Black Zinc Plating in the Home Shop
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Looking for a metal finish like cold bluing but way more durable? You can post process zinc plated articles with a black chromate dip to give a rich, dense, black finish but with the extra corrosion resistance of regular zinc plating.
Another tip-top video Mark! Your experience as an instructor and communication style are perfect for these practical chemistry presentations.
Yet another superb video Preso! I can’t wait to finish my new workshop to be able to try some of the finishing techniques you’ve taught me. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Guy. I never get tired of seeing the parts come out of the plating tank. For the small investment in purchasing the electrolyte and the anodes you get a whole lot of options for nice finishes on your parts.
Regards,
Mark
Plating and anodizing are 2 things I've always wanted to try to do myself.. Pretty nice finish, Thanks for sharing Mark !
I've been wanting to do some protective plating for as long as I can remember. You've convinced me that the time has come so, wish me luck and, thank you for your instructive videos.
For a modest outlay you can get excellent results. Zinc is a good way to start. It will plate over most metals easily and it's way more efficient than the nickel and nickel cobalt electrolytes.
Regards,
Mark
Very informative and well presented Mark, as always. Thank for sharing.
Thanks Doug. I have made all the parts for the clamps and the next step is going to be zinc plating the frames. They will be gold passivated.
Regards,
Mark
here is a treat for you about your process, this process was accidentally invented in a place called the button factory in Broseley, Shropshire by a gentleman called Samual Howen in the late 60s. this gentleman was my grandad
That's interesting. I just googled "The Button Factory, Broseley" and although I didn't come up with your grandfathers name it did say that the button factory made medals, Red Cross badges, RAF badges and car plates so I guess that zinc plating was an important part of that process.
Regards,
Mark Presling
What a great story!
No rust on you Preso ... thanks for sharing your treatment tips.
Hi Mark. Enjoyed your video. I too am frustrated by rust damaging my parts. My situation is not as extreme as yours, but the old saying "rust never sleeps" applies here as well. One suggestion: you may not like the look, but electroless nickel is about as simple and bulletproof as it gets. It's also "self lubricating" if that helps. Clean your parts, mix & heat your solution, dip your parts, rinse with water, DONE! You can apply a coating as thin as .0001" that will protect your parts against almost any type of corrosion. Polish parts and they look like a mirror. Bead blast, and you have a nice matte finish. If you're interested, I use Caswell brand plating kits. Not sure if they are available to you, but I have a simple app that works for theirs that tells you when and how much of the chemicals to add as you are plating. Let me know and I can forward it to you. Good luck and keep the great videos coming!
Steven, we used electroless nickel in the last school I taught in. We had a 20l tub and it worked great. The only problem was the time it took to heat the solution. Jane Kits sell an electroless nickel solution and I have been tempted to get some. However I already have a regular nickel and nickel/cobalt electroplating kit. The next solution I want to get is for copper. It's a case of how many tubs of chemical can I store?
Regards,
Mark
Nicely done! Zinc coatings are something I've been wanting to incorporate into my shop for awhile.
I broke out the electrolyte just this afternoon. I plated some quick release bolts for my wood chipper and some parts for a set of Kant Twist style clamps. They will be featured in a video soon. The gold passivate looks exactly like the old cadmium plated hardware used on cars.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Thanks for the video, I am looking to duplicate 'the old cadmium' look on my '90s japanese car's hardware. This is exactly what I was looking for, I'll be able to go with the gold passivate for the exposed hardware and I'll probably go black for the hardware I want to hide. Thanks again Mark.
Not only are you a master machinist mate, you are a master chemist! I've used a lot of Birchwood Casey Perma Blue and it works great IF one really prepares the surface... a point you brought up. And the part must be oiled quickly and frequently. I'll give your chemicals a test! Thanks!!! Hope your trip was fun!
Thanks Jay. Although it's a little more work, the zinc plating is more or less permanent if it's used indoors.
Regards,
Mark
Nice work. Handy little vice stop too, very good.
Thanks. The vice stop is a very handy addition. I cannot work out why it took me so long to make one.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks Mark, great instructional video again with excellent results! Cheers, Patrick
I feel for you. Nothing worse that watching all your things turn rusty red. I sealed up my machine room and added a dehumidifier. It’s sitting at 40% all winter in Melbourne and I’ve got no rusting problems at all.
That would be a great solution if you can seal your workshop up, especially at night. On some days here I have seen moisture dripping from the roof inside. Humidity and dew point at work I am afraid.
Regards,
Mark
Love these plating vids! Thanks Mark!
Now that is a gorgeous finish Mark!
Excellent video from a fellow QLD’r. I have been looking at these kits for my workshop as an upgrade from cold bluing. I think this has me sold over some of the alternatives like parkerising.
