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Should anode rods in plating tank be plated?

Just wondering..

I was started on electroplating a few days ago in the company I work for. I'm the only one doing it and have had *very* little training..

I know the process on our plant is slow, probably mostly due to a lack of maintainance of the electrical parts over the last xx years (very poor looking connections - I intend to strip and clean them next week).

We use copper rods to hang items from during plating (zinc plating in a zinc cyanide bath). It's a bit of a task keeping the copper clean, and I was wondering if plating the rods themselves would improve conductivity and help keep the pipes cleaner for longer?

David Chord
- Petone, New Zealand
1998

you don't say if the copper rods are immersed in the plating solution or whether the parts are suspended on jigs from the copper rods - normal practice is to plastic coat the jigs leaving contact points uncovered.If the rods you talk about are actually the anode rails then it is possible to plate but nickel is a better choice than zinc which would corrode and ultimately give as many problems as the bare copper.I suggest you contact your chemical supplier who should have extensive knowledge and information to pass on to you regarding these matters.

Dougie Lightfoot
- Fife, Scotland
1998