Q. How can I zinc plate aluminum using barrel plating?—C.J.
A. The straightforward answer is: with difficulty. You can do this, but most of the procedures used are proprietary in nature. If you want to do this you can expect some experimentation on your part before you come up with a suitable process.
The aluminum must be thoroughly cleaned and then zincated. Double zincating is usually recommended. After this step, immediately start plating with what ever metal you wish to plate. There are reports of people successfully doing this in barrels and baskets. If you want to get some idea as to what has been done in this area try a web search of "barrel plating of aluminum".
Originally published in the July 2015 issue.
Related Content
-
An Overview of Electroless Nickel Plating
By definition, electroless plating is metal deposition by a controlled chemical reaction.
-
Possibilities From Electroplating 3D Printed Plastic Parts
Adding layers of nickel or copper to 3D printed polymer can impart desired properties such as electrical conductivity, EMI shielding, abrasion resistance and improved strength — approaching and even exceeding 3D printed metal, according to RePliForm.
-
Trivalent Chrome Overview
As the finishing industry begins to move away from the use of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium, what factors should finishers consider as they make new investments? Mark Schario, chief technology officer for Columbia Chemical offers a helpful overview of this complicated topic.