Ammunition & Hand Loading > Cartridge and Shotshell reloading
Copper Plating
unfy:
Hank: well, my current setup is prolly the least friendly way of doing it... the alternate tumbler method mentioned by someone earlier is a possibility that I'd be willing to look at as well... *ASSUMING* the cell approach works.
Concerning copper source - I do appreciate the offer, and might end up taking you up on it :).
I've got all the lil aluminum L brackets cut and marked for drilling. Doing a single retaining "hole" instead of 2 just for simplicity. I'll have to mark up the galvanized fence tension bars / power bars / rigging / whatever for appropriate drilling as well. Plan on coming in to work on Saturday and drilling all the holes all at once.
Looking at:
http://www.tedpella.com/company_html/PlasticsChemResistance.htm
(or http://www.calpaclab.com/Chemical-Compatibility-Chart-s/789.htm )
HCL and HDPE don't react... well, especially at the hardware store grade I'll be looking into using (30-35%).
Milk jugs are HDPE. I figure some milk jugs, some glass / pyrex additional containment safety and I should be good to go with pickling in HCL. I'll look around at other plastic containers and stuff at hardware store and what not to see if I can come up with something better than a milk jug.
Actually, plastic coffee cans are more stout and HDPE. As an assumption: food container plastic that is colored is quite possibly HDPE. Looking at the recycling mark tells ya what ya need to know :). Ya'd want 2 / HDPE. Larger scale: many 5 gallon buckets, smaller: the thick plastic coffee cans seem cool.
Need some white lab coat like stuff, some decent gloves, and I'll begin to construct the pickling tanks and stuff. Well.... *AFTER* i show 20-25 bullets plating successfully with just manual stuff.
As an aside, sulfuric acid (typically 30-40% in automotive batteries) is okay with HDPE as well.
There's also questions about cast -> water squelching -> plating at nearly all the same time and if it'd do for reducing oxidation concerns etc. Or if even the water squelch is necessary. I know that if left hooked up to the current and dropped into water, a lead bullet will immediately oxidize (even with no current flowing through the bullet itself).
Basically what I'll need to do is attempt some cast -> plate immediate stuff to see if the de-oxidation step is even necessary.
edit:
Well, the way i'm doing it now is theoretically 'least friendly'. All of the setup I've done for everything is on the more time consuming / complicated side... but will make the actual plating stuff much quicker to work with compared the very initial plan of bullets-hanging-from-a-copper-wire.
Cells are removable, copper plates are easily removable for cleaning, hooking up power to the copper plates is pretty quick (just some clamps), power stuff is all self contained and easy to hook up. The clothespins make dealing with individual bullets easy (i have some thoughts on that as well). All in all, it's come leaps and bounds compared to what the thread started out as.... and I think the current plans on attaching the clothespins to the rigging/power source will work out real nice as well.
There is near ZERO reason why I can't attempt plating this weekend.... an will be endeavoring to do so.
A power source is the current unknown for this setup, will take experimentation to find out more. Not overly concerned about it at the moment.
Concerning the clothespins....
There are the 'rubber dip' things for tool handles and heat shrink stuffs for wires etc. I do wonder if some copper strips / tubing cut a certain way would do well at replacing the plastic fork handles and using the dips/shrink for covering most of the copper stuff except contact points would be a nice option. This way less surface area gets plated, an easier to work with set of 'pincers' for the bullet holders, etc. The question that arises is how this other stuff holds up to being in an electrolyte and other such fun questions. Or, similarly, what about some of the neat paints ?
edit again: plain ole polyurethane may work for a coating as well (i dunno ?).
bkoenig:
Speaking of copper sources, I melt down range scrap for casting and end up with leftover jackets. I wonder if that would be useful? It's pretty dirty, so I'm not sure if that would be a problem.
unfy:
--- Quote from: bkoenig on March 16, 2013, 08:23:40 AM ---Speaking of copper sources, I melt down range scrap for casting and end up with leftover jackets. I wonder if that would be useful? It's pretty dirty, so I'm not sure if that would be a problem.
--- End quote ---
There was the post earlier (in this thread I think) of folks that are making a copper / tin alloy in their lead. Depending on how contaminated it is and if truly makes a difference, this might be a decent thought for that ?
Melt a bunch of tin, drop the jackets in, make the copper / tin alloy ?
This is all hoping that the tin has a higher affinity to the copper than the lead, thus stripping the copper attoms away for 'an atomic suspension' ?
Almost makes me wish I jumped on SFG's old melting pot when I had the chance hehehehe
GreyGeek:
Copper can be purified by electroplating with a controlled voltage and current.
unfy:
--- Quote from: GreyGeek on March 16, 2013, 07:47:50 PM ---Copper can be purified by electroplating with a controlled voltage and current.
--- End quote ---
*cough*
Aint that the subject of this thread ? :P
You'd prolly have to lay it in basket / wire mesh and attempt to pull the copper off the lead. Dunno what success you'd have.
I think I tossed the picture of copper plate shell crud bullets I posted earlier. I'll look around and see if I still have them. If I do, I can try to see if I can pull the copper off of the slag/dreft/whatever-its-called.
In other news, stopped by hardware store, returned stuff I've ended up not using and then bought a bunch more stuff. Really should just get a hardware store credit card heh.
Used drill press here at work (taking a small break atm in office) to put 25 holes into the hanger bracket things. OMG I love drill presses, even the kinda beat up one here at work (there's a lil bit of play in the spindle / quill when it meets resistance). Gonna have to pick me up a decent press for home <3.
Hit kind of a 'durr' moment after drilling out one of the brackets... but already have a solution to address the problem. Basically, machine screws don't sit inside the bracket (durrrr). so the bracket won't be flush against the hanging rod. Not a problem, already have a solution worked out (ie: a nut as a spacer).
Also picked up a small tap/die set with matching drill bits included. I've got one at home but it just lacks. Anyhoo, will be tapping one of the holes in the aluminum hanging bracket for attaching the clothespins with. Just because I can :P.
Also picked up one of these:
http://www.menards.com/main/electrical/electrical-cords/surge-protectors-and-power-strips/black-desktop-power-center-4-outlet-surge/p-1872665-c-6412.htm
Something like that mounted on bench either on it's side with included clamp or in a purpose cut hole seems mighty dandy. Sure it's for office desks, but on a hobby / reloading bench it seems appropriate as well :). And for $10, sure why not.
As far as acids: lots of HDPE / recycle-2 marked stuff abounds. I'll be taking a folgers plastic coffee can as the tank and then cutting up a milk jug (and putting holes in it) as the 'holds bullets and easier to move them between acid and water' thing. Well, that's the immediate plan as a 'medium sized' pickling bath thing. The smaller coffee cans are also purposefully neat looking and will just need to figure out a smaller bottle to hold the bullets. This would be the 'small sized' pickling bath thing.
Re-checked some of the high temperature paint stuff. $10 gets you primer and paint for rustoleum. I believe that's enamel based. The VHT stuff mentioned earlier (by someone else and myself) is ceramic based IIRC.... and prolly be closer to $20-$30 for both primer and paint. This will just have to be 'try it and see' on a spare mold set.
For amusement, the curing steps on the high temp paint include several 'bake at X degrees for 30min, cool for 30min' steps at increasing temperatures. Somehow I don't think this would necessarily be wise in the house. Will have to figure that out later (propane grill ? ... doubt a propane grill hits 600F though for the final step).
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