Making copper shiny!

Anything conductive in the plating solution will get plated, except for "exotic" materials such as titanium, platinum, stainless steel, etc.

Reply to
Mark Jones
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HCL will indeed dissolve the oxides... and both the zinc and copper too. I was going to suggest this might be an option, but any corrosive action taken to brass will require further and more extensive buffing and polishing. Since the material in question is relatively thin already perhaps it may be best to avoid acid etching. That said, Caswell does make a brush-on shiny brass-plating kit... might be good to repair very deteriorated finishes. Ask them for more info. They can be found on eBay by searching for "brass electroplating" there.

Reply to
Mark Jones

There is/was a guy near Vancouver, WA that did sodablasting to restore old car components like instruments, bezels, even plastic. Results look beautiful without damage to the piece. Check with old car restorers in AU and see if they can direct you to someone locally.

Paul

Reply to
pdrahn

Yes, I missed the 500mm part, just saw the 50mm which is reasonable for a decent VT. Then I suggested a tumbler polisher made from a 30gal poly drum which sounds a lot like what someone else later mentioned was used in a commercial polishing shop.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

I saw that. I think our threads crossed, and we were replying to each other while the other was, or whatever. THat would do it, and it's not like a motor with an offset weight on the shaft is hard to come up with.

Reply to
Dave Hinz

This thing is about 20 inches long. Do those tumblers come that big?

Reply to
Rex B

They probably do, and with a price tag to match. I missed the 500mm, saw the 50mm. See my other post for other ideas.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

If a bead / sand / particle blaster is what Dan means - Fiora machinery in Perth, West Oz make and sell one.

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Blackwoods / Atkins etc will probably also sell them.

You can also pick up just the handpieces at some of the car / tool accessory places and build your own enclosure. If you were using abrasive softer than sand you might be able to make up your own handpiece.

I saw a polishing tumbler built from a 20 or 30 litre plastic drum, it was full of small ceramic looking cones + water. It did a good job of polishing up stainless steel medical instruments the guy was making. It rotatated pretty slowly, maybe one every couple of seconds.

rob

Reply to
Rob

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