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Re: Rubber toroids [plating]
From: Alfred A. Skrocki[SMTP:alfred.skrocki-at-cybernetworking-dot-com]
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 1997 1:20 AM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: Rubber toroids [plating]
On Wednesday, October 29, 1997 3:02 AM Harri Suomalainen
[SMTP:haba-at-cc.hut.fi] wrote;
> > first it looks like nothing is building up, then after a few times around
> > the whole surface starts to show progress and it is a better surface for
> > all your efforts. The rule in plating is the slower it goes on the stronger
> > it builds. When the plating goes fast the copper grains are bigger and
> Has your method resulted in toroids good enough? Is the coat strong
> enough? I'd hate to do one just to see copper flake of fairly soon..
All the spheres and toroids I've made using this technique
have worked quite well and stood the test of time.
> > courser thus more likely to crack and peal BUT when the plating goes slower
> > the copper grains are smaller and pack closser together thus making a less
> > porous and stronger surface.
> As stated before, current can also be used to controll the process speed.
> However, as enough voltage is required for the process to happen at all
> the controll range is limited to certain voltage range.
A trick that the old-timers used to use was to add sugar to a plating bath
to slow down the plating process.
> > Starting off with just a rubbed on graphite coating is going to lead to a
> > LOT of pealing and cracking off of the plating! It doesn't really bond
> > well enough to do lasting plating on. Now if you use Aguadad, or a graphite
> > with shellac mixture that will both bond to the painted surface and yet
> > still have reasonable conductivity, then the plating with a foam brush will
> > have little or no effect of the bond between the graphite and the surface.
>
> Good. That's exactly what I was a bit worried about.
Another way to make objects durably conductive is to first make the surface
non-porous by coating it with a substance like polyurethane (ZAR is an easy
to find brand), then use one of the chemical silvering soloutions. Then use
the silver surface as a conductor to copper plate and then nickel or
chromium plate to finish. The problem though, is all the chemical silvering
processes result in explosive by-products, mostly silver fulminates (VERY
TOUCHY STUFF).
Sincerely
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Alfred A. Skrocki
Alfred.Skrocki-at-CyberNetworking-dot-com
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