I'm quoting from an e-mail from the Gatreros team with useful information for further improvement: One thing for your reference and a good check. After HCL stripping there is quite a high chance that you will get carbon smutting on the surface of the item. The alkaline cleaner will remove some of this smutting. I would also check with a water break test and white cloth test after you have done the final pickle/activation dip and rinse just before plating. The water break test will show up the cleanliness of the parts as regards traces of oils etc and the white cloth wipe will show up traces of smutting. The only other thing to beware of is that if your parts are hung on copper wire and you dip the parts in HCL stripper or HCL pre plating pickle then each time a small amount of copper is dissolved. After a while the copper in the HCL is enough to start depositing on the steel! This very thin copper layer is only attracted to the steel and is not a true bond! So any plating on top will eventually peel and blister. So just keep checking the steel to make sure that it is not starting to get faint copper deposits on it.
Thank you Lord Greasy Vader! I'm slowly restoring a 1982 Kawasaki GPz 550 and restoring old fasteners is a challenge i haven't faced yet as i find it a little daunting. I will use this vid as reference when i finally develop the courage to attempt the process. Cheers from Eastern Canada!🍁
Thank you, Brad. The 550 GPZ is a great bike. I owned an XBR 500 in the mid eighties and sometimes swapped bikes with a friend who owned yours. This whole thing is much easier than it sounds, only real challenge is to avoid accidents with the acids involved,
@@GreasyFingers I had to look the XBR up. 😄Nice looking bike. We never got them over here. You guys often got desireable machinery we could only lust after. And thanks for the words of encouragement!
Hi, I just received my Gateros zinc plating kit today and will be uploading a video to my channel soon to show you how I did it, thanks for your video, it helped me loads 🙂
I like your PPE, and splash protection. Also the Darth Vader background sounds. Acid fumes are nothing to mess with. Going to try some bike parts soon, then onto a vintage car restoration. Thanks.
Hi! Thank you for your video, It was a good reference for me in many aspects, as I also bought this kid. However, let me make you a remark, the copper wires that are holding the anodes, are partially inside the electrolyte, if it is true what it is recommended by gateros, that should not happen under any circumstance! as then you have copper particles going to the electrolyte... So I understood... Regards and thank you again Miguel
You can achieve most of the same effect as HCL on steel parts with a chelating PH neutral rust remover like Evaporust or Bilt Hamber deox solution/crystals ( way cheaper than Evapo if you buy the 4kg dry crystals pack) Def will get carbon residues as Gateros mention for HCL so use the alkaline cleaner ! Note with nearly exhausted solutions ( turnking black the removal of old zinc will stop before the solution is not able to remove rust any more.
Hey, you helped me alot i liked and subscribed! I have a problem, my yellow passivation gets dull on some areas when they sit for dry till next day. You have any suggestions what i do wrong? I calculate my Amps and Zinc 20mins my Screw looks super shiny! Then i passivate for 60 seconds (rinsing after that) and then the next day it gets dull on some areas.., its demotivating me because i spend alot of money for my setup
Thanks, mate. I have this problem too. Cleaning the part with painter fabric helps. A friend dips it in yellow chromate first and blue chromate second and he’s telling me this increases shine.
Hy Greasy Fingers, tolles Video danke. Was muss man alles kaufen damit man loslegen kann? 1. Gateris Kit 2. HCL 3. 5 Eimer 4. 1 Themometer 5. Schutzkleidung und Draht zum Teile aufhängen.... 6. Aquariumpumpe 7. Ultrasonic Cleaner Danke dir fürs Feedback
Danke! Ja, so in etwa. Die Eimer am besten aus PP, beim Kupferdraht drauf achten, dass er nicht wie die meisten lackiert ist. Die Aquariumpumpe sollte eine sein, die nach oben auswirft, denn man legt sie unter die Teile. Den Ultrasonic Cleaner kann man sich auch sparen, eine Bürste und ein Satz Gummihandschuhe tun's genauso.