I find that the black zinc finish give a nice rich, dark black with a nice shiny finish but it is somewhat less scratch resistant than Parkerising. Both take about the same amount of time to carry out though.
Regards,
Mark
Very nice. Great show.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Now this video has a wealth of information on surface treatment for steel. Very good. Thankyou, I can use this.( Hope the index finger gets better soon)
Thanks for that. The black zinc looks great but probably not as scratch resistant as the parkerised finish. My poor finger looks sad but it's not painful (anymore).
if you are looking to save on that passivator, you might consider a ziplock bag instead of that glass container.
Why didn't I think of that? I have lots of ziploc bags in different sizes too.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks very much for doing this video - I am soon to move to a more humid location (Florida) and this is perfect timing. I'm in a very dry place now - Colorado.
I'm in Florida. The worst part is working on the lathe or mill in the garage while sweat drips from your face or builds up on your hands...everything it drips on or you touch will rust after a day, even when its coated in oil.. I have to be very careful. Never make handles out of regular steel, lol.. I've used cold bluing with limited success. I've tried nickel plating, however the finish was uneven. I may try this method or just make everything out of stainless steel, 🤣
Our climate here is probably very similar to Florida. When it gets really humid and the sun goes down, the steel surfaces in the workshop drop in temperature. When it gets below the dew point, the humidity in the air condenses on the steel and next thing it's dripping wet. If the surface is also dusty or covered in metal dust you get almost instant rust developing on everything. Having a well insulated workshop with an air conditioner would be ideal but I am working in a mostly uninsulated steel shed. For me, zinc plating is ideal but the parkerising is almost as good. However, the zinc plate adds thickness to the parts whereas the parkerising is just modifying the existing surface not adding to it.
Regards,
Mark
Always, enjoy your videos
Good Show Mate: As is a usual thing. I notice you were using a photo development tray. Spent most of my working life in a darkroom. Brought back a memory or two.
That tray belonged to my father. I sort of inherited all his old photographic gear including the enlarger. Sadly, they are a bit of a relic from a bygone era. I also have the tongs that were used to lift the photographic paper in and out of the trays. I still recall the very distinctive smell of the old Ilford paper.
Regards,
Mark
Great idea,thank you very much for your sharing,Best regards from Algeia🇩🇿
Got the Zinc, all the bits and bobs, have done industrial done passivation, need to think of the purchase. "I Was" cheap, Now I'm Green!
Very interesting process Mark, enjoyed as usual, cheers!
Thanks Mark, well done as always!
I cannot imagine why an old Disney movie; “The Absent-minded Professor” just came to mind?????
I guess it was the sound of your bubbling chemistry in the background.
Lol! Just joshing, you make great how-to videos!
You need to have some bubbling chemicals and preferably some containers of colourful liquids with dry ice bubbling vapour all over the bench to be taken seriously! 😁
Regards,
Mark
Hello Mark,
Good video... I like this process and will start to get the required stuff to have a go myself, thank you.
Take care.
Paul,,
Paul, zinc plating is probably the easiest of the processes to get started on. The electrolyte is very efficient and it works on most metals except aluminium.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks for sharing 👍
Interesting process. I too am fighting humidity in my shop. Parts will rust if not treated.
Love your videos Mark, keep up the good work.
Heya, never heard of this black zinc treatment before. It's getting pretty humid in Melbourne as well. Good to know there's another option. I just heat up steel till it gets red and dunk it in engine oil, repeat it 3 or 4 times. I haven't had those parts rusting in a year or so, the shed gets pretty humid in winter and spring. I spray lanolin on everything I can 😬
The lanolin is great but man, it's smelly and sticky. We used a material called Lanotec at school for preserving the tools over the Christmas break. When the kids got back to school we had to swab everything down with kerosene before we could use the tools again. The zinc treatment is more or less permanent and you get several options for the colour depending on which chromate dip you use.
Regards,
Mark
I've had good luck using a piece of PVC pipe with a cap on one end to soak long parts (files in evaporust for example). Keeps the volume down so less fluid is needed.
Andrew, I have just ordered four sheets of 6mm PVC sheet to be turned into plating tanks of different form factors. They will all be designed to hold 4 litres of solution but I can size them to take long skinny parts or odd shapes. I have seen the PVC tube vessels used to etch Damascus steel or for cleaning files with acid. The issue with electroplating it to be able to fit the anodes and the heater into the tank as well as the parts. The pipe idea would be ideal for the chromate solutions which just need to be sized to take the part only.
Regards,
Mark
Very interesting Mark.
