Brush Electroplating – Taking It With You

Brush electroplating is the portable means of electroplating, electropolishing or anodizing objects or components that needed to be repaired or restored by applying metal coatings. Unlike tank electroplating, this process requires only a small amount of electroplating solution. Instead of dipping the objects, brush systems can be put into action by using handheld devices. Such devices are made up of retentive materials that can absorb and then apply the solution onto metal objects. Plus, these devices also have built in sources of electrical current which is essential for bonding the plating onto base metals. However, just like conventional painting, this type of electroplating requires different tools for different types of solution.

Brush electroplating can be used to electroplate nickel, copper, silver, gold and even platinum. The process can be done on portions of an object or whole objects. The craftsman simply needs to dip the handheld device on the plating solution and then apply it on the base object, making sure that the solution is distributed evenly. Apart from its obvious portability, brush plating can be used to plate large objects that would otherwise not fit in conventional electroplating tanks. A good example would be in electroplating huge columns in structural or building restoration projects. It is just impossible and impractical to dip building columns in tanks, so brush plating is the only option.

Moreover, brush electroplating can also be performed either indoors or outdoors. The portability and versatility of this method of electroplating knows no bounds. Even astronauts use nickel brush plating to restore or repair parts of the international space station and other satellites. The valves found in nuclear power plants are also repaired via this plating method. The aircraft industry also makes use of this type of plating metal objects to restore defective airplane landing gears. You can also appreciate the usefulness of brush plating in your own car. You see, crankshaft bearing diameters are also taken care of using brush electroplating.

Most important, brush electroplating is cheaper than other methods that make use of tanks. For one, shipping costs can be significantly reduced when brush plating is used. For projects that are located in faraway places, only the plating device needed to be flown in, maybe along with the operator or craftsman, which can generally be cheaper compared to shipping large objects that require plating. And since anyone can learn brush plating, you do not need to wait in line for your objects to be plated with precious metals.