How do you achieve such a great finish with the hcl? I clean my parts with soapy water and a brush and then I leave them in the hcl for roughly 30 minutes until they stop fizzing like crazy. When I take them out, they almost look and feel like I sandblasted them. The plating result afterwards is also not as nice and shiny due to the roughness of the surface. Do you drop them in the hcl for just a few minutes? With the use of hcl I was hoping to save the extra steps of polishing, alkaline cleaning and activating. Looks like that doesnt seem to work out as I had planned. One tip I have for you: after cleaning the parts with hcl, I drop them in a solution out of water and Natron (KaiserNatron from DM) to nutralize the hcl. I think its bicarbonate of Soda or something, just google hcl neutralization, you will find it. Its crazy, you can actually see the acid on the part reacting with the Natron. Then I rinse them again in distilled water, just to make sure its clean.
Thanks for the tip, mate! Sounds like a very reasonable extension of the process. You get the shine by polishing the parts with some painter‘s fleece before plating them. I didn’t do this for the film, so the shine came by accident.
So am I correct that in this last video, to prepare the parts, you did ultrasonic cleaning, then blasting and then HCL...? Also, the kit you purchased, is it ZINC-NICKEL ALLOY PLATING KIT - 5L..? Thank you!
Great Video I will be incorporating the HCL method your using. What causes the parts to come out of the zinc plate so bright? I have to polish mine with a brush before passivation although I'm not using the Gateros kit nor a dedicated Power Supply so could be either.
Hey mate, just binged through all your videos! Although we work on verry different Cars your tips and tricks are verry helpfull. Does the gateros Kit come with a brightener to keep the parts from dulling? By the way I also live in Germany and am verry impressed with youre english skills, sometimes you al,most have a southafrican accent which is my home country ;)
It’s amazing that you could spot that, but in fact, the person I talked English with the most in my life, is South African! The Gateros Kit comes with some maintenance fluid to keep the electrolyte fresh, but I guess it’s not specifically a brightener.
Hi, i am having little issue after the zinc plating using the kit from gateros. I am getting a yellow dull coating which builds up while plating. When finished plating and cleaning with water - its still there, and looks no good. Interestingly when i use a wire wheel it comes off and reveals nice zinc plated surface. Question is how to avoid this yellow coating after plating to save on cleaning the parts? Is my electrolite contaminated? Thanks!
@@GreasyFingers I have just recieved response from Gateros - they confirmed my concerns. I have somehow contaminated the electrolyte. The yellow coat should be possible to wash off, so i am buying new chemicals to start fresh.
Hi great video, I’ve just ordered my kit from Gateros plating. What product do you put in your ultrasonic cleaner ? and where do you buy HCL from thanks
Servus Greasy Fingers, Kurze Frage , benutze selber das Gateros 10 L Kit seit gut 2 Jahren und wundere mich, dass deine Teile aus dem bläulichen Passievierungsbad gelblich herauskommen, mein Passievierungsbad ist definitive gelb und die Teile danach auch. Ansonsten ein sehr gut erklärtes Video, Daumen hoch.... Grüsse Thomas
Peter van den esschert Not sure. It’s basically the size of the particles. Look at this: Testpaket Glasperlen 3 x 2.50kg (2.50kg Koernung 70-110µm + 2.50kg Koernung 90-150µm + 2.50kg Koernung 100-200µm) // Strahlmittel, Strahlgut, Glasp www.amazon.de/dp/B00IXK02X4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_nwwvyDTbrwOtz
Hello greasy fingers. I am using the exact same kit from gateros as you are. I was wondering did you ever have any issues where your yellow passivation could be rubbed off, even after a day or 2, exposing the zinc plating? I am having some issues with this, whereby its as if the yellow passivate has trouble adhering to the part and can be rubbed off. If you encountered this, how did you solve the issue? I have a feeling its to do with rinsing the part, but after plating, I rinse in distilled water, then acid pickle, then passivate, then rinse. Many thanks Jamie
Hi, i have contacted gateros about that, have the same issue, they said its normal, passivating will rub off with finger. I even tried to rub it off from an industrial plated bolt - it is comming off, but a bit harder than from gateros passivate.
I don’t have long term results available right away, but I could look up some of Walter‘s underfloor parts that I plated myself. I generally don’t think that a DIY kit’s result can compete with a professional, industrial job. My main motivation to use this kit was to improve my understanding of the overall process.