Great process Mark! Just the ticket for the home shop. Say, as it seems you're the TH-cam guru on surface finishes now (definitely my goto source anyway), I was wondering if you had any experience with vibratory tumbling if that's what it's called. I have an inexpensive one of those gathering dust in a corner of the shop because I could never produce good results with it. If you know the secrets to choosing the right media and whatever other aspects are needful I would watch that video with great interest :)
If I can remember what our Cleaning & Finishing Shop at work did (before I retired), the vibratory finishers depended on the correct media _plus_ the appropriate "additive(s)" (we used some kind of soapy solution that was periodically injected into the water used to lubricate the media & parts (mostly jet engine blades). Unfortunately, I don't remember the details, but I'm sure that vendors of vibratory finishers can give good recommendations for whatever finish & materials you need and are working with.
As Bob said below, there special additives which help to break down surface films and wash away the debris. I worked at a factory that made fishing reels and they finished all the brass stamped parts in big vibratory tumblers. The process deburred all the rough edges and the parts were washed and sent straight to the electroplating line. I made my own tumbler but it wasn't a success. The parts came out dull and pitted. I had a lot of trouble finding a supplier for the abrasive media. The process is also noisy and needs to run for hours. Maybe I will revisit the process one day.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Hi Mark, I remember when I was a kid (Loooong time ago!) my mum was into polishing stones. She used a tumbler which consisted of a rubber drum i which she put the stones and various grades of abrasive with some distilled water. The final stage used an abrasive that looked like plaster (Obviously it wasn't) and soft plastic beads which brought the stones to a bright gem quality finish. You could try this with some sort of corrosion inhibitor in the water or perhaps use a light oil instead of water. I reckon it would only be good for small, non critical parts but it may be worth a look?
nice how to, thanks !
cheers ben.
great video, thanks for sharing your expertise
Old hands, young voice!
Bit, very interesting.
Great video. Useful and simple process. Must need to do in my rusty shop. Mahalo for sharing! : )
I hate rust!
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 😂Same.
Phosphoric acid stops existing rust, and actually converts it to a pretty good rust preventative coating. It's a mild acid, not dangerous in mild concentrations. Copper sulfate granules in water with a couple of drops of HCL or H2SO4 will copper coat clean steel.
I have a large tub of sulphuric acid with lots of dissolved copper in it. I use it as a pickling acid when silver soldering. It does put a layer of copper on steel but it doesn't bond particularly well. I spent a day with a very experienced electroplater a week or two ago and he stressed the need to copper plate steel "live" meaning you have to immerse the parts in the electrolyte with the power on and running otherwise you will get a passive coating. Subsequent electroplating will go on top of the passive layer and it won't bond to the underlying steel. I have yet to try it but it will be the next adventure I have in electroplating. I treat the top of my welding bench with a phosphoric acid rust converter every year or so. It does work extremely well but I find I have to wire brush it first to get a good result.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 I learned about the copper flash coat years ago, but Mr Pete has a vid on it. I used oxalic originally, MrPete uses a drop or 2 of HCL or H2SO4, I don't know which. Regardless, it only leaves a flash coating and prevents rust... for a few months. I use it in place of Dykem or Prussian blue because it rubs off easily.
Thanks Mark! That looks great! Didn't know about black zinc passivation. Done some home brewed zinc electroplating, but it ended dull grey (or shiny after scrubbing with fine steel wool).
I started out using a sort of home brew electrolyte which is well documented on TH-cam. It is generally made from vinegar and what you end up with is zinc acetate. I had the same issue with the parts coming out dull. The commercial electrolyte I ended up getting is way more predictable and it's very efficient. The passivation gives an extra level of protection to the plated surface and it is decorative as well.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Thanks for this added info. You are correct, I used acetic acid based plating. It's hard to get commercial products for small scale electroplating here and many are on flight ban, so online purchases become a problem.
Gday Preso, I really like the shiny look before the blacking and the gold coated copper pipe looked great, I’ve tried cold blueing and honestly it didn’t last long at all, the colour wasn’t even and the part was completely submerged in the solution, it wasn’t a cheap blueing either, I think I need to look hard into the treatment, thanks for sharing mate, cheers
Thanks Matty. I am not a fan of cold bluing. The zinc plate is fairly easy to do and I believe you can passivate it with a blue dip and then dye it using anodising dyes. I am going to try that soon. If it works it means you can have steel parts in any colour you want and they are corrosion resistant too.
Regards,
Mark
When I
make something 😏 I always use stanles steel.
Stainless is nice but it's hard on tools. Depends on which grade you are using though.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks Mark, nickel and zinc coating are my next challenge after I get the hot salts bluing sorted although I think the black zinc may be a better choice after watching your video. Even though Canberra has low humidity most of the year winter is a problem with rust. I guess those heavy frosts and thick fog means my workshop is full of moisture too. Cheers my friend, Stuart.
