Our multi-use tin plating solution has applications ranging from the cookware industry through to high-end electronics. Recommended electrode – platinum.
Please note: This is an air-sensitive solution. When not in use, keep the lid tightly shut and take measures to minimise the air space remaining in the bottle. These can include adding marbles or glass beads to the bottle, squeezing out the excess air at the top of the bottle or drawing up and storing the solution in one of our storage syringes.
Failure to observe the above precautions will result in the degeneration of the tin in the solution.
Please click on the ‘Examples’ tab below for suggestions on how to minimise air contamination.
HS Code: 3824 99 70
As you use up your Tin Brush Plating Solution, you can gradually replace the empty space in your bottle with marbles. This increases the shelf life of oxygen sensitive plating solutions such as Tin, by minimising the air gap at the top of the bottle. Another approach is to squeeze out the air gap and screw on the bottle top.
Our brush plating equipment is powered by our EasyPlater. It’s very straightforward to use, compact and lightweight.
Features
Applications
It plates fast and can be brought to a high shine using MPU or MPU course.
non-toxic finish makes it a good choice for coating cooking utensils
useful in electronics and plumbing as it aids solderability – no need for fluxes
low tarnish finish that polishes well
To work out how much plating solution you will need to plate your item and for how long, please click on the ‘Calculator’ tab above and select Tin Brush Plating Solution.
There are three stages to successful Brush plating;
1. Surface Preparation
2. Plating
3. Finishing
1. Surface Preparation
The more attention you pay to preparing your surface at the start, the better your end result will be. This first stage can be broken down into three possible further stages; polishing, cleaning and activation. It’s unlikely you’ll have to do all three, it just depends on the type and condition of the surface you’re plating.
Polishing
Plating can’t hide deep scratches, so for a scratch free finish, make sure you polish these out before you start. If the scratches aren’t very deep then you can do this by hand, using our Hand Polishing Kit. If the scratches are quite deep then you’ll probably need to use a polishing machine. You can buy the polishing compounds for this on our online shop – just follow this link HERE.If you are lucky, your work won’t need polishing at all, and you can go straight ahead with the next mini stage which is…
Cleaning
We recommend cleaning your surface with our MPU. This cleans, polishes and activates all in one, so in many situations, this may be the only preparation stage you need to do! The aim, when cleaning, is to create a water-break-free surface. This process is demonstrated in the accompanying video.
Activating
If you’re using our MPU, a separate powered activation stage may not be needed. However some surfaces, such as stainless steel, nickel and nickel containing alloys such as nickel silver can build an oxide layer that is most efficiently removed with a powered activation/cleaning stage using our ActiClean. If you are cleaning larger areas of other kinds of metal then using our Cleaner might be the best option.
2. Plating
This is the stage where you start using electricity from your rectifier to plate or strip your work or if you are only intending to plate small areas, such as a watch cases or belt buckles, you could use our battery powered plating pen with one of our short electrodes fitted. You can plate a wide range of metal finishes, both precious and base metals with the brush plating method. The metal finishes that are available for purchase through Spa Plating include gold, silver, palladium, platinum and rhodium and for the base metals copper, tin and nickel. We are constantly adding more plating solutions to this list as we invest further in research and development.
This stage may need to include stripping before plating if the item you wish to plate has been chrome plated, (for example a bath tap). This is because chrome cannot be plated on to and you’ll need to strip this off using our Safe-T-Strip before you go ahead and plate.
If you’re plating a number of different finishes, for example copper, nickel and gold, you’ll need to rinse the surface of your item thoroughly between layers to avoid cross contamination of plating solutions.
To work out how much plating solution you’ll need you will have to estimate the surface area of your work. The video on the right gives a demonstration of how this can be done.
Silver brush plating on copper
3. Finishing
This stage is quite simple and straightforward as it usually involves sealing the surface of your work with our Meataseal.
Brush Calculator
Operating Conditions and Deposit Data
Voltage range
3.5 – 4 volts
Plating rate (see notes)
3 microns per minute (4 volts, Carbon Electrode)
Maximum plating thickness
In excess of 1000 microns (1mm)
Temperature
14 – 30
pH
3.6 – 4.0
Tin concentration
22 grams per litre
Visual qualities of deposit
Matt to satin finish turning crystaline at thickensses greater than 20 microns
Electrode
Carbon
Tin content in plate
99.9% (balance carbon)
Hardness
1.5 (Mohs Hardness)
Density of deposit
White (β): 7.289 g/cm
Stress
Low – undetectable
Special storage requirements
Store in hermetically sealed container as the tin salt is oxygen sensitive.
Shelf life
1 – 2 years (see notes)
Health and Safety classification
Irritant
Special considerations
None.
Transport (UN number)
None: Not classified as dangerous for transport
Notes:
Plating rates are calculated over a sample area which is permanently covered by the swab.
This is an air-sensitive solution. When not in use, keep the lid tightly shut and take measures
to minimise the air space remaining in the bottle. These can include adding marbles or glass
beads to the bottle, squeezing out the excess air at the top of the bottle or drawing up and
storing the solution in one of our storage syringes.Failure to observe the above precautions will result in the degeneration of the tin in the solution.
Please click on the ‘Examples’ tab below for suggestions on how to minimise air contamination.
General guide;
Certain small items, for example Swabs, Nibs and Plating Pens can be sent by normal post within the UK
The courier option for UK deliveries is FedEx
Free UK mainland delivery available on orders over £200
International orders usually 3-5 working days.
For all price quotations for deliveries, please add your items to our shopping cart. You will be able to see the shipping costs by clicking on the ‘Calculate shipping’ button in the cart and before checking out.
Please click on the link below to download the SDS for this product:
Brush plate tin to using conditions recommended by the Tin Brush Plating Calculator
Rinse and dry
You can now leave the surface with its matt/satin finish or hand polish using Autosol.
Please note that if the article is intended to be soldered, it’s best to leave the surface as it is, as polishing could hinder the soldering process.
Brush Plating tin on to nickel
Degrease
Activate using MPU (prefered) or Activator or Nickel Activator by brush or tank
Rinse
Brush plate tin to using conditions recommended by the Tin Brush Plating Calculator
Rinse and dry
Brush Plating tin on to existing tin-plated surface, solid tin or pewter
Degrease
MPU (prefered) or electroclean by brush or tank
Rinse
Brush plate tin to using conditions recommended by the Tin Brush Plating Calculator
Rinse and dry
Brush Plating tin on to zinc and zincated Aluminium
Degrease
MPU (prefered) or electroclean by brush or tank
Rinse
Zincate in Zincate Dip for 30 seconds to 2 minutes
Rinse
Alkaline copper brush plate until a continuous layer of copper is plated
Rinse
Brush plate to using conditions recommended by the Tin Brush Plating Calculator
Brush Plating tin on to steel
Degrease and remove any traces of rust
MPU (prefered) or electroclean by brush or tank
Rinse
Alkaline copper brush plate until a continuous layer of copper is plated
Rinse
Brush plate to using conditions recommended by the Tin Brush Plating Calculator
Notes
Most zinc is cast and contains surface impurities that need to be mechanically removed to achieve good adhesion.
This can be done in a variety of ways including abrading, polishing or tumbling in a barrel with abrasive medium added.
Poorly prepared zinc usually results in deposits which bubble up.
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