Zinc Plating at Home

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ABQTBird
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by ABQTBird »

Vanillin: this is usually a powder? And Wikipedia says it does not like do dissolve in water (about 10g per Liter @ 25 degrees Celsius).
It comes dissolved in alcohol, the drinkable stuff, ethanol. When I dumped the brown stuff in the bath it seemed to stay dissolved. I am having a lazy day. It's damn hot out there again, 97F but it looks like a thunderstorm might hit and cool things down. I guess I could take a trip to Wal-Mart and see if I can find the clear stuff.
Tom in Albuquerque
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blab
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by blab »

I haven't been to the workshop for a couple of days and when I went there yesterday I discovered that mold was swimming on the surface of the bath. Any experience here? How often do you set up a new bath? I guess that's the Karo syrup I have in there. Or is it?
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by ABQTBird »

I haven't had any experience with mold, but now that I am skipping the Karo, I usually dump my tank after I am done with a batch and have nothing else until the next subassembly has been taken off of the car. It is probably Karo, as you said. Also, the acidity must have neutralized a bit because I don't know if mold can grow in an acidic environment, but who knows. Do you have a lid for you bucket? That would help eliminate evaporation. Since you can smell the acetic acid, it must be evaporating out of the tank. I would just dump it, get a bucket with a lid and start with a fresh tank.
Tom in Albuquerque
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1962 Corinthian White Hardtop, Medium Chestnut Metallic #89 Leather, A/C, P/W
2003 Premium Torch Red/Performance White HT, Partial Accent Interior, 1 of 47.
Past T-Bird: 1960 Convertible, 1974-1978
blab
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by blab »

I had a foil over the bucket to avoid water evaporating. It wasn't air tight though. Next bath will be without Karo.

Thank you. :smile:
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

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You can email me at rt66tbird@comcast.net. I should have given that to you a long time ago.
Tom
Tom in Albuquerque
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1962 Corinthian White Hardtop, Medium Chestnut Metallic #89 Leather, A/C, P/W
2003 Premium Torch Red/Performance White HT, Partial Accent Interior, 1 of 47.
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blab
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by blab »

Thank you. :smile:
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caseyc
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by caseyc »

Hi Guys,
I was wondering have you ever tried, and to what success, doing something as large as the hood hinges? I was on Jim Wulf's site and saw his beautiful resurection of his 63 M code and his how to on replacing the hinges. In both cases it looks like the hinges are yellow cad. My hinges are in good shape, and after cleaning look ok so its hard to spend the money on new. But I would like that yellow cad touch when I put them back. Also how much money would i have to outlay to do something that big. I already have the power supply I would need.
As always Thanks so much for the help.
CASEY C
62 tbird,41 chevy pickup project, 46 cadillac project
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by ABQTBird »

I think the hood hinges are beyond the realm of this little process. One issue is that most likely the parts were plated prior to being assembled. Then, as you can see, they were assembled to never be disassembled. When you try to re-plate them, you will have "shadows" where parts overlap. I have purchased the repro hinges and they come with that nice "chromate" finish and seem to be of decent quality. They are $200. I say chromate because I am trying to clarify cadmium vs. zinc plating. Either one can be chromated to give it that nice yellow rainbow color. Cadmium plating is kind of silvery in color whereas zinc is usually a brighter gray finish. Then either one can be dipped in chromic acid or sodium dichromate and you can no longer tell the difference. However, the hinges were most likely cadmium plated as it was inexpensive back in the day. Cadmium plating is mostly reserved for the aircraft industry now, as it is more durable and offers more lubricity than zinc. I suspect that the new hinges are zinc/chromate and who knows what country they come from.

You might try looking up a plating shop in your area, and see how much it would cost to have them re-plated if you really want to keep the old ones. I am a stickler for originality where practical just as you probably are. Here in Albuquerque, NM, there isn't much in the way of plating shops because there just isn't much industry here that would demand it. If you live in a major industrial area, you might have more luck. Cad plating will be harder to find than zinc, simply due to environmental issues. Also, the old plating will have to be stripped off which may run into a cost also.

Stay in touch and let me know what you decide.
Tom in Albuquerque
61-63 Forum Moderator
1962 Corinthian White Hardtop, Medium Chestnut Metallic #89 Leather, A/C, P/W
2003 Premium Torch Red/Performance White HT, Partial Accent Interior, 1 of 47.
Past T-Bird: 1960 Convertible, 1974-1978
caseyc
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by caseyc »

Thank you for your answer. I think that there are some plating shops in the Sacramento area a few hours away. And I know there are several down by Los Angeles. I think I will try to make some phone calls and see if I can find anyone doing the yellow cad, and how many $$$$. Like you say the hinges are probably a little too much area and twists and turns to end up nice. I can tell you have done a lot of research into doing this correctly. Someone at work suggested Eastw.... ( I dont know if we are supposed to name companies) yellow cad paint process. I know that it is not original but I was wondering if you had ever seen how that turns out.
CASEY C
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Re: Zinc Plating at Home

Post by ABQTBird »

Yes, you can name companies here, no problem. As for Eastwood, they have this kit, but I am skeptical of the results. It's paint and I don't think you are going to fool anyone. I read some of the reviews and looked at the pictures, but it looks bad to me. http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-golden-cad-system.html

Yes, your chances are better in CA, except the environmental laws are probably the strictest in the nation. I'd be curious to know what you find out.
Tom in Albuquerque
61-63 Forum Moderator
1962 Corinthian White Hardtop, Medium Chestnut Metallic #89 Leather, A/C, P/W
2003 Premium Torch Red/Performance White HT, Partial Accent Interior, 1 of 47.
Past T-Bird: 1960 Convertible, 1974-1978
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