Calculating surface area question

[Greg L.]

Well I got my Caswell kit last week so now I'm all ready to dive into it and get my long over due parts plated. However I'm having a heck of a time finding info on how to calculate surface areas of items other than basic squares and circles. So how does one go about calculating the surface area of say the front brake caliper brackets or throttle cable brackets. Would it work to some how measure the displacement they have if submerged in a container of water?? Any easy formulas for figuring this all out?

Thanks

[Jack H.]

Re: Calculating surface area question

It's easier than that! If you have a power supply with variable voltage and variable current, blow off the tedious calculations. Set the power supply for the nominal plating voltage Caswell gives in their book and crank the supply's current knob ALL THE WAY down.

Now, connect the annode and cathode to the power supply and immerse them in the electrolyte. Slowly, increase the power supply's current limiting control upward until you JUST see bubbles begin to form on the part being plated in the tank. Stop, you're there!

If the part is bubbling 'wildly' you've got too much drive current and you're going to wind up with a non-uniform surface plate that'll require you to buff out the part in a secondary operation (color will be dark grey vs. brite silver). So, you want to set the rate of metal deposition to 'just right' conditions and that means the SLOW formation of a bubble here, bubble there....

The calculations based on surface area of the metal donor and surface area of the target part are 'nice', but that's not how the pro's do things. They use a power supply with variable current output control and 'tweak' the current limiting knob to match the specific job!

[Greg L.]

Re: Calculating surface area question

Thanks Jack,

As I was reading through their manual I was wondering how the pros really did it because I couldn't see them making area calculations for each and every piece they plated. So now I know! I also changed my thoughts from "I wonder if I should get a power supply" to "which is the best one to get for what I'll be doing".

Any advice on a good economical one to get seeing as Caswell is all out of thier 3 & 5 amp ones? I was also thinking that maybe I could make one from a battery charger, light dimmer and use my multi-meter to monitor the output...what do you think?

Thanks again,

Greg #45455

[Mike M.]

I got one in canada

Greg, You can get one out of Canada if you really need it. I just bought one from the Caswell dealer in Canada. He has them in stock. Mike