Getting the copper off?

[Robert Luland]

Time to report on the science project. It works. Ammonia does take off copper. Slowly but it does work. In the picture you can see the air cleaner plate and the oil tank bracket cleaned right up. The battery tie downs are getting there. It not only dissolves it but gets under the plating. When I first pulled it out you could peel some of the copper off. Still haven’t been able to get it out of the cracks were the flag is spot welded to the shaft. This is the place that keeps showing up in the Parkerizing pot. Man! All this experament’en makes a guy thirsty! Later! Bob L

[Robert Luland]

Well I guess its working? The copper is getting lighter and the ammonia has turned blue. Didn’t Ronco make something years ago on tv to take this stuff off?

[Robert Luland]

The part is the least of my worries. My eyes and the shop come first. Bob L

[rwm]

give it a try. i'm gonna try a toy train transformer. just try it on a junk part first.

[Robert Luland]

Well I got the ammonia brew a cooking. We shall see. As far as the reverse plating thing goes. Can you use a battery charger as your power source? Bob L

[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.

[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.

[Robert Luland]

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

[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

[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

[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

[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

[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!

[exeric]

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

[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