How to Remove Copper Plateing from Steel?

[dingus]

Im stripping and old nickle gun and that was easy with brownells nickle stripper but now i have a copper coloured gun Looks kinda cool but i want the copper striped off the steel now.

Caswell has a copper stripper but thought theres gota be other ways.
I tryed to buy copper sulphate from drug stores but there all useless now adays when it comes to chemicals.
I bought some bordo copper spray powder as its 53 % copper sulphate put it in distilled water with a copper anode and battery hooked up but it doesnt work.

So open to any good ideas ? If i could just buy some copper sulphate that would be a thing to try i already wasted $15 on this stupid copper powder for pests in the garden.

 

[scott585]

go to the hardware store and buy some root clear or similar, its meant to pour down the john to kill tree roots in your drains, cost about $10 for a pound or so. its crystals of copper 2 sulphate, blue in colour

 

[dingus]

go to the hardware store and buy some root clear or similar, its meant to pour down the john to kill tree roots in your drains, cost about $10 for a pound or so. its crystals of copper 2 sulphate, blue in colour

OK Thanks thats good to know.
a fellow i know is telling me to strip or reverse plate copper to just use salt water in a bucket and a 12 volt power supply with the gun part hooked up to the Pos and a chunck of copper or stainless steel as a Anode on the neg turn on the power and the copper will come off the gun parts anyone know if this might work ?

 

[BCRider]

Sounds like the last idea is worth a try. Just do it first with a piece of sanded smooth and clean steel to ensure that the salt water and electrolysis doesn't also pit the steel.

You may find that you need to move the anode around to encourage an even removal of the copper.

 

[H Wally]

OK Thanks thats good to know.
a fellow i know is telling me to strip or reverse plate copper to just use salt water in a bucket and a 12 volt power supply with the gun part hooked up to the Pos and a chunck of copper or stainless steel as a Anode on the neg turn on the power and the copper will come off the gun parts anyone know if this might work ?

It should. Basically look up how to make an electronic bore cleaner. The process uses current that flows from positive to negative and carries the plating material with it. In an electro cleaner the positive current is attached to the gun and the negative is the rod that is suspended in the barrel. As long as the rod doesn't touch (short out) the barrel, the current jumps from the barrel, through the liquid and to the rod, and carries junk from your bore with it.

If you suspend your copper plated object inside a steel tub or tube without shorting out the circuit (anything that'll conduct current) and hook up your positive to the gun and negative to the container, it should de-plate the gun. The reverse of currents will plate suspensions in the fluid to the gun.

One of the safest methods for making one of these cleaners is to use a cell phone charger. Strip the wires and electrical tape or solder them to alligator clips for ease of use. Most of these chargers step down the charge to only about 2-6 volts or so. More voltage = faster cleaning, but also potentially pitting on the metal and risk of shocks. A cell phone charger protects you and the gun from damage. I have no idea how long copper plating would take to remove, but usually an electro cleaner will remove stubborn cupro-nickel, copper and lead fouling from a bore in about 15 minutes.

The metal on the gun will fizz if the system works, and the solution may froth slightly. If there's a short nothing will happen.


Edit: I've read some complicated but fairly legitimate sounding claims that stainless steel produces a toxic gas when used for this process. Also, have "heard" that de-plating can create some nasty toxic water... not sure how true that is... looked into removing the nickel (with copper base) plating from a revolver a while back and it put me off of the idea. I may not be right, but worth a warning in case.

 

[dingus]

It should. Basically look up how to make an electronic bore cleaner. The process uses current that flows from positive to negative and carries the plating material with it. In an electro cleaner the positive current is attached to the gun and the negative is the rod that is suspended in the barrel. As long as the rod doesn't touch (short out) the barrel, the current jumps from the barrel, through the liquid and to the rod, and carries junk from your bore with it.

If you suspend your copper plated object inside a steel tub or tube without shorting out the circuit (anything that'll conduct current) and hook up your positive to the gun and negative to the container, it should de-plate the gun. The reverse of currents will plate suspensions in the fluid to the gun.

One of the safest methods for making one of these cleaners is to use a cell phone charger. Strip the wires and electrical tape or solder them to alligator clips for ease of use. Most of these chargers step down the charge to only about 2-6 volts or so. More voltage = faster cleaning, but also potentially pitting on the metal and risk of shocks. A cell phone charger protects you and the gun from damage. I have no idea how long copper plating would take to remove, but usually an electro cleaner will remove stubborn cupro-nickel, copper and lead fouling from a bore in about 15 minutes.

The metal on the gun will fizz if the system works, and the solution may froth slightly. If there's a short nothing will happen.


Edit: I've read some complicated but fairly legitimate sounding claims that stainless steel produces a toxic gas when used for this process. Also, have "heard" that de-plating can create some nasty toxic water... not sure how true that is... looked into removing the nickel (with copper base) plating from a revolver a while back and it put me off of the idea. I may not be right, but worth a warning in case.

Thanks Wally i got a head ache today and feel like crap, this was with salt water but i shoudnt have watched it so close.

I read on the Gun Broker forums to use Amionia as the water and a 3 volt charger like you said so will try that next but do it outside and not stick my headover to watch.
Undiluted Amionia is supose to work if its to slow removeing copper it says to add 10% by volume peroxide a 3% solution to the amionia.
So will try that if the amoinia dont work by its self.

The salt water went all brown and dirty so some copper came off but the 12 volt power supply was to much i think gona try a 3 volt charger i can get one from the thrift store for like $2
I will post how this works.

 

[10x]

I would go with the household ammonia method.

If you go with electrolysis, keep in mind that the electrolysis method may well take out just more than the copper...
You may want to try electrolysis with a penny (copper coated) using an ammonia electrolyte, or the electrolyte of your choice.
It takes. 0.1 amps to copper plate, it should only take 0.1 amps to remove -
You can use a 1.5 volt dry cell with a resistor (30 to 200 Ohm) in series as a power source.

Attach the terminal to the anode (the gu), and the negative terminal to the cathode (a copper wire in the solution) For electrolyte this is the basic ratio: 100 cc of white vinegar, and 1 heaping teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 3-6 cc of ethylene glycol (depending on if it has been diluted).

If you run the cell for 2 hours, that's 0.2 ampere hours. That will dissolve 1.19 grams of copper metal per ampere hour.

Try this on a newer penny (nickle steel with copper plating). It should remove the copper in 1-3 hours...

 

[H Wally]

Thanks Wally i got a head ache today and feel like crap, this was with salt water but i shoudnt have watched it so close.

I read on the Gun Broker forums to use Amionia as the water and a 3 volt charger like you said so will try that next but do it outside and not stick my headover to watch.
Undiluted Amionia is supose to work if its to slow removeing copper it says to add 10% by volume peroxide a 3% solution to the amionia.
So will try that if the amoinia dont work by its self.

The salt water went all brown and dirty so some copper came off but the 12 volt power supply was to much i think gona try a 3 volt charger i can get one from the thrift store for like $2
I will post how this works.

Geez - I'm sorry to hear that - I've always been paranoid and run it out of doors or with a good vent fan. In a way I guess I lucked out as I partially discounted the comments on the toxic gasses produced as excessive worrying, but I guess it's not far off the mark. Lots of weird stuff happens that we can't smell or see but that can do some pretty good damage - be careful! (And post pics of the gun you're stripping )