Stuart, I watched your video on the hot bluing salts and I meant to leave a comment but I got distracted and never got back to it. The best thing was the link to the chemical supplier. I have found it really difficult to purchase some of those chemicals and acids in small quantities. The zinc is probably the easiest of all the plating processes I have tried and it gives excellent protection over steel. I did some parts this afternoon and it only took an hour to get both a gold passivate and a blue passivate on some steel parts. The gold parts will feature in a video coming out next month.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Thanks Mark and I’m looking forward to your next video because as someone commented “you da man” when it comes to plating😂😂. Cheers mate🍻🍻🍻
Great video and I'm going to pinch your design for a vice stop!
You're welcome. Glad you found it useful.
Regards,
Mark
Looks like Mrs P's kitchen is missing a couple of things. Hope you're not in too much trouble.
Nice finish.
I learned a long time ago to get my own supply of pots, pans and measuring jugs. I am a regular shopper at our local recycling store.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 wise man!
For those familiar with Gold Rush tv show every time you say parkerising I think of that show 😂
OK, I just googled Gold Rush and I am still not sure how parkerising is connected. Maybe there was more than one show?
Regards,
Mark
Nice idea, thanks.
Great instructions thanks
Nice Mark. I haven’t tried that.
love it
somehow my shop stays rust free - not sure why hope it never changes plenty of weather changes here must be some electro grounding or something like that dissipating the nasty brown stuff
You are way more fortunate than me then. My workshop is uninsulated and not very well sealed. Our climate tends to be very humid too. Not a good combination.
Regards,
Mark
Nice job. Thx for the vid.
If you clean the part with acetone thoughroly then heat it in a 300°F oven for half an hour to 45 min or untill you see oils on the surface then clean with acetone again and reheat to 250°F then apply the cold blue allow to cool, reheat, clean and reapply cold blue, heat to 350°F and apply oil such as gun oil or WD40, let cool and it should give you a nice, durable blued finnish. You have to apply oil occasionally and the bluing should last for years
I have used that technique before and it does look good. In my situation I have to contend with very humid weather and a workshop that is not well insulated or sealed. I have seen steel surfaces in my workshop with condensation dripping off them. If you add in some surface dust and acid fumes from anodising and electroplating you soon get corrosion on steel, even if it started out oiled and oxidised.
Regards,
Mark
Nice, thank you.
Proper engineer with the finger to prove it!
I know. Didn't hurt at the time but a day later and I was gobbling Panadol like there was no tomorrow.
Regards,
Mark
Have you ever tried boiled linseed oil?heat the part to 4-500 degrees F. 200 to 260 degrees C dip in boiled linseed oil and let air dry or heat dry.
I have not tried it with linseed oil although I have used old motor oil. At the end of the day though, a zinc plated surface is always going to be more durable than an oxidised surface on steel.
Regards,
Mark
Nice idea, but those thumb type set screws always seem to come loose and allow the shaft to move. Woodpeckers "AUTO-LINE DRILL GUIDE" uses the same type of screw, but the shaft has a taper milled into the side under the screw, which prevents it from moving. This would be a great mod for you stop.
Thanks I will check that out. It would be a bummer if you were relying on the stop and it moved.
Regards,
Mark
I was trying to think of a way to soak longer parts without using too much solution and thought that plastic pipe with part of the wall removed would be cheap and easy, there are end caps that fit plumbing pipe available
Sounds like it would work well. Unfortunately, there are always parts that won't fit no matter how many containers you have.
Regards,
Mark
I think I'd just use a piece of plastic pipe held vertically and plugged at the bottom, but of course hindsight is 20/20.
Nice , Like your hard stop compared to others, have to review them as it's been a while.
The plastic bag in Ultrasonic cleaner is sweet, didn't even think to try it. TY
Not done Black Zinc process , But have done Nickel , similar. Do you like the Black zinc compared to parkerizing ? Been doing parkerizing for a few years. Buddy set it up and was doing a slide for his gun. He got talking on phone and messed up the size so it was looser than he expected.
I ran a test on size vs time in bath and have it some where in documents. Keeping the bath at proper temp is a pain. Plan to making up a simple control box and control bath temp with controlled hot plate power and thermocouple on a simple PID controller. Never seem to find time to build this up.
Thanks again for a nice informative video. Going to parkerize video next. So many to pick from.
Thanks. I have a supply of those cheap disposable plastic cups and also a lot of yoghurt containers and they make good containers for small parts in the ultrasonic cleaner but the plastic bag is probably the most economical since it conforms to the shape of the part meaning that you don't need as much cleaning solution. I mostly prefer the parkerised finish but it take longer compared to the black zinc. The black zinc finish has a different texture too. It depends on the aesthetic that you are looking for. Both seem to be as durable. The black zinc is probably best for small parts like fasteners.
Regards,
Mark
This is new to me, the fingernail blackening technique I am familiar with tho.
