Getting the copper off?

[Robert Luland]

And now for the young scientist of the year award (Drum roll please). All joking a side. This post could help me and a lot of other people. A lot of stuff I have has been recovered from the chopper dynasty. I had my platter strip off the chrome and nickel but there is a lot of copper left behind. They say that they used to have something that would take it off but the EPA won’t let them use it any longer. Frankly I think there full of ****! Just cheap. Any way I got to find a way of removing this stuff. When you go to parkerize anything that was originally chromed. Any remnants will show right up even if you can’t see it prior to putting it in the soup. I’m depending on ya boys. Bob L

[Chris Haynes]

A polishing wheel will remove it.

[Robert Luland]

Nope Chris. You have to have a way of getting it out of every nok and cranny. Yes you can do it in a glass beading cabinet if you don't plan on doing anything else with the rest of your life.

[flat-happy]

i glass bead it off with low pressure. it won't affect the surface one bit. i have two sets of springer rockers that i had the chrome stripped off then parkerized and will post pics if you want me too. there was a lot of copper on one side of each and not much on the other. still came out the same

[RichO]

Robert, They're right about the EPA. That chemical can no longer be used. I, like Chris, use a buffer/grinder with a fine grit scotchbrite wheel. You don't lose your detail and you get the last of the copper and nickel.

[Robert Luland]

I'm not buying it! There has to be some earth wrecking goop to take this stuff off. I live in the getto. If the stuff kills the inhavitants of my hood. The earth as a whole would be a better place. Bob L

[Re-cycleInc]

I was looking for chemicals to strip cad plating and I came across some threads on using heated sulfuric acid to remove copper. Not sure of the whole process or the science behind it , but it sure sounds interesting. I'm no chemist so I wouldn't try it after more research, but I figured I throw in what I have found. Good luck

[moon wolf]

I'm not buying it! There has to be some earth wrecking goop to take this stuff off. I live in the getto. If the stuff kills the inhavitants of my hood. The earth as a whole would be a better place. Bob L


Here's what I found on a technical site. Have no idea of the environmental consequences:

"Nitric acid in commercial grade will dissolve nickel and copper without attack to aluminum. Steel is severely attacked by nitric, so, if this is your substrate, you would require a dedicated striper for ferrous mateirlas..."

Also, Queen City plating in Mukilteo, Washington claims they can remove all the plating layers from you castings. Haven' tried them either.

http://www.queencityplating.com/

[Robert Luland]

Thanks guys. I remember reading something and I think it was here about using a car battery and battery acid to remove chrome. Wounder if it would take the copper off to? I think I'm going to drop a dime to that on line store that makes the the mini platting kits.

[rwm]

put a penny in lye acid and see what happens.there is a plater near you. steve d'atri hobart ave cloister n.j.

[Paps]

I've electroplated copper and silver onto surfaces in industrial applications, while on the job. I can't see why it isn't reversable. Paps

[Robert Luland]

Well RWM in the name of back yard chemistry. I been out looking for lie. So far I hit the A&P, Home Puke, the hardware store and the gardening store. No lie but they all looked at me strangely. I had one eye glued to the rear view all the way back to the shop. Anyone here know were ya can find lie. I know drain cleaner has it but it’s watered down and cost a small furtion. I also couldn’t get a handle on that platter.
Paps, Nether do I. Bob L

[jmanjeff]

Try here
http://www.boyercorporation.com/

[rwm]

ace hardware store it's use by plumbers to clean rust and scale out of iron pipes it's also the same stuff in hot tanks at your local engine rebuilder the plater near you is sterling restoration assc. 70 herbert ave closter nj 201 788 1140 also used in cleaning french fry oil for bio fuel

[flat-happy]

well if you don't want to try the glass beads maybe you have a furniture stripping place nearby? they use lye all the time

[moon wolf]

Thanks guys. I remember reading something and I think it was here about using a car battery and battery acid to remove chrome. Wounder if it would take the copper off to? I think I'm going to drop a dime to that on line store that makes the the mini platting kits.

I tried the chemical they advertised as a chrome stripper. It did absolutely nothing.

