TonyStarks Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks for the comments guys! FrenkieNL, thanks for the info but I have the process of copper plating down quite pat. I'm well aware that it adheres to only certain types of metals and that it's thickness is very minimal. The parts being plated have been selected for their alloy types and the plating being done in this project is purely for aesthetic purposes and does not need to be super thick. Still, I let them plate for a while, not just a couple of minutes; I need to be able to polish and buff them. I quite enjoy plating . . I think an anodizing kit is in line in the future! Anyway, like I said in my last post, I'll post some images of the finished copper plated pieces later tonite and hopefully some pics of a few other things. Thanks guys for the positive comments and have a fantastic day everyone! Cheers, S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 The update is compact but is a real "pearl of knowledge". Never thought about anodizing (use a lot of stainless steel instead) and doing it at home sounds like fun and is quite advanced for modding. Likewise will wait to see the results! Kudos! even if not perfect. Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asgneto Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Tony, this electroplating solution is home made or or purchased in specialty stores? Could you detail the process better? Like as duration, voltage, size or weight of the anode and etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I agree, that would be some pretty cool information from you, if you could? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyStarks Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 Hello all! I hope everyone's work is coming along; I'm starting to get nervous lol Anyway, as promised, here are pictures of the plating results. I really like how they came out; I'm loving copper more and more. I decided to go with plating because of my color scheme and because of the my desire to match certain metal parts to the color scheme, and also because I found it was near impossible to find copper screws of any aesthetic interest. There hardly exist any copper screws and those that do exist are just phillips head wood screws; not exactly the look I'm going for haha. I found a couple (literally, a couple) of Indian and Chinese manufacturing sites that seemed to offer some copper cap screws but they were VERY obscure industrial companies. Anyway, in response to the questions about the copper plating process, what I'm using is a small copper plating kit purchased from Caswell. They are one of the go to stores for the finishing industry and have all kinds of kits, tools and products for everything from powder coating to plating to buffing and more. Since my parts are relatively small I just went with a plug-n-plate kit which is their smallest kit. The anode doubles as a plating "brush" that you wrap with a cloth material and use to "brush" copper plating onto the desired object. But, as shown in my pictures, you can use the wand, as they call it, as an anode instead for dip plating. The copper wand, or anode, is wired directly to a transformer that you plug right in. It's a 4.5v 300mA power source and it's constant so, you can't adjust your amperage. Because of this, instead of adjusting amperage as you would on an adjustable power supply, you have to play with a few different factors to get the plating right. It's not obvious right away, so you have to play with it a bit, but after a while you get a feel for it. Basically, you have to play with the amount of surface area you are trying to plate in relation to the amount of anode surface area you submerge. Not enough surface to be plated with result in too much power and the plating will burn. Not enough anode being submerged will result in no plating. The opposite applies as well. Another thing that can be done if you are still overpowering and burning the plate is to add "robber" parts into the solution which will act as additional surface area. It's also important to make sure that your parts aren't too close to the anode or that will cause burning as well. And, the longer you let it plate, the thicker your plate will be; and here, again, it all depends as to what you are trying to do. For what I did, which is just for aesthetic purposes, I didn't need a super thick layer since these items shouldn't be subjected to a lot of rough wear. But, you do need to get enough plate on to be able to buff and polish it or else you will rub through to the original surface. If done properly, the result will be a salmon pink colored plate (for copper) that has a coral like texture to it (kind of like a chalkboard, in my opinion). You then have to buff and polish it to your desired finish. Do note though, that the condition of what you are plating and making sure that it is completely clean and degreased prior to plating is EXTREMELY important. You can use plating to fill scratches in the original surface to a certain extent but nice surfaces are preferable. I am by no means a professional plater. I just like to learn things like this myself and to experiment. While it is relatively easy to do, you aren't going to get a plating kit, open it, plate, and get awesome plating results 10 minutes later. You have to practice and experiment with all of the factors that go into plating before you start to get a feel for it and what you need