Copper Plating?

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mash rookie
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Copper Plating?

Post by mash rookie »

With the price of copper continuing to go up has any one considered having mild steel parts copper plated? Maybe just the column?

I don’t know what my local chrome shop would charge but I know they can copper plate as thick as they want. They told me that parts for my antique car were so pitted that they would have to do an extra thick copper coat and polish that down to get the parts smooth before they could chrome them.

I know our copper corrodes during distillation. The scrubbers seem to take the worst of it but still have plenty of material after many runs.
Prairiepiss
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by Prairiepiss »

I personally wouldn't even consider it. But that's me. Example copper plated scrubbys. They rust and fall apart quickly. I know its not very thick. But still.
And you are talking column. How are you going to know if the inside of a length of pipe has been coated evenly and thick enough? Soldering? Is it possible? What happens to the playing when heated?

Cost? How much is it going to cost to buy a suitable pipe have them polish the inside to get a good coat and then have it plated thick enough to be worthy? (it couldn't be coated thick enough for my piece of mind) So you spent all this money and time just to do it all again when the coating is gone and rust is in your distillate.

The only substitutes for copper is copper! Just my opinion and this has been discussed on here before. You mite do a search for it.

By the way I have electroplated on a small scale. Auto trim. And I wouldn't trust the stuff for a still. No matter who did it.
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Samohon
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by Samohon »

+2, gotta agree with PP on this one...
When I pour a glass of my shine, I know where it came from... :thumbup:
Stick to copper, that way you wont have any medical bills when, (and they will with this idea), things start to drop off... :ewink:

Just my 2 cents... :)
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mash rookie
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by mash rookie »

Just a thought PP. Just throwing it out there. I love my copper too.

Yes, I had done a search and it appeared that discussions were about copper plating brass fittings to avoid lead contaminations. Still curious.

Not fair comparing the idea to cheap China made coated scrubbers. They are plated just enough to make them look like copper.

Chrome plating companies can plate copper as thick as they choose by the time left in the tank. Much thicker than you could ever wear off. May be cost prohibitive though. I will ask them next week when I pick up some parts there being powder coated.

I don’t notice much corrosion on my column walls. The packing seems to suffer the bulk of the degradation. It is probably doing most of the copper work. You might get similar results if the column was stainless and used the same amount of copper packing.

I have done plating on my own as well. Not wanting to buy a rectifier, I made a setup using a six volt battery and light bulbs in a series circuit to lower the voltage. With a sulfuric acid solution I was able to nickel plate small items quite easily. Fun, but not worth the effort. Didn’t consider trying copper at the time.

This makes me consider that I might do some exterior decorating using a plating brush on the flute I am getting ready to build. I know I don’t want to try re-invent a great design so I will probably do something to pretty her up!

Thanks for responding PP

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squidd
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by squidd »

Here's another consideration MR,

The cost of copper may absurdly high right now, but I've picked up some neat 4" pipe and some fittings at the scrap yard for between $4.50 and $5.00 a pound.

In any case, you only cry once if you buy the right stuff the first time around.

My 2 cents.

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Prairiepiss
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by Prairiepiss »

Now some neet elecroplating decorative stuff on the outside would be bad a$$. That I could dig. :thumbup: Always like pretty stuff. Copper porn with accessories! : lol:
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The Baker
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by The Baker »

Is it practical and affordable to copper plate brass fittings?
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by mash rookie »

Baker,
I will ask my plating people next week. This subject does bring up a few possibility's where plating could be useful.

Mash
violentblue
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by violentblue »

copper has gone up in price but not so much so that it'd be worth cutting corners.
theres lots of good options to save a few bucks, lead free brass is getting to be more readily avaliable, but plating, unless you got a connection, will probably cost more then just buying the pipe.
sterlingchap
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by sterlingchap »

Plating copper as thick as you like is perfectly feasible. Inside and out if you're worried about lead leaching from brass etc.
And you can do it yourself with little more than the correct chemicals and a battery (or cheap DC PSU).
Problem is that doing it the "textbook" way with copper sulphate as the electrolyte usually gives very poor results. You'll have to try it and see.
Alternative chemicals use is a "black art" (trade secrets abound). But with a bit of web reading and testing, you can soon find something useable (do NOT try cyanide-based solutions; they work well, but you might not anymore if something goes wrong!) Once you have derived your own electrolyte formula (keep hitting Google looking for copper complex electrolytes), you can plate all sorts of things including plain old steel. Which is rather useful if you want something strong, but pretty?

As part of my ideas chain for my own still design, I've been test-copper-plating brass fittings and valves mostly for cosmetic effect (copper and stainless steel contrast each other nicely!) As thick as I want, literally, and it polishes up soooo nice.
Note that copper plating stainless steel is highly problematic - it's incredibly difficult to get what at first appears as a beautiful shiny copper coat to remain stuck to the stainless steel. But it can be plated to give the cosmetic appearance of a copper tube quite easily. Just be gentle with it and don't clean it with a scouring pad!
BTW British readers, Wilkinsons near me do a 6-pack of quality stainless steel scouring pads for £1.62. Bought some yesterday. They need a thorough boiling in washing soda/detergent before rinsing and stuffing into your column though (cutting oil is used in the manufacture, I can recognise the smell).
Chap 8)
Last edited by sterlingchap on Sat May 07, 2011 1:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
The Baker
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by The Baker »

Thanks all for taking an interest and I hope for more feedback.
In my case I have an expansion chamber (copper fire extinguisher body) which has a brass fitting welded to it.
I am comfortable with treating the brass from time to time but would be delighted if it could be copper plated. Inside.
Outside too would be even better; and may be an easier, or even the only way to do it anyway.
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Re: Copper Plating?

Post by mash rookie »

Baker,

I finally spoke with my plating guy. He said copper plating is easy. He said bring any of my small parts in and he would just throw them in with my next order. I was not able to get an idea what minimum charge might be.

I guess you will have to check with your local plating Co. to see what they might charge. It should be reasonable.

He said most of the cost in chrome plating is in the polishing labor before copper plating and after copper plating before the nickel goes on.
MR
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