@@GreasyFingers tbh in germany and europe I tried over 4-5 different shops and the quality was just bad bad.. and expensive. So DIY maybe is an option.
Feel free to get in touch with me via the mail address in the about section, I can recommend a company that does this for me. But yes, DIY is an option too.
@@GreasyFingers put your anodes in some kind of tea strainer bag to stopp all the bits of black getting in your electrolyte buddy.& did you just recently order this kit because ive ordered one myself but i think they have canceled my order with the covid 19 virus
@@GreasyFingers ich hab den Fehler gefunden. Kupferdraht von den Zynkplaten hatte ich im Galvanikbad plus zu wenig Zynklösung. Nun glänzt es wie es soll. tolle Ergebnisse. danke für die Rückmeldung.
@@markusdubon1733 Cool, freut mich. Bei mir sind die Kupferdrähte, welche die Zinkelektroden halten, mit Kunststoff beschichtet. Manchmal weisen mich Leute darauf hin, aber leider kann man die Videos nachträglich nicht verändern, sonst würde ich einen Hinweis einblenden.
@@markusdubon1733 Guten Tag, habe das gleiche Problem, ich habe aber keine Kupferdrähte an den Zinkanoden sondern direkt angehängt, also kann es daran nicht liegen. Mit zu wenig Zinklösung meinst du das du das Bad nochmals eine Weile angereichert hast? Vielen Dank
How long do you keep the metal pieces in the HCL? Until it stops bubbling? I did have some spring steel on a pair of Starrett calipers break apart after probably 15 minutes.
I'm quoting from an e-mail from the Gatreros team with useful information for further improvement:
One thing for your reference and a good check.
After HCL stripping there is quite a high chance that you will get carbon smutting on the surface of the item.
The alkaline cleaner will remove some of this smutting. I would also check with a water break test and white cloth test after you have done the final pickle/activation dip and rinse just before plating.
The water break test will show up the cleanliness of the parts as regards traces of oils etc and the white cloth wipe will show up traces of smutting.
The only other thing to beware of is that if your parts are hung on copper wire and you dip the parts in HCL stripper or HCL pre plating pickle then each time a small amount of copper is dissolved.
After a while the copper in the HCL is enough to start depositing on the steel!
This very thin copper layer is only attracted to the steel and is not a true bond!
So any plating on top will eventually peel and blister.
So just keep checking the steel to make sure that it is not starting to get faint copper deposits on it.
Clear, informative video - no irritating music
I was just about to comment on the boooring music lol
Thank you Lord Greasy Vader! I'm slowly restoring a 1982 Kawasaki GPz 550 and restoring old fasteners is a challenge i haven't faced yet as i find it a little daunting. I will use this vid as reference when i finally develop the courage to attempt the process. Cheers from Eastern Canada!🍁
Thank you, Brad.
The 550 GPZ is a great bike. I owned an XBR 500 in the mid eighties and sometimes swapped bikes with a friend who owned yours.
This whole thing is much easier than it sounds, only real challenge is to avoid accidents with the acids involved,
@@GreasyFingers I had to look the XBR up. 😄Nice looking bike. We never got them over here. You guys often got desireable machinery we could only lust after. And thanks for the words of encouragement!
Hi, I just received my Gateros zinc plating kit today and will be uploading a video to my channel soon to show you how I did it, thanks for your video, it helped me loads 🙂
Thanks, Jason.
Glad to hear it was helpful and looking forward to your film.
Thank for making this video. It’s just what I needed to have confidence that this is an achievable process. 😊
Thanks, Bill.
It is! It’s actually not so difficult and I can say once you’ve mastered it, the excitement goes down.
Hallo ein sehr schönes Video mit vielen Informationen top👍👍👍👍Mit freundlichen Grüßen aus dem Ruhrgebiet Kai
I like your PPE, and splash protection. Also the Darth Vader background sounds. Acid fumes are nothing to mess with. Going to try some bike parts soon, then onto a vintage car restoration. Thanks.
Thanks, Jon!
Wonderfully informative, as always.