to do to get a successfully plated surface. So onto the pictures . . I'll upload a few of the buffing pictures tomorrow; I left my other memory card at my "workshop". Some of the allen pan head screws that will be replacing the screws that hold the ATCS 840 front panel. Also, some of the longer socket cap screws that will be used for some front panel bay stuff. More socket cap screws; these are for my custom Aquatube reservoir holder. I plated a number of other socket cap screws for other purposed on the exterior of the case; some bay devices and other external items. I love these! They are just some thumbscrews to replace the ATCS 840 originals. This is a screw cap for an Aquacomputer fillport that I'm planning on fitting into the top of the case to make things a little easier. Next to it is a small spring hinge that is to be used in something that I haven't mentioned yet I've built a custom bay holder for the Classified motherboard's ECP device that has a small door that opens to allow access to the ECP. It's basically to allow easy access while protecting it from accidental (or intentional) pushing of the buttons. I did put in a small window though to allow a view of the debug/temp LED display. This hinge is for the door. I've built all the parts for this little holder and just need to put it together now that I have completed the hinge. And . . . a little preview of tomorrows pictures . . the copper top panel! I'm close to done with it. I'm finish up the beveled edges and then need to complete the finish; it's already partially through the sandpaper grits so I need to continue with that and then use my buffer and some buffing compounds for the final finish. Cutting the plate to size . . . Disassembled ATCS 840 top panel that Coolermaster SO graciously replaced for me; my original was scratched. THANK YOU COOLERMASTER! Second pic is the with the copper panel cut down and fitted on top to determine the adjustments that are needed. Well that's all for tonite . . more tomorrow! Hopefully I'll have finished that panel and if I get to the computer early enough I'll try to upload some other pics. Thanks for continuing to check out my worklog fellas! Cheers Everyone! S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobrinhrkr Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I want to say few words for this mod: 1. Really good hardware dude. You have chosen a great case to mod. 2. You have very good machines. You can do what ever you want. I am eager to see the final result because seems it will be great. 3. I want to tell that your work is pro. Specially the detail( with 2 holes for front panel) looks awesome. The cooper looks insane. Anyway i am curious how much money this mod will be. The parts that u have chosen are not some random socket A or 478 old school hardware. Keep the good work!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Hey, thanks a bunch for the tips on the anodizing! Shows that you are a true modder and as such dispense hints and tips with no hang ups, even to potential competitors! Now you are going to start an anodizing craze! But I doubt any of us can get the stuff and do it as well as you anyway, in time to add to their mods here. I will add it to my notes for use further down the road. Real classy of you to let us know, I appreciate it and tip my hat to ya' for doing so. Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobrinhrkr Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Hey, thanks a bunch for the tips on the anodizing! Shows that you are a true modder and as such dispense hints and tips with no hang ups, even to potential competitors! Now you are going to start an anodizing craze! But I doubt any of us can get the stuff and do it as well as you anyway, in time to add to their mods here. I will add it to my notes for use further down the road.Real classy of you to let us know, I appreciate it and tip my hat to ya' for doing so. Cheers and Saludos Actually anodizing isn't something hard for people with chemistry experience. The point is to have needed equipment and materials. But to be honest its awesome idea to make it at computer parts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Well Dobrinkrkr, inspite of visiting a lot of sites all over the world, this is the first time I see it used to mod. I had some parts chrome plated for a previous mod but besides being poorly done (some flaked off) it was really costly plus one of the covers was so warped I could not use it. Doing the plating at home will give me more quality control and the added satisfaction of having done it myself (not chrome, needs a lot of electricity to work). I would have been disappointed though, if he had shown us the process in an industrial plating vat that needed a 440 v. transformer and hydrochloric acid to clean the parts. Chemistry? Most of us barely passed it (atleast in my class in my school)! So a detailed explanation can get most of us interested in it, a shove in the right direction, specially when explained in laymen terms as did Tony. Kudos to him for helping fellow hobbyist (I suppose, no sponsorships mentioned). Hope Tony doesn't mind this small chit-chat, heheh. Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrenkieNL Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Your bolts look astonishing well ! respect and kuddoos to you !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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