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Do It Yourself Aluminum Pipe Fittings

Electroplating allows the surface of a metal to be transferred onto the surface of another object as long as the object is conductive to metal. During this process, both objects are placed in a liquid that facilitates the transfer of the metal coating and is connected to an electrical source. By using electroplating, people can take cheap materials such as plastic or copper and resurface them with more expensive metals like aluminum. This can save time and money, especially for do-it-yourself projects like making your own aluminum pipe fittings.

Things You'll Need

Aluminum plating solution
Protective gloves
Safety goggles
Beaker
Wall mount power adapter with alligator clips

Instructions

- 1
  Buy aluminum plating solution from an online electroplating kit retailer or your local hobby store. If the pipe fittings are plastic, you will also need to purchase copper conductive paint and spray an even coat over them prior to beginning the plating process.
- 2
  Put on the protective gloves and safety goggles to prevent incidental eye and skin contact.
- 3
  Fill the beaker with enough plating solution to fully submerge the pipe fitting. Ensure that the beaker is also large enough to accommodate the pipe fitting and aluminum piece. If the pieces touch, dark spots may appear on the pipe.
- 4
  Attach the positive-charged alligator clip to the aluminum piece and the negative-charged alligator clip to the pipe fitting. Place both pieces into the solution. Do not allow the alligator clips to touch prior to plugging in the wall-mounted power adapter; they may short out the adapter.
- 5
  Plug the power adapter into the nearest electrical outlet and leave the metal pieces submerged until the pipe fittings assume the physical characteristics of the aluminum piece being plated onto it. This can be observed by looking through the beaker or occasionally removing the pipe fitting from the solution for a visual inspection.

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