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Thread: Removing plating

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    84

    Unhappy Removing plating

    I've spent the last day and a half trying to take the copper colour off a piece I'm working on. I made fresh hot pickle, I left it in overnight, I left it in all day yesterday, I tried the hydrogen peroxide trick...nothing seemed to help. And I was quite baffled as to why only one component had gone pink when even the piece of silver soldered to it was fine.

    Finally this morning I recalled that I had some notes about the failed experiment in wire knitting that I'd recycled to make the bit in question. Turns out it was actually silver-plated wire, not sterling.

    I've succeeded in taking off the plating, all right - but it was silver plate from copper, not copper from silver!


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
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    5,256

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    Argh! How annoying... I wonder if I might have tried scraping the surface slightly; possibly not if I'd decided it was plating from the pickle.

    *But* it's a really good demonstration of the benefit of a logbook.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    Central London
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    A while back I popped into our local ironmonger and asked for a reel of copper wire. When I got home, the label said 'copper plated wire'. Copper plated what, exactly?

    We all suffer from Sod's Law. Dennis.
    Last edited by Dennis; 13-04-2012 at 11:33 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    84

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    Peter, good point about the logbook - I should buy a proper book and start keeping everything together instead of scribbled on bits of paper (mind, I did know right where the bit of paper was, when I remembered its existence).

    Dennis, the question is, what happens when you pickle the copper plated wire?!

    I've remade the bits in question and, touch wood, I seem to have the whole thing soldered together. Will post pics when it's finished off.

  5. #5
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    Dec 2009
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    Central London
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    [Quote] what happens when you pickle the copper plated wire?![Quote] Answer, you get a puff of smoke and a genie appears.

    Glad it ended well and very much look forward to some pix. My old teacher used to say 'It's the learning curve' and I would think, but not say 'b....r the learning curve, I just want to get on.' Dennis.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    84

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    Pics on the show and tell board and in my album.

    Elynor

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