[23JDCA 808]

put a penny in lye acid .... You may have meant lye solution; lye is a caustic, opposite of acidic. ...bill

[Paps]

Try Amish people or a supplier for their communities, such as LeMans, just outside of Canton, Ohio. Pretty sure they have a website.

[exeric]

I have been following this post with much interest. I have tried all manner of removing nickel and copper and had ZERO success. The only thing works for me is a die grinder, cartrige rolls, rotary files, sand paper, and sandblasting. The last non mechanical method I tried was making a bath of sulfuric acid in a 5 gallon bucket and using a lead anode to transfer the copper or nickel off the part. I had the part hooked up to my buzz box welder and gave it 75 amps of current. All it did was turn the part and the lead anode black. Oh yeah, and it probably added $10 to my electric bill. I was really hoping to hear something good about that stuff that's suppose to safely remove all plating from the parent metal but moon wolf didn't seem too impressed. A friend of mine just had some parts stripped of chrome and replated and got charged a ridiculous amount of money. The plater told him the nickel is very hard to remove and he has to use a very toxic bath. I really would like to hear some encouraging advice for doing this process at home.

[rwm]

eric what you did is a great way to neutralize rust. i read that in an old hot rod mag you can turn red rust in a neutral black rust. but if your electrods touch you have a pile of metal mush. anyway i got lye today and will soak copper nickel and aluminum in it till 6pm tuesday
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo162/robronky/IMG_9384.jpg

[rwm]

ok do not get this lye on or near your case not even in the same room! aluminum foil is gone.10 seconds gone nothing left you will not have time to clean it off your case wow fizz smoke and a whole lot of heat

[exeric]

Rob, I remember from high school chemistry that aluminum in lye makes explosive hydrogen gas.

[Robert Luland]

Rob, I remember from high school chemistry that aluminum in lye makes explosive hydrogen gas.

Maybe thats why they don't sell that **** in the ghetto!

[rwm]

some strange things the solution with the penny turned like curdled milk. the solution with the nickel has turned to a candy like coating on the nickel i mixed up a test of water and lye it turned to an opaque solid. i may need distilled water we have a water softner .the coins are un changed .i have access to some nasty furniture stripper.not just your basic zip strip.i can try that on the weekend

[yhprum]

NOt sure about the penny test, they have a large amount of zinc in them Maybe try a plumbing fitting or piece of tube.
Steve

[23JDCA 808]

NOt sure about the penny test, they have a large amount of zinc in them Maybe try a plumbing fitting or piece of tube.
Steve
The zinc slug is copper plated; 97.5% is the slug. Two different metals may upset the chemistry. Try a penny before 1982. ...bill in oregon

[rwm]

i talked to a plater today and here is what i got. lye will remove chrome. chrome is hard and porous. nickel is soft and nonporous. nickel will come off with reverse plating.
to reverse plate nickel you need low voltage like 6v your part(nut,bolt or whatever) must be the positive.your negative will be steel(do not let the copper wire in the bath) whatever you put in there use a steel wire to hang it from. your bath or the solution will be hydrachloric acid watch your part to long and the acid will start eating it if you have threads you don't want to bugger up use a rubber dip on them .hardwhare stores have it you dip your pliers in it to give them a new coating on the handles
copper is the same just use sulfuric acid remeber low volts

[Robert Luland]

I'm a little lost here Rob. What do you hook the negitive to? Bob

[rwm]

hook it to a nail and place it in the liquid just don't let the copper wire in the acid.if you can use steel wire for your neg.

[swall]

Household ammonia will remove copper plating. I used it on the speedo dash panel on my '52 Chief after I had stripped the chrome and nickel using sulfuric acid and reverse plating, as per the Caswell Plating Manual. It took several changes of ammonia and about three weeks. Once the ammonia gets a deep purple color, it is time to change it out for fresh.

[Robert Luland]

Well I got the ammonia brew a cooking. We shall see. As far as the reverse plating thing goes. Can you use a battery charger as your power source? Bob L

[rwm]

give it a try. i'm gonna try a toy train transformer. just try it on a junk part first.

