Part 5/10:
Transitioning to hardware, Paul displays copper tubes slated for electroplating. Before beginning the process, he cleans the tubes with a degreaser followed by a dip in hydrochloric acid, ensuring the surfaces are free of oils and impurities that could hinder plating. He uses a Scotchbrite pad and acetone for cleaning—simple yet effective methods for preparing metal surfaces to accept a uniform coating.
He mentions using an old silver coin, with 99.9% silver purity, and silver rods bought from eBay—colloidal silver rods with a diameter of 1/8 inch—as his anodes. The goal is to ensure the amount of silver on the anode roughly matches what is on the cathode, a key principle in electroplating to achieve uniform results.