Getting the copper off?

[moon wolf]

Thanks guys. I remember reading something and I think it was here about using a car battery and battery acid to remove chrome. Wounder if it would take the copper off to? I think I'm going to drop a dime to that on line store that makes the the mini platting kits.

I tried the chemical they advertised as a chrome stripper. It did absolutely nothing.

[23JDCA 808]

put a penny in lye acid ....

You may have meant lye solution; lye is a caustic, opposite of acidic. ...bill

[Paps]

Try Amish people or a supplier for their communities, such as LeMans, just outside of Canton, Ohio. Pretty sure they have a website.

[exeric]

I have been following this post with much interest. I have tried all manner of removing nickel and copper and had ZERO success. The only thing works for me is a die grinder, cartrige rolls, rotary files, sand paper, and sandblasting. The last non mechanical method I tried was making a bath of sulfuric acid in a 5 gallon bucket and using a lead anode to transfer the copper or nickel off the part. I had the part hooked up to my buzz box welder and gave it 75 amps of current. All it did was turn the part and the lead anode black. Oh yeah, and it probably added $10 to my electric bill. I was really hoping to hear something good about that stuff that's suppose to safely remove all plating from the parent metal but moon wolf didn't seem too impressed. A friend of mine just had some parts stripped of chrome and replated and got charged a ridiculous amount of money. The plater told him the nickel is very hard to remove and he has to use a very toxic bath. I really would like to hear some encouraging advice for doing this process at home.

[rwm]

eric what you did is a great way to neutralize rust. i read that in an old hot rod mag you can turn red rust in a neutral black rust. but if your electrods touch you have a pile of metal mush. anyway i got lye today and will soak copper nickel and aluminum in it till 6pm tuesday

[rwm]

ok do not get this lye on or near your case not even in the same room! aluminum foil is gone.10 seconds gone nothing left you will not have time to clean it off your case wow fizz smoke and a whole lot of heat

[exeric]

Rob, I remember from high school chemistry that aluminum in lye makes explosive hydrogen gas.

[Robert Luland]

Rob, I remember from high school chemistry that aluminum in lye makes explosive hydrogen gas.

Maybe thats why they don't sell that **** in the ghetto!

[rwm]

some strange things the solution with the penny turned like curdled milk. the solution with the nickel has turned to a candy like coating on the nickel i mixed up a test of water and lye it turned to an opaque solid. i may need distilled water we have a water softner .the coins are un changed .i have access to some nasty furniture stripper.not just your basic zip strip.i can try that on the weekend

[yhprum]

NOt sure about the penny test, they have a large amount of zinc in them Maybe try a plumbing fitting or piece of tube.
Steve

[23JDCA 808]

NOt sure about the penny test, they have a large amount of zinc in them Maybe try a plumbing fitting or piece of tube.
Steve

The zinc slug is copper plated; 97.5% is the slug. Two different metals may upset the chemistry. Try a penny before 1982. ...bill in oregon

[rwm]

i talked to a plater today and here is what i got. lye will remove chrome. chrome is hard and porous. nickel is soft and nonporous. nickel will come off with reverse plating.
to reverse plate nickel you need low voltage like 6v your part(nut,bolt or whatever) must be the positive.your negative will be steel(do not let the copper wire in the bath) whatever you put in there use a steel wire to hang it from. your bath or the solution will be hydrachloric acid watch your part to long and the acid will start eating it if you have threads you don't want to bugger up use a rubber dip on them .hardwhare stores have it you dip your pliers in it to give them a new coating on the handles
copper is the same just use sulfuric acid remeber low volts

[Robert Luland]

I'm a little lost here Rob. What do you hook the negitive to? Bob

[rwm]

hook it to a nail and place it in the liquid just don't let the copper wire in the acid.if you can use steel wire for your neg.

[swall]

Household ammonia will remove copper plating. I used it on the speedo dash panel on my '52 Chief after I had stripped the chrome and nickel using sulfuric acid and reverse plating, as per the Caswell Plating Manual. It took several changes of ammonia and about three weeks. Once the ammonia gets a deep purple color, it is time to change it out for fresh.