Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Electroplating Leather, Shoes, Nonmetal: Operational Problems & Solutions
by Warner Electric
on AbeBooks
or Amazon
(affil links)
Q. Greetings from PERTH, Western Australia!
Can anybody help?
I am looking for advise on a better, quicker and more effective way of plating baby shoes as a paying hobby.
At present, I formulate my own surface conductive material by mixing locally purchased copper findings (dust) with a commercially available clear lacquer. This is then applied to the product using an artist airbrush and left to dry for 24 hours - giving excellent results.
The item is then plated in acid copper using two anodes which are placed either side of the product about 200 mm (8 inches) away from it. Using my own home built constant current rectifier, I plate at about 1 to 1.5 amps per sq decimeter (1/10th of a sq ft). This takes anything between 12 and 24 hours to adequately plate with constant monitoring for roughness. A 1.5 micron filter system is used.
Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
John Cray
- Perth, Australia
1998
A. John,
Interesting process. You might consider using liquefied metal, versus the homemade-brew, which in the long run is subject to corrosion. This application allows for more detail to be retained and allows for more flexibility in the mounting process.
Oceanside, California
A. Hi John
I plate all my items for approximately 5-6 hours and it is sufficient in all cases. The rectifier must be able to give you a very smooth current, helps with the finish you require; you must use the oval copper anode, bus bars won't give you the same finish and the anode must be in a bag. Cathode movement or agitation of the solution is a must, I prefer the agitation. I also make up my own spray -n conductive paint and hardly ever have to polish items when coming out of the tank.
Regards
Roy
- Cape Town South Africa
August 5, 2010
RFQ: My name is William Thorn I have available a plating facility, and I am interested in obtaining a source for the liquid metal that you have previously identified in answer to a client's question. It is my intention to bronze and gold plate a material close to ceramic and plaster. We will be able to pre-coat this maternal with the sealer for further application. I would certainly appreciate a source for this maternal. Any help in this matter will be appreciated. Sincerely,
Wm. ThornHouston, Texas
1999
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
RFQ: I read your posting looking for liquid metals, and I was wondering if you were able to locate any. Because we are needing some to get our business started and are having a rough time locating any bronzing liquid. Would you have a source that I may contact.
thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide.
- Missouri
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors and repetition 🙂
Q. Plated shoes are oxidizing. I've been interested in plating non-conductive shoes for a long time. I have tried many times, and now I'm successful with plating. But I still haven't solved some difficult problems.
First, when I finish plating using sulfuric acid copper solution, the sulfuric acid solution which soaked into the material of the shoes comes out, oxidizes the plated copper film and changes the color to green. I tried to neutralise it with alkali chemicals or by washing with water, but sometimes it comes out a few days after plating. And when I wash it away with thin sulfuric acid solution, it comes out again in a day or two. Sometimes after finishing plating, drying it enough over ten days and cleaning off the acid film with thin sulfuric acid solution, I color it black with a bronzing crystal and coat it with clear lacquer - but the film comes out again a few days later. How can I prevent this acid film coming out after plating?
Second, I seal the shoes before plating. I have tried soaking them into shellac - a kind of varnish - or applying it twice with air brush. I know this substance is good for preventing sulfuric acid from soaking into the shoes. Actually, I guess there is a problem with my sealing process, because I can not see any oxidation in the soles of the shoes (the soles are made of rubber). I suppose this problem is caused when the sulfuric acid copper solution, which soaked into micro-holes where the sealing was not well done, has been dried for a long time.
Would you please tell me what I am doing wrong? Can you teach me the effective sealing material and how to use it? The most important question concerns an unavoidable negative result: how can I move away the oxidized film after finishing plating? The second problem is I plated first with copper and second with silver. After that a part of the plating becomes dark and sometimes the green oxidized color comes out. I guess the sulfuric acid which was soaked when I first plated with copper is coming out.
If you need more details to help me, please let me know. I know this is a very difficult favor, but I really hope you will answer me.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely yours,
Inseo Yeo- Seoul, South Korea
2001
by Jay H. Newman
on AbeBooks
or eBay or
Amazon
(affil links)
A. Hi Inseo. If your present rinsing will not remove the sulfuric acid residue, I would suggest:
a). alternating hot and cold rinses;
b). immersion in sodium bicarbonate (although it sounds like you may have tried this);
c). immersion in dilute (about 2 percent) nitric acid (I am not sure why this works, but some sulfuric acid anodizing shops do this and claim that it works.
I think you have already identified your chief problem as inadequate sealing which allows the leather to soak up acid.Perhaps baking the shoes immediately before sealing will help, and using a more dilute (more solvent for better penetration) lacquer.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. After experiments with electrochemistry in my Chemistry II class, I was wondering how nonmetal objects, such as baby shoes or leaves, are electroplated. Also, electrolytic cells are used in the manufacture of sodium, magnesium, and aluminum metals. How are these metals produced commercially.
Thanks!
