10-30-2016, 03:27 PM
(10-30-2016, 01:44 PM)awemawson Wrote: .... just needs a seeding dust of graphite powder to electroplate non-conductors, and it can be an unbelievably thin layer, as as soon as some electro-plated deposit is laid down the conductivity dramatically increases.
Didn't know about that "trick", but graphite being carbon it is highly conductive. Went to the Dalic Electroplating School in or near Pasadena while I was in the USN as we had a hand held electroplating shop attached to the machine shop. Great for building up pump & motor shafts when the bearing surface was undersized no more than .050". We'd then flash them with tin to reduce fretting. Also resurfaced generator commutators with rhodium & gold in place WO removing the commutators or the main shaft.
We'd electroplate Filipino pesos (worth about 12 or 13 cents at the time) with gold resulting in very good service.
