Zinc plating parts

[rolesyboy]

If I wanted to BZP some original Mini parts eg an old solenoid (because the one dated 1966 still works and the ones dated 2021 don’t) or say the ends of the Hydrolastic flexible hoses could I do it without dismantling it or would the plastic/rubber parts etc prevent that from happening? Don’t know much about the process but can’t really experiment so thought I would ask on here.
Cheers. Mark

[Polarsilver]

Dunno about Zinc plating sorry .. but i did take apart the original Lucas starter solenoid to see why it had failed .. fault was internal corrosion had prevented the Solenoid Coil wire end to earth making contact due to corrosion .. from now onward with the original Lucas Starter Solenoid i will put WD40 down the circumference of the central pin in the hope to keep things reliable..

[TECH396]

If I wanted to BZP some original Mini parts eg an old solenoid (because the one dated 1966 still works and the ones dated 2021 don’t) or say the ends of the Hydrolastic flexible hoses could I do it without dismantling it or would the plastic/rubber parts etc prevent that from happening? Don’t know much about the process but can’t really experiment so thought I would ask on here.
Cheers. Mark

It's entirely possible. But don't think your local plater will want to deal with the fuss it takes to do such a job. I restored/re-plated my original Radiator Cap without plating the brass or any other bits. I don't see any reason to not apply the same technique, as long as the parts of the item being re-plated can be submerged without damaging other internals etc. I'll be doing the ends of my hydro units the same way. It all takes time, and if you're paying someone else, time is money.

[rolesyboy]

Thanks. I had an inkling that is could be done but I do agree that a firm will not be interested in fannying around avoiding plating certain bits. I might as well buy a kit from Frost and have a stab at it then.
Any more comments or feedback welcomed

[Tim]

I don't think the insides of the solenoid will be very happy about being dunked in the various cleaning and plating baths. You may end up with a vintage solenoid that is exactly like a modern one, i.e. clean and shiny but doesn't work.

Tim

[rolesyboy]

That was my concern. Your comment made me laugh though.
I wonder if there is a way to do components like the solenoid?

[rolesyboy]

Dunno about Zinc plating sorry .. but i did take apart the original Lucas starter solenoid to see why it had failed .. fault was internal corrosion had prevented the Solenoid Coil wire end to earth making contact due to corrosion .. from now onward with the original Lucas Starter Solenoid i will put WD40 down the circumference of the central pin in the hope to keep things reliable..

Worthwhile knowing that. Did you take it apart and leave it as a real life 'schematic' or did you manage to reassemble it?

[Nick W]

Bit of info here
https://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18524

[Polarsilver]

Starter Solenoid internal inspection..The only way i found to open up the starter solenoid was to grind away the Circumference of the Crimp in the area of the terminals the internal assembly can then fall apart .. Reason of Failure ..One end of Coil Wire just squashes in its contact to the internal end of the solenoid body ( the push button end ) .. corrosion in the area stopped the solenoid coil operation reaching earth ..yet the coil itself had continuity..this solenoid was dead anyway & i just wanted to know reason of fail which i suspect was due to internal condensation over many years as this was a year 1965 Solenoid.

The next time i take apart a period Lucas Starter Solenoid i will cut the case at the push button end and if there is a way to bond back on the cut off end of outer case .. then just maybe it would be possible to repair.

[surfblue63]

That was my concern. Your comment made me laugh though.
I wonder if there is a way to do components like the solenoid?

Could you not plate it in the same way as that bloke on the Repair Shop does silver plating? He uses a chemical soaked sponge. which is connected to an electrical supply, a wipes said sponge over the surface needing to be plated. No need to dunk the whole part in the plating solution.


Search silver plating on YouTube, there's load of videos showing how to plate.

[rolesyboy]

Another genius who resides on this forum has suggested a brush in zinc plate kit. Not found it yet but sounds promising
Cheers

[Catmint]

Another genius who resides on this forum has suggested a brush in zinc plate kit. Not found it yet but sounds promising
Cheers

I think Frosts sold them, might be named as galvenising rather than plating

[TECH396]

For what it's worth..........Good plating relies 99% on preparation. Prep work takes forever, and the actual process only takes minutes. The problem with the brush on method is you'll end up with this lumpy or blotchy looking solenoid unless you can clean & polish every crevasse of what's being plated.
I'm not sure what the chemicals & equipment cost where you are but my experiment cost me over $1000 before I plated my first piece.
Tumblers, tumbler media, heaters, variable power supply, chemicals, acids, bath containers, copper, circ. pumps etc. The plus side is, you can play with the fiddly things and it costs nothing but time to do it yourself. As far as that solenoid goes, theoretically you could seal off any openings with a careful application of sealer before it gets submerged and clean off that sealer after plating. But as I said before. It's a LOT of work.. And it might not work..