Angie [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- USA
2002
A. Hi Angie. The answer to your first question is in our FAQ at finishing.com/faqs/organic.shtml. Your other three questions warrant a trip to the library, where the librarian can help you understand how to find age-appropriate and trustable information about the subject in metals books. Good luck!
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. In order to electroplate nonmetal substrates we've been following successfully the next procedure I hope it's useful.
1) supposing the substrate is a non-metal and non-plastic material such as wood, leather, etc., plastify the substrate with a monophasic polyurethane enamel, this is very important in order to avoid bath absorption and further contamination of other baths.
2) apply a copper base enamel made out of cooper powder 100 mesh or less (very fine cooper, such as 300 mesh or higher, powder is an excellent electricity isolator). Let dry for 24 hours.
3) immerse the part prepared into an electroless silver strike bath made out of 70 g/lt of potassium cyanide and 3 g/lt of silver cyanide. for .5 to 1 minute (until the piece turns white)
4) rinse thoroughly.
5) electrolytic cooper acid bath for 4 to 10 hours at 0.5 to 1 V and 0.1 to 0.5 amp / dm2
6) rinse
7) watts nickel bath at 4 A/dm2 for fifteen minutes.
that should be enough to get a bright well finish ready to receive the rest of metal plating materials as if you were plating a nickel part.
Hope it's finally useful for all electroplaters.
JORGE AZNAR JEAN- Mexico City, Mexico
2006
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Ed. note: Thanks, Jorge!
Readers: Please remember that the internet is a giant one-room schoolhouse where you will overhear things you are not qualified to do! Cyanide is very dangerous and should not be used unless you have both chemical and haz-mat training; and it must never be used in a residential setting.
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors and repetition 🙂
Q. I have just started a small business electroplating baby shoes. I am having a problem with the chemical solution leaching to the outside of the shoes days after plating. I make very sure to rinse the shoes off thoroughly after plating but all to no avail, I am still getting "blue" spots of chemical coming through. I can have a couple of days where no chemical comes through and I think I am right and go ahead and lacquer the shoe but within hours the chemicals are showing through again. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Vicki R [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]New small business - Wellington, New Zealand
2004
A. It isn't clear to me if you are truly doing bronze electroplating vs. some sort of synthetic lacquer which is supposed to look like bronze. But if it is true electroplating, then you need to do better rinsing even if you think you are doing well. Better rinsing could involve alternating hot and cold rinses, a rinse with a neutralizing agent for the chemical in question, or ultrasonic assist as in a jewelry cleaning system.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Thanks for the response Ted. I am doing true Electroplating (I hope so anyways) My solution is Distilled water, sulfuric acid and copper sulphate. It is the copper sulphate ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] that is leaching through., 2 weeks after plating and about 10 goes at rinsing. Not sure if there is anything that can neutralise the copper sulphate but will keep at the rinsing and hopefully it will soon go. Thanks for the advice.
Vicki R [returning]- Wellington, New Zealand
A. In that event, Vicki, I think the problem is that the leather has not been fully and properly lacquered, and it is not watertight and is absorbing the plating solution :-(
You need to do the plating on top of a waterproof lacquer coat; if the leather absorbs plating solution it may prove nearly impossible to rinse it out.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Plating doesn't adhere to patent leather shoes
Q. I am trying to plate patent leather baby shoes. I have no problem plating but when rinsing the plating starts to peel off. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Vicki Rowe [returning]new business plating baby shoes - Wellington, New Zealand
2004
A. Unfortunately, yes you do have a problem plating, Vicki. Try to determine, if you can, at what layer does the plating separate from the shoe: is the lacquer separating from the patent leather, the metallizing from the lacquer, the copper from the metallizing, etc. Please give us more detail about what you are doing.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Ed. note: Readers who are interested in more info on bronzing of baby shoes may find letter 162, "How to do Bronzing of baby shoes" interesting.
Q. Hi there,
I electroplate baby shoes and have a very new problem to me in that I have had some severe blistering occurring on my last few pairs of shoes.
Has this happened to anyone else? I can't think why this would suddenly happen.
Any ideas at all?
Bronze Keepsakes - Wellington, New Zealand
2005
A. I would think that blistering would be the most common problem in bronzing non-metallic objects like baby shoes. I believe that you should look at your metallizing step very carefully, After that, make sure that you start the current very slowing when building up metal.
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
Q. Please be so kind as to make me understand what procedures I must undergo on the leather item to get it stiffened and chemically sealed before I begin electroplating? Thank you in advance for your help.
Zuzu Gadraniamateur - Tbilisi, Georgia
January 10, 2014
A. Hi Zuzu. There are two broad steps.
First the leather item must be sealed in lacquer to render it waterproof so it doesn't absorb the chemicals and carry them from one step to another, contaminating them, as well as allowing water & chemicals to be sealed in under the plating, from which they will leach out..
The second broad step is metallizing. Applying some sort of conductive paint or coating which contains enough metal in it that it can carry the electroplating current so the plating can take place. Good luck.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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