Very cool! Btw here in Colorado that would never happen. For things to go rusty just setting on the shelves. You must have really a lot of humidity.
That's the downside of living in a sub tropical climate. I worked for four years out in Western Queensland. It is hot and dry out there and abandoned cars pretty much don't rust.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 I guess it’s hot there too, and humidity + heat = bad lol. Reminds of a summer we went to Houston for vacation. Here in Colorado we have lots of 30+ degree days, and it’s not a big deal. BUT there, with 90+% humidity.. oh my.. you’d go outside and the hot air would hit you like a freight train. I was so glad to be back to our cool crisp fresh air of Rockymountains.
Regards, Rex
Hiya mate, new subscriber to your channel. I like this a lot, cheers. Another one of those long receptacles you use for the acid would be good for the black zinc solution rather than a dish.
Dave, I never seem to have enough containers of the correct shape or size.
Regards,
Mark
Better living through chemistry.
That's a great result, I'm going to need to get a kit.
Nice result Mark one thing about God's country it does rust metal. That finger looks sore, might loose the nail🤬 cheers Mate
Our wet season went on and on this year. The walls in my workshop went mouldy and everything made of steel went orange very quickly. Sorry about showing my manky fingernail. It may well fall off and that will be really gross!
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark , really like this process, and would like to try it myself. Would it be possible to get a list of all the things I need to try this. It would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a million.
Check out Jane Kits website www.janekits.com.au They sell complete kits including everything you need but if you already have a decent DC power supply and a few buckets and some wire you probably only need the zinc electrolyte, the zinc anodes and the zinc brightener. That's all I bought and you can buy them separately. Caswell sell similar kits but the Jane Kits products are cheaper for me.
Regards,
Mark
2:11 looks like someone tried to drive their finger into the wood instead of the nail
I ended up losing that fingernail and it was quite ugly towards the end. The surprising thing is that the accident that lead to that injury was quite benign. I was shifting some equipment inside a cupboard and a saw vice fell back onto the base of the fingernail. It didn't hurt very much at the time and I just kept working. It was only later on that evening that it started to ache and swell up. I now have another almost identical injury on my left index finger, this time actually caused by a hammer strike!
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58
Hey Mark, I know where youre coming from.
I remember in my teens when my brother swung a cupboard door closed while I was pulling my hand out of it.
Didnt hurt a whole lot until later on that night when a couple of my fingernails started swelling up and putting pressure on some sensitive nerves.
The 2 things that sucked was that it was my favored hand to wipe with lol and my dad ended up using a 1/16 drill to barely go through my fingernails to relieve the pressure and let the festering blood out.... it freaked me out seeing him drilling it and not knowing what it feel like or if he would stop and not go too deep 😲
Well 7 months since that video and so hope youre all healed up and back on the ball again :)
@MarkPresling Where do I purchase the solutions?
I get my plating supplies from www.janekits.com.au
Regards,
Mark
How about uzing ZipLock bag for that chromate?
Same way that you use it in ultrasonic cleaner.
So you can put small amount in the bag, and part will be covered in liquid from all sides.
That's a good idea. I have a few boxes of those bags in different sizes. Next time!
Great video. I have found that if I treat my part treated with a cold blue solution last longer when treated with Remington gun oil. Do you have a video showing the Gold cromemate dip?
I made this video some time ago and at the time I was having some difficulty getting a bright zinc finish without having to clean the parts with fine steel wool. I recently replaced my zinc plating electrolyte and now I can get a super shiny finish straight out of the plating bath. The problem was due to me adding all the zinc brightener in one go instead of just adding it to replenish the electrolyte as needed. However I do show the gold chromate treatment.
th-cam.com/video/NpW1inPujWk/w-d-xo.html
Hi Mark. Nice video, I learned a lot. Pls let me know what type of coating would be the most mechanically resistant. I want to treat some parts of my lathe apron and compound rest. Thanks and Cheers from Canada.
Jim, zinc plating is great for small parts but for larger surfaces you would need a fairly robust power supply and large containers for the plating process. I find that parkerising is good for machine parts. It will make the surface very corrosion resistant. It is a dark grey, bordering on black and it's a matt finish. I use it on things like locking handles and I did the rear tool post for my Colchester. This video shows the process applied to some low profile clamps th-cam.com/video/TEAbkivZlJA/w-d-xo.html The parkerising starts at about 28:45
Regards,
Mark
Disassemble your vice and treat it.
So, what is the black zinc stufff ????
Do regular zinc electroplating, then use some unknown chemical, wtf for DIY video :D
The blacking process is just a treatment that adds a chromate layer to the zinc plating. I wish I knew what it's active ingredient is but Jane Kits, who sell the product don't give a lot away in terms of the chemical compositions.
Regards,
Mark
Great video Mark, could but you expand on the acid dip you use prior to immersing the part in the black chromate?