Hi! Thank you for your video, It was a good reference for me in many aspects, as I also bought this kid. However, let me make you a remark, the copper wires that are holding the anodes, are partially inside the electrolyte, if it is true what it is recommended by gateros, that should not happen under any circumstance! as then you have copper particles going to the electrolyte... So I understood...
Regards and thank you again
Miguel
Hello Miguel. Thanks for the feedback.
I wasn’t aware of this, it’s really good to know.
Hello again, Miguel. I just looked this up: the copper wires I’m using here are painted / plastic coated. Should be okay.
You can achieve most of the same effect as HCL on steel parts with a chelating PH neutral rust remover like Evaporust or Bilt Hamber deox solution/crystals ( way cheaper than Evapo if you buy the 4kg dry crystals pack) Def will get carbon residues as Gateros mention for HCL so use the alkaline cleaner ! Note with nearly exhausted solutions ( turnking black the removal of old zinc will stop before the solution is not able to remove rust any more.
Good to know, thanks!
Very helpful video. Many thanks.
Thank you, James. Please sign up and like, if you haven’t. 😊
Hey, you helped me alot i liked and subscribed!
I have a problem, my yellow passivation gets dull on some areas when they sit for dry till next day. You have any suggestions what i do wrong?
I calculate my Amps and Zinc 20mins my Screw looks super shiny! Then i passivate for 60 seconds (rinsing after that) and then the next day it gets dull on some areas..,
its demotivating me because i spend alot of money for my setup
Thanks, mate.
I have this problem too. Cleaning the part with painter fabric helps. A friend dips it in yellow chromate first and blue chromate second and he’s telling me this increases shine.
Hy Greasy Fingers, tolles Video danke.
Was muss man alles kaufen damit man loslegen kann?
1. Gateris Kit
2. HCL
3. 5 Eimer
4. 1 Themometer
5. Schutzkleidung und Draht zum Teile aufhängen....
6. Aquariumpumpe
7. Ultrasonic Cleaner
Danke dir fürs Feedback
Danke!
Ja, so in etwa. Die Eimer am besten aus PP, beim Kupferdraht drauf achten, dass er nicht wie die meisten lackiert ist. Die Aquariumpumpe sollte eine sein, die nach oben auswirft, denn man legt sie unter die Teile. Den Ultrasonic Cleaner kann man sich auch sparen, eine Bürste und ein Satz Gummihandschuhe tun's genauso.
@@GreasyFingers ok danke ich schau mal
,... werde die Tage all meine Teile zurechtlegen evt. lass ich alle kurz machen...
Hallo, gibt's es zufällig nen link zu einer Bezugsquelle von dem kit!? Bin leider nicht fündig geworden. Besten Dank
where did you ordered this kit? i can't find any good shops for it in europe, everything is in england or usa and trouble with sending stuff over.
I ordered it directly at Gateros in England. No issues.
How do you achieve such a great finish with the hcl?
I clean my parts with soapy water and a brush and then I leave them in the hcl for roughly 30 minutes until they stop fizzing like crazy.
When I take them out, they almost look and feel like I sandblasted them.
The plating result afterwards is also not as nice and shiny due to the roughness of the surface.
Do you drop them in the hcl for just a few minutes?
With the use of hcl I was hoping to save the extra steps of polishing, alkaline cleaning and activating.
Looks like that doesnt seem to work out as I had planned.
One tip I have for you:
after cleaning the parts with hcl, I drop them in a solution out of water and Natron (KaiserNatron from DM) to nutralize the hcl. I think its bicarbonate of Soda or something, just google hcl neutralization, you will find it. Its crazy, you can actually see the acid on the part reacting with the Natron. Then I rinse them again in distilled water, just to make sure its clean.
Thanks for the tip, mate! Sounds like a very reasonable extension of the process.
You get the shine by polishing the parts with some painter‘s fleece before plating them. I didn’t do this for the film, so the shine came by accident.
So am I correct that in this last video, to prepare the parts, you did ultrasonic cleaning, then blasting and then HCL...? Also, the kit you purchased, is it ZINC-NICKEL ALLOY PLATING KIT - 5L..? Thank you!
