical way. The battery was in place for most of the struggling with the contact, so it might have had an intermittent connection which could have upset the electronics. I tried giving it a puff with the blower but the balance doesn't seem to rotate in the normal way, it seems to be held in a static position by magnet. It can be pulled out of this position but spins back and stops dead. This may well be correct for all I know. Anyway, does anyone know anything about these watches and can tell me how I would go about and fault find this? I will be servicing it at some point so should be able to rule out mechanical issues from an old watch but not sure where to start with the electrical part of it.
    • DonEilenberger
      Seiko kinetic generator coil

      By DonEilenberger · Posted

      Sorry to reopen a necro-thread (long dormant) - I have a Seiko Kinetic 5M42A that needs at least one coil, possibly both. Anyone know of any sources?  The usual fallback of eBay has failed me - there are people selling coils, but not the ones for this movement (which was apparently a very popular movement, used in Seiko and Pulsa branded watches.) The coil numbers are: 4002 516,  and 4002 519 I'd also love to find a source for spares of the screws used all over this movement - they're Seiko PN 0022 247 Thanks! (Moderator - if this should be a new thread, please do feel free to tell me, or drag this one into a new thread.) Don Eilenberger
×
×
  • Create New...