copper plating CLB's

[carpediem]

Has anyone ever tried copper plating cast lead bullets?

How can it be done?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kindest regards,
 :wink:

[jhalcott]

you will need some copper sulphate(sulfate) some distilled water ,a heat source(warm solution works best) an electric source (to make the process work)and absolutely clean cast bullets.Acid to wash/etch the cast bullets.A plastic container to hold the solution.A pure copper source. It is possible to do this but too expensive for a NON commercial hobby.You would probably not be able to get rid of the waste chemicals with out a license.
Copper is a very hazardous material and cannot be dumped in your garden. Also the plating is .001/.002 thick on each side of the bullet ,neccesitating smaller than normal molds.It would be cheaper to buy the plated bullets from a dealer.I would see NO reason to plate a cast bullet for a normal handgun,but for a rifle round it would have SOME advantages.Even these are suspect,as I have reached over 2800 fps with cast 150's in the 30-06.Accuracy(,hunting) was acceptable.

[John Traveler]

Carpetdiem,

I was an electrochemical hobbyist for several years, and can tell you that home-plating bullets is not practicable (nor cheap).

Effective electroplating involves the use of hazardous chemicals including acids, cleaners, cyanide solutions, heated baths, tumblers, safety equipment, and above all, proper process control.  While not impossible, it is simply too far out of the ability of the average home tinkerer to do economically.  Plating lead bullets involves continuous tumbling and heating during the process, with current regulated power supplies (time and current determines plating thickness).

Health hazards abound with plating solutions.  Incorrect rinse sequence will expose you to deadly cyanide gas.  Ventilation and storage are some others.  Disposal of old solutions is a major one.  Most of the metallic ion salts are either seriously or dangerously hazardous to life.  Chromium solutions, for example, are known carcinogens.  You simply can not dump old solutions into the drain and pretend it did not happen.  The local governments regulates the hell out of you for this activity.  I used to visit all the area plating shops and make service calls to calibrate instruments and power supplies.  The EPA, state, and local agencies routinely make surprise inspections to catch violations.  Improper disposal consittutes felonies.  Many, if not most, of the area plating shops have either been fined humongous penalties or are closed.

If all these comments mean that home plating bullets is not easy or practical, then you are right.  It isn't.

[carpediem]

Thaks for the advice gentlemen.

I was hoping for an easy solution,(no pun intended), but as usual, there is no easy solution,(pun intended).

Kindest regards,

[ShadowMover]

It's been over 20 years ago, but I copper plated hundreds of cast wheel weight 44  mag semi wad cutter.  I used copper sulfate (blue stone root killer) in distilled or RO reverse osmosis water. The sacrificial anode (POS side +) was shiny copper wire grid on the bottom of a plastic pan containing the copper sulfate solution. The NEGative connection of the automotive battery charger went to an old starter brush that made a connection with a short piece of 1/2" copper pipe over a square BBQ rotisserie shaft. Set it up like a brush on an electric motor. You can micky mouse the bearings out of just about anything. The shaft of the rotisserie held the meat prongs which held a small round one gallon plaster patching (wall mud) bucket, with a snap on lid. I drilled lots of 1/4" holes in the bucket to allow the solution and the current in.  The rotation keeps the plating from growing little spikes on the bullets. If you've ever tried to plate you'll know what I mean. The plating wasn't shiny, but was a dull red color and tough as nails. It would stay on the bullet after it was shot into lumber.  I didn't make any allowances for the thickness of the plate, I just lubrisized them and loaded as usual, after a good rinsing and drying.  I've read recently that using a few drops of Tarnex jewelry cleaner in the solution will make the copper plating shiny, but I haven't tried it yet. Don't put too many bullets in the bucket or it won't turn, the wire on the bottom gets eaten away as the bullets get plated, so plan on replacing it.  The amount of copper sulfate, and the amount of current will depend on your situation. Experiment with it. The copper sulfate solution is not super dangerous and if you follow any kind of safety you'll be fine. The solution can be stored in a plastic or glass bottle for re-use. Unless your local laws prohibit it, the solution can be dumped down the drain, it is sold for that purpose!  It can be done, it works , it's cheap, and it's safe.

I've got another rotisserie set up and I'm going to try it again. I'll get some pictures.