Well, no. These are three different methods to get the parts prepared for the galvanic process, but you don’t have to apply them all.
Yes, that’s the kit.
Fabulous! And may the force be with you!
Thanks, Obi Wan Curran. 😊
@@GreasyFingers if tomorrow I can get half as good as you have done I will be very happy on the first try. Keep up the fabulous work oh master.
nice work
Great Video I will be incorporating the HCL method your using. What causes the parts to come out of the zinc plate so bright? I have to polish mine with a brush before passivation although I'm not using the Gateros kit nor a dedicated Power Supply so could be either.
Thanks!
I think the brightness is part of the magic of the Gateros kit. There’s a fluid where it says: if parts get dull, pour some of that in.
what is about Zink Spray ? i got some good results with that.
I guess it works, but scratches off easily. I therefore only use it as a primer below more durable coats of paint.
Nice garage :)
Yeiiii! 😃
Be mindful, the acid dip on springs can cause hydrogen embrittlement, springs may break if left too long.
Thanks for the tip, I wasn’t aware.
I won’t do that again, especially as I guess it’s only cosmetics anyway. Spring steel isn’t prone to rust.
Hey mate, just binged through all your videos! Although we work on verry different Cars your tips and tricks are verry helpfull.
Does the gateros Kit come with a brightener to keep the parts from dulling?
By the way I also live in Germany and am verry impressed with youre english skills, sometimes you al,most have a southafrican accent which is my home country ;)
It’s amazing that you could spot that, but in fact, the person I talked English with the most in my life, is South African!
The Gateros Kit comes with some maintenance fluid to keep the electrolyte fresh, but I guess it’s not specifically a brightener.
Hi, i am having little issue after the zinc plating using the kit from gateros. I am getting a yellow dull coating which builds up while plating. When finished plating and cleaning with water - its still there, and looks no good. Interestingly when i use a wire wheel it comes off and reveals nice zinc plated surface. Question is how to avoid this yellow coating after plating to save on cleaning the parts? Is my electrolite contaminated? Thanks!
Hi, I’m sorry, I don’t know.
@@GreasyFingers I have just recieved response from Gateros - they confirmed my concerns. I have somehow contaminated the electrolyte. The yellow coat should be possible to wash off, so i am buying new chemicals to start fresh.
@fullrespect69 Thanks for sharing this!
nice, do you have a link where to buy this set?
The name is Gateros, I’m sure you can google it from there.
Very nice to see thank you
.
Thanks, Abu!
Hi great video, I’ve just ordered my kit from Gateros plating. What product do you put in your ultrasonic cleaner ? and where do you buy HCL from thanks
Cheers, mate.
In the usc I use normal industry degreaser.
HCL you can order on Amazon.
Thanks. How long do you leave your part in HCL when you are Carring out your initial clean?? Cheers
Servus Greasy Fingers,
Kurze Frage ,
benutze selber das Gateros 10 L Kit seit gut 2 Jahren und wundere mich, dass deine Teile aus dem bläulichen Passievierungsbad gelblich herauskommen, mein Passievierungsbad ist definitive gelb und die Teile danach auch.
Ansonsten ein sehr gut erklärtes Video, Daumen hoch....
Grüsse
Thomas
Das ist in der Tat merkwürdig!
Ich habe keine Ahnung, warum das so ist. Vielleicht hat Gateros irgendwann die Chemie umgestellt?
QUESTION: which sandblasting media are best for simple rust, grease & dirt removal on small autoparts?
Thank you!
Hey Peter. That’s glass beads of about 100 to 200 micrometers.
@@GreasyFingers Thank you very much.
@@GreasyFingers forgive me for being a newbie at this, but micrometers would be the same as "Mesh/Grit"...?
Peter van den esschert Not sure. It’s basically the size of the particles. Look at this: Testpaket Glasperlen 3 x 2.50kg (2.50kg Koernung 70-110µm + 2.50kg Koernung 90-150µm + 2.50kg Koernung 100-200µm) // Strahlmittel, Strahlgut, Glasp www.amazon.de/dp/B00IXK02X4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_nwwvyDTbrwOtz
@@GreasyFingers Thank you again, very helpful!
Hello greasy fingers.
