[modeleng] Re: Interesting Effect

Ian,

I've no idea! If it did work by displacement you'd need a nickel salt and 
the plating might well be too soft. The copper that forms on steel wipes off 
pretty easily.

Electrolysis (= electroplating) would be the way to go I'd imagine - anyone 
else in the group able to bale me out on this one?

JohnP

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "I.D.PRIEST." <idpriest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 4:52 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Re: Interesting Effect


John,

You seem to have done okay with that explanation, is Nickle plating easy to
do and if so how do we do it.

Regards IDP

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, Champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other,
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOO HOO - What a
Ride!"

"Never drive faster than your gaurdian angel can fly"

Priest & Sons Model Engineers
http://www.kinvermes.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/p1.htm

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Pagett" <john_pagett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 9:15 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Re: Interesting Effect


Clif,

The copper comes from previously pickled objects. Copper oxide will dissolve
in the acid to produce a copper salt (copper sulphate if you use sulphuric
acid). This will react with any iron in a displacement reaction, because
iron is more reactive than copper.

I'm sure the real chemists will tell us that it's all more complicated than
that!

I'd attempt to write a couple of chemical equations but I don't think we can
use subscripts here....
Ah lets try anyway

 Copper oxide dissolving in acid
CuO + H2SO4 = CuSO4 + H2O

And
replacing the iron in the steel

Fe + CuSO4 = FeSO4 + Cu

I know that ions are involved in reality but I think that adds to the
confusion when explaining it!

Hope that is of some interest.

JohnP


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clifton Walker" <clif.gwr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 8:42 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Interesting Effect


HI All,
Continuing the manufacture of my Buffers for a Wagon, I had an interesting
effect.
I had silver soldered the shanks onto the heads and being lazy decided to
remove the Flux residue by chucking them into some acid. Now the acid is old
stuff previously used for cleaning copper and brass items.
They are Mild steel but when I got them out after only about half an hour
they had a beautiful copper plated finish.
If I had wanted to copper plate them then, I would have expected to have to
wire them up to a battery and put in a sacrificial anode but there they were
all coppery, free for nothing.
 What happened?

The finish only being thin, did partially rub off using emery paper.

The wagon under construction as a matter of interest is a creation of mine
to clean my Aluminium Track. The track being only small gets a build up
after a couple of hours running of Oil and Water which turns into a grey
paste which then gives endless wheel slip.
This wagon is designed to have electric motorised roller brushes fed with
either White Spirt or Parafin from a small feed pump worked from one of the
axles.Hopefully it will wash the muck off the rails.
 Time will tell if it is going to work as I seem to have trouble these days
getting into my Workshop.

Regards

Clif
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