[Robert Luland]

The part is the least of my worries. My eyes and the shop come first. Bob L

[Robert Luland]

Well I guess its working? The copper is getting lighter and the ammonia has turned blue. Didn’t Ronco make something years ago on tv to take this stuff off?

[Robert Luland]

Time to report on the science project. It works. Ammonia does take off copper. Slowly but it does work. In the picture you can see the air cleaner plate and the oil tank bracket cleaned right up. The battery tie downs are getting there. It not only dissolves it but gets under the plating. When I first pulled it out you could peel some of the copper off. Still haven’t been able to get it out of the cracks were the flag is spot welded to the shaft. This is the place that keeps showing up in the Parkerizing pot. Man! All this experament’en makes a guy thirsty! Later! Bob L
http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae1/RobertLuland/IM001180.jpg

[exeric]

Wow! Fantastic news Bob. I'm going to get some ammonia and get that process started. Thanks for commiting to the experiment.

[rwm]

i got some chrome sitting in a brew of lye. it was hard to find a piece of chrome to sacrifiece but we will see how it goes

[rwm]

after 5 days the chrome is starting to fizz

[Robert Luland]

Well boys it’s been 52 days and three ammonia changes into the experiment. I deleted the last picture off Photobucket not realizing that it goes back there to retrieve every time you open the thread. Today I pull’em out and no copper. I Going to do one more time around in the beader for good measure and tomorrow into the soup. Sure would be nice to have a happy ending. I will do the final report tomorrow. Bob L
http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae1/RobertLuland/IM001237.jpg

[Robert Luland]

Hold the presses. Soon as I beaded them the copper showed up in the creases. Back into the stew pot with'em. I'll let ya know in three weeks. Bob L

[exeric]

Bob, do you think the amonia would get under chrome and nickel to remove the copper? I was wondering if that would work on a beat-up chromed part that has copper and bare steel showing.

[Robert Luland]

Eric as I said earlier. The ammonia seem to get under the copper plating as I was peeling pieces off. No matter what I do I can’t seem to get it out of the weld seams. I beaded this to no end and it’s still there. If the ammonia doesn’t work this time I’m just going to lightly weld over the seams. The ammonia seams to work really well on big fat areas as you can see in the photo. Bob L

[Chris Haynes]

Somewhere, someplace I have an article from a very old Australian motorcycle magazine that has a formula for removing copper and chrome. It is a mixture of fertilizer and diesel. I know, it sounds like Tim McViegh at work. You mixed the two and used a trickle charger to strip metal bare.

[rousseau]

hey Bob
I can't tell from your pics but, are you sure your not seeing brass in the seams. lot of brackets were Brazed on back in the day.

[rwm]

ammonia will remove brass also. it wont work on chrome i have tried that. i tried chrome in lye and nothing came off .my plater claims i did it wrong. so i will try again in a bigger vat of lye. first time i used a mason jar. this time i will use a 1gallon bucket

[rwm]

no chrome has come off yet from the lye

[Robert Luland]

Well after two months. In the end Ammonia does get off the copper if you have all the time in the world. Like I said earlier, it gets the flat big areas fast (Couple of weeks). I’m taking this to the next scientific level. I’m going to surf the web for a young scientific forum and find me some geeks to collaborate with. In the air of things in the world right now. Don’t be surprised if I come back and tell ya copper plating is the reason for global warming. Bob L

[rwm]

for five months i had a chrome headlight switch sitting in lye.nothing changed all the chrome is still on the switch. my hands would have rusted that cheap switch quicker i'll try a few more things on it this spring

[silentgreyfello]

Exeric: Ferric Chloride will remove nickel plating. I buy it a Fry's electronics, as folks use it for etching circuit boards. I have never tried it on copper, but I'll go throw a chunk in just to see.

[exeric]

Exeric: Ferric Chloride will remove nickel plating. I buy it a Fry's electronics, as folks use it for etching circuit boards. I have never tried it on copper, but I'll go throw a chunk in just to see.

silentgreyfello; Thanks, that's a good tip. I'll try it as well.