Ancestors

Written by Quixoticgeek on 2025-01-22 at 23:12

In 2018 I went to Hell. Literally. I cycled from Northern Germany the 1400km to Hell, Norway. It took me 11 days and included DE,DK,SE, & NO. This was my first proper bike packing trip. It proved to myself what I can achieve. When I got back I took the chain off the bike, & made a piece of it into a pendant, which I've worn pretty much every day since. Unfortunately being steel, it rusts, which in summer when I sweat, gives me a weird rusty smudge across my chest. Tonight. I found a solution

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Written by Quixoticgeek on 2025-01-22 at 23:16

Specifically, an electroplating solution. In fact. 2 of them. By plating the steel with a non corrosive metal, I can stop it rusting. I took 4 more links off my chain from Hell, & made a new pendant. Then the chemistry began. Step 1 is to degrease the workpiece. I got some specific degreaser from the electroplating chemical supplier. Then cook for about 10 mins in an alkaline copper plating solution. It has to be alkaline rather than an acid copper plating solution, cos of the steel.

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Written by Quixoticgeek on 2025-01-22 at 23:20

Once the copper layer is on. Another cycle of degrease, rinse in water, then onto the silver solution. This requires swapping the abode from a length of copper wire, to a graphite electrode with a silver cap. The silver dissolves into the solution to replenish the stuff deposited on the workpiece. Cook for 4 minutes, 1.07v, 35mA. Rinse. Degrease. Rinse. Then dry off. I now have a silver plated cycle chain pendant. Add on a braided waxed linen string to hang it off. And my necklace is ready.

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Written by Quixoticgeek on 2025-01-22 at 23:23

Hopefully the silver being chemically bonded to the copper which is chemically bonded to the steel will stop any more rust problems. As well as make the pendant stand up better. I need to get a new leather necklace, but the linen one will do for now.

Electroplating (at least for copper and silver) worked out a lot easier than I feared. It helps to have a good bench power supply to regulate the voltage/current. (Thanks to Housemate for lending me their PSU).

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Written by Jon Steege on 2025-01-23 at 21:57

@quixoticgeek this is super cool. I am going to reuse your technique for my wedding ring, which is also steel. I wear a stand-in ring these days because the same thing happened to my finger when I wore it. Turned orange and got rusty. Not that I did it see it coming, just should have done the electroplating before wearing it.

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Written by Jon Steege on 2025-01-23 at 22:02

@quixoticgeek did you buy a copper plating solution that is commercially available? Or did you concoct your own with copper strips? I also have some silver coinage I have collected for the sacrificial purpose of plating, and a bench power supply of my own design, so mostly have everything I need, I think.

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Toot

Written by Jon Steege on 2025-01-23 at 22:03

@quixoticgeek wait.. Reading owns me.. I see now, copper loop of wire, and the graphite anode with silver cap.

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Descendants