Unfortunately, I don't know the chemical composition of the activator. I suspect it is a dilute nitric acid but the suppliers are a bit coy about it. I recently read a very good book on electroplating and nitric and sulphuric acids are commonly used to activate metals prior to plating and anodising.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Can you give me the name of the one you use so I can look it up? Thanks!
Is there a way to get not as glossy black finish on zinc plated parts? Or avoid the rainbow shimmer?
You can just rub the finished surface with a grey Scotchbrite pad. The gloss level is really dependant on what the underlying surface looks like. If you don't want a really reflective finish, you could just leave the part with a brushed appearance rather than spending a lot of time polishing it to a mirror shine. The rainbow shimmer is a result of dipping the part in a chromate bath so you can skip that step if you just want a zinc finish.
Regards,
Mark
Where do you get the chemicals for the black?
janekits.com.au
Another interesting & informative Vid, Thx.
Is the new bath made up of Vinegar & Salt or a Caswell/Jane kit?
I'm having similar trouble with dull finish ATM.
I started out making my own electrolyte from vinegar and although it worked it didn't produce the bright zinc plate that the commercially available electrolyte can provide. I get my plating supplies from Jane Kits. They are cheaper than Caswell and are based here in Australia so I don't have to pay for overseas shipping. The key is to get hold of the zinc brightener which needs to be added to the electrolyte periodically. You only need a few millilitres when the finish starts to go dull. I also find that zinc needs a fairly high current to get a bright shiny finish.
Regards,
Mark
Gr8 video mate. Where did u get the chemical from. I'm in Brisbane, cheers Graham
Sorry u put website at the end
Graham, Jane Kits is an Aussie outfit and they keep their prices affordable. They also respond with technical advice if you ring them. I got onto them from Geoffrey Croker in New Zealand. He's the Landrover fanatic that does a lot of machine restoration too. Funny guy!
@@Preso58 thx mate. I have seen some of crokers vids. He is pretty funny
Good day Mark,
After a year how did these parts hold up? I am looking to get some black fasteners on a show car and powder coating is a bit extreme and out of budget for the job at the moment. I would be interested in trying this in the home shop as I much prefer doing it myself anyway. Originally I looked at black oxide but I see that it will rust so I decided against it.
Most of these fasteners are not ever going to be seen but they will be exposed to the elements. As a last resort I may end up going stainless steel and just living with the color difference. Everything under the car is satin black.
Thank you,
Evan
Evan, the zinc coating is still in good shape. The black chromate can be scratched but only because I have to sweep a lot of chips off the vice. In a car application it would be perfect. Many fasteners on things like carburettors used to be cadmium plated which gave the part a gold colour. Cadmium is rarely used now because of the risks associated with the metal. However parts that are zinc plated and gold chromated look almost identical and zinc gives a very good sacrificial coating on steel parts. The black chromate is just as effective as the gold chromate, it's just a different composition and colour. The good thing about the zinc chromated parts is the rich shiny colour you can achieve. The other black finish I use is called parkerising but it has a different texture and colour. More of a matte charcoal black.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Thank you Mark this is excellent. I need to acquire a toaster oven or something to allow for baking. Don't think my grandmother would appreciate me putting bolts in the oven...
hi mark, how did you get the zinc to come out so shiny, i notice your original ones came out grey- thats how mine come out. where am i going wrong?
I had the same problem but I realised that I had accidently mixed all of the zinc brightener into the electrolyte when I first purchased the zinc plating kit. It still deposited a layer of zinc but evidently, the proportion of zinc brightener is critical for creating a shiny finish. Too much or too little can create a dull plate. I ended up purchasing a new supply of electrolyte and the separate brightener additive and this time I was very careful about adding just a few millilitres of the brightener as suggested in the Jane Kits booklet. The Jane Kits book also suggests heating the zinc plating bath to around 60C for good results.
Regards,
Mark
How much dimension change you get with this process?
I have not noticed any issues with the parts "growing". Plating operations will add some material to the surface but it is measured in microns. I have seen nickel plating being used to build up the surface of worn brake cylinders for re-honing but for decorative plating the build up is fairly negligible.
Regards,
Mark
Magic 🪄
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Have you tried boiled linseed oil applied to hot metal. I have seen some blacksmiths use it and it seems to protect well.
How hot? Hot enough to effect the heat treatment?
@@BravoCharleses I think around 200 degrees F / or 99 degrees C
No, I have not tried that process. I doubt that it would give as good protection as zinc but it depends on the climate you have to work in. I am really looking for a process that gives permanent protection without having to do any maintenance.
Regards,
Mark
Where do you dispose the used chemicals?
