Plating A Dummy

7696 Route 31
Lyons NY 14489
Voice: 315.946.1213 Fax: 315.946.4456
www.caswellplating.com

Plating A Dummy
If you believe that your plating solution has been contaminated, you can plate out those
contaminants and restore your bath by “Plating A Dummy”.

A ‘dummy’ pictured right, can be made of steel, copper or
brass. It should be made approx 4”x 6” with 1” bends. DO
NOT use galvanized steel, or zinc plated steel.

Calculate the surface area of the dummy and plate it at the
recommended current for 30 mins-2 hours. There is no need to
polish the part first, but you should clean it so that no more
contaminants enter the tank. This will plate out any
contaminants in your bath onto the dummy, which can then
either by stripped, or thrown away.

Test that all contaminants have been removed by plating a properly prepared test part. If
you still notice black streaks or other contaminants, repeat the dummy procedure.

To avoid future contamination, never plate items zinc die cast (pot metal) items, or items
that have been zinc plated or galvanized with your nickel or Copy Chrome® tanks
directly. Flash Copper™ plate them first. If you are using copper wire to hang your
anodes into the tank, ensure that NO copper is immersed in the solution.

Avoid removing zinc plate or galvanized coatings by blasting, as this just blasts the zinc
deep into the pores of the metal, making it very difficult to remove.