Adventures of Electrolysis and Electroplating
I’ve never electroplated anything before, but I decided to give it a try. My primary goal was to electroplate some 3D-printed components I use on my reloading presses. If this works out well—and if I’m feeling ambitious—I may eventually attempt a SIG P320 grip module. After watching a handful of YouTube videos, I had enough foundational understanding to attempt a basic setup. While this process can be done using a standard smartphone charger, I already had a DC bench power supply, so I used that instead. I purchased a magnetic stirrer, two pure nickel rods (to be used as electrodes), conductive graphite spray paint, and a 3000 mL glass jar with a lid from Amazon. I picked up a spool of copper wire locally at the hardware store. Initially, I considered buying premade nickel acetate solution, but it’s relatively expensive and straightforward to produce yourself. To prepare the electrolyte, I placed the jar on the magnetic stirrer and added 3000 mL of distilled white vinegar along with ap...