In most cases I can reuse the plating solutions and the chromate dips. The black chromate is the only one that I dispose of but I really should see if it can be stored separately from the new, clean solution and used again. Most of the plating chemicals sold by Jane Kits are relatively safe and unlike commercial plating solutions, they don't contain arsenic or the really nasty heavy metals like cadmium or chromium. If I have to dispose of sulphuric acid I will neutralise it first with baking soda and dilute it with lots of water. We have a home sewage treatment plant so anything that get rinsed in the sink stays on our property. The treatment plant is very tolerant of acidic and alkaline solutions so as long as it's diluted it seems to be OK. We have our plant serviced four times a year and so far it hasn't had a problem. The treated water goes out onto a surface disposal area and the plants are growing well there so it must be OK.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Thank you for the thoughtful & detailed explanation. Much appreciated!
Hello Mark. Thank you for sharing this knowledge. Appreciated.
Question : is that yellow solution used for "blackening" the zinc "Ferric Chloride" ?
No. Ferric chloride is a powerful etching solution that would strip the zinc and the surface of the steel. I believe that the solution is a chromate of some kind. The suppliers don't go into a lot of detail about it's chemical constituents.
Regards,
Mark
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Why do things rust in your shop?
Because they can! We live in the subtropics and my workshop is uninsulated with not a lot of sealing around the tops of the corrugated metal walls. In the summer, we have high humidity with enough temperature swing to cause condensation to form on exposed metal surfaces. I also do some woodworking in the same space which leads to fine sawdust floating around landing on surfaces. It holds the moisture and helps to start corrosion too. Add to that two cars which, when wet and hot from driving just add to the poor environment. Trying to stop and clean up rust is a constant challenge.
Regards,
Mark
Do you know why guns has black oxide coating? Maybe it is more resistant to abrasion...
My father was something of a gun collector. He had rifles dating back to the Boer war. They have a very peculiar brown colouring now which is nothing like the colour they would have been when new. I found the same thing happening to the parts I had cold blued. The colour seems to leech out and then the part goes rusty, but if you keep it oiled constantly the colour seems to stabilise as a dull brown.
Regards,
Mark
Does this change the parts dimensionally by much?
Yes but it's soft(ish) so you can re-drill or ream the holes if it makes the fits too tight. You wouldn't want to use it on precision ground surfaces, gauges or squares.
Regards,
Mark
One thing I'd highly suggest -- wear gloves / mask / proper PPE when working with that stuff. It's real bad news from a health perspective.
It's always a good idea to take sensible precautions, especially if you've never done it before.
Regards,
Mark
What advantage does the extra step of adding the black give? Is it more robust than if you just left it with the plain zinc finish? Or is it just cosmetic?
For me, it's mainly a cosmetic finish but chromated zinc is more corrosion resistant than a regular electroplated zinc finish. It's tougher and it passivates the surface. Being less active, it stands up better to corrosive environments.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 cheers Mark.
It worked on the copper wire will it work on aluminum?
Not as far as I know. You can do a copper strike first and then zinc plate over that. I am considering getting a copper plate solution. Copper is much easier to polish that brass and aluminium and it tends to be self levelling too.
Regards,
Mark
Caswell sells a zincate concentrate drip that will put a initial zinc coating on the aluminum so the aluminum surface does not oxide before plating. Great video Mark - thanks.
Copper and zinc = Brass
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":These ones..." Com' on man!!! English...
You're totally wrong on Your cadmium story. Cadmium has nothing to do with the yellow colour.
My understanding was that cadmium plating, especially the process that was used for automotive parts typically had a gold iridescent shine due to the chromate that was used. Cadmium plated objects can also be black, olive and clear. I believe that the olive chromates were used on aviation parts. In general, cadmium is no longer used very much due to the toxicity of the metal. But you are correct in that Cadmium is a silver metal. My comments were directed towards the appearance of chromated parts that most people would be familiar with.
Regards,
Mark
1. Why are you making simple tools that don´t need a lot of strength out of steel in the first place ? You could have used aluminium and never worried about corrosion again.
2. Bluing is basically just creating a very very thin black oxide layer which needs to be lubricated with penetrating oil (don´t use WD40, this stuff is crap). It´s probably the worst corrosion resistance technique there is in terms of effect. It´s cheap, simple and does not change the outer dimensions much since it´s thin but in terms of corrosion protection it is not good at all. That´s why car bodies are zinc plated and then coated with multiple paint layers. Steel is just really bad corrosion wise.
3. When galnanicing your parts, pay attention to the part strength. Parts above 1000N/mm² will develop what´s called hydrogen embrittlement and will fail. This could be important for you.
4. Did you zinc plate the parts before bluing ? What´s the point ? You have removed the zinc layer by bluing it anyways. They don´t work in conjunction. Steel oxide can not be created on top of zinc.
