KCH Engineered Systems
Published

Stains Using Cyanide Copper Plating Bath

Share

Q. We are using a cyanide-based copper plating bath to plate a bell-shaped fitting with ½-inch and 1-inch diameters. We are seeing dark brown stains in the area where the 1-inch diameter is reduced to 1/2-inch. Do you have any idea what the problem is?  —M.T.

A. First, I suggest you determine if the stains appear when the parts come directly out of the plating bath or if they appear after the final step in the plating process and are allowed to dry off. Without the part in hand or a photo of the part I cannot give you a definitive answer. Quite often staining of the type you describe is due to poor rinsing and drying of the parts after the plating step is complete.

Related Content

  • An Overview of Electroless Nickel Plating

    By definition, electroless plating is metal deposition by a controlled chemical reaction.

  • Troubleshooting Alkaline Zinc

    One of the most common problems that can arise when plating with alkaline zinc is an imbalance of brightener in the solution. In this helpful Ask the Expert article, Chad Murphy of Columbia Chemical discusses how different zinc metal concentrations and brightener concentrations can impact efficiency.

  • Zinc Electroplating

    Choosing the best process for your operation.

Reduced Ion Electroless Nickel
Hitachi High-Tech FT200 series
Luster-On Products
KCH Engineered Systems
Rectifiers for the Plating Industry
In-Place Repairs for Canning Presses
FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER
The Finishing Industry’s Education and Networking Resource
KCH Engineered Systems