I’ve got an Optimus 1550 fount from which I’m trying to strip the nickel plating. So far, I’ve boiled the fount in a citric acid bath for half an hour and soda blasted as much of the plating off as possible with my fairly weak compressor and equipment. I’ve tried wet sanding the residual plating but it’s completely pointless. What might the quickest and best way be to finish this job? Electrolysis? Soaking in water mixed with Harpic toilet bowl cleaner? Something else? Thanks for any help. I’m anxious to get this lamp project finished soon.
There are several product available to do the job. I've never done it myself but here's a how to video. Ben
OK, I think I’ll try HCI electrolysis. I’ve never done this but have read up on it a bit and it looks like a very useful technique for a lot of things I might come across in the future. For the anode, do I want to use a lead plate or some other type of metal? The Harpic toilet bowl cleaner I mentioned contains 9% hydrochloric acid. How much can this be diluted in the electrolysis bath?
I'm sure the thought has occurred to you, but have a practice first on something else. I did this a while back on a chunky yellow metal plumbing fitting which I needed to braze to something else and wanted to remove the nickel plating first. A 10% solution worked, with 5v power and a lead plate scraped clean first. It did however strip some of the zinc out the fitting, but it wasn't excessive and not an issue with a heavy crude component. It would still have been enough to weaken a fount, not ideal for a pressure vessel subject to cyclic loads. I'll watch this thread with interest- I have a stove tank I'd like to strip and replate if I can be sure it won't be damaged in the process.
Now that’s some food for thought. I don’t really have any test pieces to experiment with so I guess it’s all or nothing with my 1550 fount. I personally feel that soda blasting is the best possible method of removing nickel plating from a lantern fount. Nothing gets damaged in the process. It’s just that DIY equipment like mine isn’t necessarily powerful enough to get the whole job done. Perhaps I’ll call a couple of places that do commercial soda blasting and see what they’d charge for this tiny job (it would probably take only a minute or two). I’m quite sure it’ll be more than the lantern is worth to me, but we’ll see.
Good thinking- blasting really does need enormous equipment to do properly. Let us know what you find out.
Hi, I would definitely go with soda blasting. The citric acid have already leached out a lot of zinc, evident by the brass turning a coppery color. Electrolysis will make that even worse. You could start on the bottom.... You could also remove the nickel with sand paper or emery cloth. If you remove material until the brass is brass colored again it should be OK. You can always polish the surface with acid/ammonia free polish when you are done. There is very little risk that the brass is weakened to much to be a risk of rupturing.... /lars
Thanks for the advice, Lars. I’m pretty confident that soda blasting with a better compressor than the one I have will work very well. As the small business owners around here start to recuperate from their holiday hangovers I’ll ask around and see if I can get this taken care of. If it becomes necessary to sand, how coarse might the sandpaper have to be? I’ve already tried wet sanding with 400 grit wet/dry paper and it did absolutely nothing. I don’t want to get so aggressive with the sanding that the brass scores too deeply to polish out afterwards, but I’d consider sanding if commercial soda blasting proved to be too expensive. Another question about the Optimus 1550: Is the hood brass under the nickel plating? I’m just trying to figure out whether I should plan on removing the plating from that too or just paint it with high temperature paint.
Hi Jaska, I use emery cloth wet with kerosene. I have not used it for removing a coating. I have emery cloth on a flat surface with kerosene on top and rub whatever I need to polish or sharpen so that the kerosene floats the residues away. What is usually the case is that I found yet another chisel or axe in the barn and need to resurrect it. So I start with something like 400 grit to remove surface rust and smooth/square surfaces and then switch to 600 or 800 grit to finish edges. As many have stated before me, if you start with the finest grit and check the result, and then move to coarser grit you will not make more damage than needed. As being a MAN you are constantly wont to start with a sledge hammer were a peening hammer is needed (at least according to my wife). Best of luck! Lars
Hello Jaska, Lance here. When I would acquire a Coleman lamp or lantern with a nickel fount needing to have the nickel removed, I would start with a green Scotch-brite pad such as used in scouring the pots and pans in the kitchen. This left an array of fine scratches which I then polished out with 600 grit wet/dry paper using a fine oil as my float. 600 grit paper is fine enough that you can then polish the fount with your favourite brass polish. ATB Lance
I would be pleased to do so; however, he is in the UK, and I am in central US. Perhaps you know what a proper product for his use might be, but I am unaware of what products are available to him. ATB Lance