The zinc plate is not removed during the blackening treatment. The black layer is a chromate dip which helps to harden the plated surface and adds extra corrosion protection. Aluminium does corrode. Ask anyone with aluminium windows in their seaside house. You will also see pitting and surface corrosion on motorcycle engines. Heat plus oxygen and moisture will quickly corrode aluminium. In my case, I just enjoy exploring different surface treatment options. It's not about the end product but more about learning how to carry out these processes.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 So the black oxide layer is being build up on top of the zinc layer ?
The black layer can not be Fe oxide since zink has no Fe, so what is this black layer then ?
Usually the blueing is simply corrosion from the Fe which creates a dark finish instead of the red usual one which slightly prevent further corrosion. Hence bluing can only be done with Fe not with Zinc.
Aluminium does corrode absolutely, it builds aluminium oxide which prevents further corrosion unlike Fe.
That´s why you never need to worry about Al corrosion under normal circumstances. I am not talking about harsh conditions like sea air etc. In fact that´s what anodize Al is, it is basically a speed up corrosion process of the Al to form a uniform corrosion resistant layer mostly infused with pigments.
Anyway I don´t believe you are building Fe on top of the Zinc which is not possible anyway, you are most likely simply stripping the zinc down and corroding the base metal to dark Fe oxide.
@@sierraecho884 The black coating is a passivate which is applied to zinc plated parts to improve corrosion resistance. They are generally a trivalent chromium solution and there are several colours available. I have a blue dip, a gold dip and the black that I used in this video. The blue dip is commonly used on things like bolts, nuts and washers and the gold is used in automotive parts. The gold dip also has an iridescent shine to it. The black dip gives a shiny deep black colour but the main aim is to make the zinc plate more durable. It is not a bluing process as used on bare steel. That is a different chemistry altogether. Passivates is also known as chromate dips. The process is to just activate the freshly plated surface and then to just dip it into the passivate and then to let it dry for at least 24 hours. Activation just means to dip the part in a dilute acid like hydrochloric to strip off any oxides before the passivation.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Okay this makes sense.
Thank you for explaining the process in detail.
@@Preso58 I must have slept through the whole thing because I didn´t even notice you zinc coating the part, of course you are right xD
We even do the same process at my work ZiNi plating + passivating.
You should additionally invest in climate control, specifically reduced humidity, and some form of air filtration to reduce acidic or airborne corrosive chemical salt, or agitated airborne dust particles, carborundum metal cutting sparks travel far, and are bad for both bare and finished metals. Keeping humidity and dust to a minimum will help preserve and maximize the results of your efforts. An I Robot Roomba modified for service in a metal fab shop would be genius since I thought of it, I get a 6% cut if you steal my intellectual material!
I would dearly love to have aircon in my workshop even if it was just to dehumidify the air but my building is a single skin steel shed with almost no insulation and it is very poorly sealed. There are gaps at the tops and bottoms of the wall sheets so heating or cooling would cost a fortune. When we built the garage (also a workshop now) 35 years ago we did it on a shoestring budget so there are lots of compromises. If I had my time over again I would have built in cement block (fireproof and termite proof) and I would have heavily insulated the ceiling. For now I have to put up with a less than ideal environment to work in but I don't think my financial manager (my wife) would consent to a total rebuild at this time of our lives. 😥
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58use some aerosol expanding foam or whatever to seal the cracks up, and run a dehumidifier from the home improvement store, and you can make a simple air filtration system using a couple quality residential air filters at the top of the wall and an exhaust fan blowing out at the bottom of the opposite wall (downdraft) and you should be good to go. This system works for painting cars in my booth, so should work well for what you do. Just my 2 cents.
I bought my plating kit which came with the blue & yellow passivates, but the black was a separate kit which came as about 3 different chemicals that needed mixing. It never seemed to work. This stuff looks much better. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for some over here (UK).
I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how well the black chromate works. It does scratch off though as it only blackens the surface and the zinc plate is fairly soft. For items that get a lot of wear and tear, I generally use a parker phosphate finish. Jane Kits do ship to the UK. Their prices are quite reasonable compared to companies like Caswell.
Regards,
Mark
Ah, this is exactly what I was wondering, namely how durable it is. I like how simple the whole process is, may give it a try. (Going to also check out your vids on Parker chromate plating.)
A great and very useful video, btw, I really appreciate the information you’re putting out there for all of us!
Black spray paint!!...
Don't get me started on painting projects with rattle cans! I'd rather stick hot pins in my eyes. It'll peel off before the sun goes down! 😁
Regards,
Mark
In the American Midwest, in about a month we could duplicate your "three year" sample.
That's interesting. I thought the American Midwest would be dry. I worked for four years in South West Queensland, about 7 hours from the coast. The climate there was very hot and dry. Abandoned cars lasted for many years without corrosion.
Regards,
Mark