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#1
15th July 2017, 07:24 PM
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DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
While I'm waiting to see if I can find an '85 GPZ900S Tank ?
 I decided I'd keep going with the rest of it as 'Something to do' Decided to go Nickel Plating !! Some of the parts are rotten and can't be replaced at all or in a kit like the rusty engine head bolts with the big flange. Can't change some of the odd nuts & bolts with Stainless. Quick bit of research, Some advice from a scientist, few bits of scrap. Tested on a 5c first.  Brake lever plunger. Bit of prep, dunk, Good as new. This opens up a whole new world trying to replace old bits, or polishing them to find the rust coming back within a week. Learn something new every day... 
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#4
15th July 2017, 09:50 PM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
Tell us all more. Have a shed full of old sockets and spanners belonging to my father and worth a fortune if you needed to buy them that need that treatment. Plus I own a KTM...
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#8
15th July 2017, 11:27 PM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
Parts need to be cleaned or blasted to get EVERYTHING off except the original metal.they also need some tiny surface etching, (Rougher = Duller)
Clean with Hydrochloric acid to get ALL marks off, fingerprints, grease etc (Drain unblocker / Patio cleaner...It'll mention HC in the ingredients. Mr Price - €4 Rinse with DI water (Spray bottle is handy) Do not let dry, do not touch again. Repeat every time you make a balls of it. You need: Pure Nickel. > 99% I think. Some people use pure N welding rods with the flux taken off, If you are really hard up... remove it from a guitar string...or you can just buy a plate of it in a 'metal suppliers' NOTE: I think some of it or all of it is hard so you can't cut or machine it easily. i.e. buy two rather than halving the one. Nickel acetate (The green stuff): You can buy (or find  )Nickel plating solution or utube how to make it.I think you connect one piece of Nickel to + and - in a mixture of Vinegar or something and after about 2 hours its green and ready. Get a power supply (seen utubes of <5V phone chargers), but the range is about 1.5 to 2 ish VDC so a variable V/C unit is best (but not cheap) Connect + to one piece of Nickel with wire, put it down the side of the jar / Plastic container with the green solution (one on each side is better 'cos you won't be able to plate the opposite side unless you turn it around. Connect part (untouched, clean) to (-) put in between plates. Turn on power Low voltage with low current. don't let the parts touch. Or do.. and let us know what happens Wait ~ 3 mins. Thats it in a nutshell, but there's a whole mess of maths for Faradays law which you are supposed to use to get the correct current and time for speed and thickness ~3 Microns base on the surface area of the part in Dm^2 'Fizzing' is bad... to much power. Don't sniff the gas or wing it with a phone charger and maybe a resistor or two. If it's not done properly.. it promotes rust so will be 'worser' If the surface was dirty, the result will be dark patches If the plating method isn't 100%, it can scrape off like cheap rattle can. Every thread on www gets taken over by coating experts explaining why YOU can't do it from the EPA to not reading the 23000 page book blah. I recon you just need to find or make solution, get Nickel and the rest is DIY Fcuk em... mine looks fine, but I've never done it before, know FA about it and it might be rusted again tomorrow) And No.. you can't plate Aluminium - Unless you zink it first or electroless plate it .. ish. Que.. biker chemist 
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#10
16th July 2017, 12:40 AM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
nice work,tis quite interesting and very easy to get immersed in(fnar)
ive a 2 gallon triple chrome plating kit here from caswell,with lots of additional gubbins,heaters,20A variable power supply,copper,nickel and chrome,cleaner stuff,and zincate solution for plating aluminium,and other stuff.and instructions lolused to be big into it but of course dont have the time anymore.tis packed away in the shed but i cant see me getting the time to use it again.if anyones interested i can stick it up for sale here or pm me. copper and nickel are quite easy to get good results,need to leave it a good few minutes for a thickness to last outside,chrome a bit more tricky and heavier on the amps but still doable,thats just a final coat though,the durability is in the nickel.had some good results with it.and on aluminium too.
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#11
16th July 2017, 01:22 AM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
I've done nickel ... pffttt
So a whole kit .. I'd love to have a go at ally, at least until I get bored and move on to self generating hydrogen based perpetual motion. PM sent ..she's gonna be mad
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#13
Today, 10:21 AM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
Wouldn't mind Nickeling my nuts and the odd bolt or two......
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#14
Today, 11:14 AM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
Ehm, what do you do with the waste by-products of this process? Your local recycling centre wont welcome nickel suspension acid waste with open arms.
'cptr
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#15
Today, 11:58 AM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
Originally Posted by Interceptor
No joke. While I have no doubts this is all possible, it's probably not very nice to the environment. 
Still cool, though 
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#16
Today, 08:35 PM
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Re: DIY Nickel - like a new parts shop
Originally Posted by Interceptor
Dum...
Er.. Sealed plastic containers. Take it back to where I got it and put it into the controlled hazmat chem waste. This is a fully managed waste control. and my 500ml gets lost in the 50Ltr drum. Never thought of how the kit users manage ? which now makes me wonder.. is there any control over this, it seems OTC, OSHA don't classify it, some areas are OK with flushing it.. the home brew version is vinegar. I've no idea, but still.. mine will go back to the big drums
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Topic Starter
