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Electroplating solder, 60/40, or leadfree, which is easier to plate

What are the procedures to electroplate stained glass solder,60/40...OR, would it be easier to electroplate lead free solder, and what are the procedures to do so, and what type of lead free solder should be used.

Bob Bennett
hobbyist - Brick, New Jersey
2004

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Hello, Bob. Plating anything that contains lead requires the use of hydrofluoric acid, which is terribly dangerous stuff (maybe you already know this from your glass work). So lead-free would be better.

Electroplating is different than most other hobbies because it was America's first categorically regulated industry. The minute you sell your first sun-catcher or you plate camé for someone else you are (at least legally and theoretically) subject to a host of environmental permitting and reporting requirements.

So, ideally you would have your creations electroplated by a capable electroplating shop. Lacking that, look up "brush plating" and "pen plating" in our directories and obtain supplies and directions for small scale plating.

Good luck!

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005

I have seen recipes for plating tin/lead that involve methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and no fluorine although I have not used them.

Dave Kopp
- South Bend, Indiana, USA
July 20, 2011

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Hi, Dave. Yes, there are MSA-based plating baths for plating tin or tin/lead onto stuff. But my interpretation was that Bob wanted to plate some other metal like copper onto his tin/lead, not that he wanted to plate tin/lead onto something else. I could be wrong.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 21, 2011