I am using the exact same kit from gateros as you are. I was wondering did you ever have any issues where your yellow passivation could be rubbed off, even after a day or 2, exposing the zinc plating?
I am having some issues with this, whereby its as if the yellow passivate has trouble adhering to the part and can be rubbed off.
If you encountered this, how did you solve the issue? I have a feeling its to do with rinsing the part, but after plating, I rinse in distilled water, then acid pickle, then passivate, then rinse.
Many thanks
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
I really don’t know, but I recommend you reach out to Gateros directly, they are very helpful and supportive.
Regards
Johannes
Hi, i have contacted gateros about that, have the same issue, they said its normal, passivating will rub off with finger. I even tried to rub it off from an industrial plated bolt - it is comming off, but a bit harder than from gateros passivate.
Do you let the pump in the container during the plating process ?
Yes
4:55 . . . due to the ACID ENVIRONMENT I would advise to place the electronic device in a much bigger distance
Good point.
Do you have any longtime test results? Sometimes it looks good, but only for 1-2 Winters
I don’t have long term results available right away, but I could look up some of Walter‘s underfloor parts that I plated myself.
I generally don’t think that a DIY kit’s result can compete with a professional, industrial job. My main motivation to use this kit was to improve my understanding of the overall process.
@@GreasyFingers tbh in germany and europe I tried over 4-5 different shops and the quality was just bad bad.. and expensive. So DIY maybe is an option.
Feel free to get in touch with me via the mail address in the about section, I can recommend a company that does this for me.
But yes, DIY is an option too.
Very fine quality
Thanks, mate!
What recipe for passivation solution ?
:)
Hey. I took the standard passivation that comes with the kit.
Hi I have Alfa Giulia parts....and living in germany...where did you come from? Regards
Hi there! I’m from the south, western Munich area.
@@GreasyFingers Du kommst aus Deutschland München ?? Grüss Gott aus Düsseldorf....
@@Fashion372 Servus! Ja, ich komme aus der Münchner Gegend. Habe ich richtig verstanden: Du handelst mit Ersatzteilen?
Greasy fingers What size zinc plateing kit was this one ? ? ?
10 l
@@GreasyFingers put your anodes in some kind of tea strainer bag to stopp all the bits of black getting in your electrolyte buddy.& did you just recently order this kit because ive ordered one myself but i think they have canceled my order with the covid 19 virus
Mysterious Rider Hey! Thanks for the tip. I ordered it in February when live was a silent river.
@@GreasyFingers ok buddy thats for reply
Looks just like genuine jewelry
Agitation is not required or recommended for zinc plating
🤷🏼♂️
Mein Zink ist nach der Galavanik sehr dunkel kein Glanz sieht eher aus wie angelaufenes Blei. Woran könnte das liegen?
Hallo Markus.
Welches Produkt verwendest Du?
@@GreasyFingers ich hab den Fehler gefunden. Kupferdraht von den Zynkplaten hatte ich im Galvanikbad plus zu wenig Zynklösung. Nun glänzt es wie es soll. tolle Ergebnisse. danke für die Rückmeldung.
@@markusdubon1733 Cool, freut mich. Bei mir sind die Kupferdrähte, welche die Zinkelektroden halten, mit Kunststoff beschichtet. Manchmal weisen mich Leute darauf hin, aber leider kann man die Videos nachträglich nicht verändern, sonst würde ich einen Hinweis einblenden.
@@markusdubon1733 Guten Tag, habe das gleiche Problem, ich habe aber keine Kupferdrähte an den Zinkanoden sondern direkt angehängt, also kann es daran nicht liegen. Mit zu wenig Zinklösung meinst du das du das Bad nochmals eine Weile angereichert hast? Vielen Dank
Gute, einfache Beschreibung des schwierigen Ablaufes 👉
من هو هذا الذي ينخر جنبك
There is a reason why you can only buy 33% max HCL solutions......
Tell me the reason …
Dart Wader ...
😁
How long do you keep the metal pieces in the HCL? Until it stops bubbling? I did have some spring steel on a pair of Starrett calipers break apart after probably 15 minutes.
Yes, till it stops bubbling and a little longer.