Plating Tannic Acid Crystals in Lye to Steel.

Hello.

It is well known that you can plate chromium, copper, and other salts to steel but did you know if you add Tannic acid in lye and heat first you can make mini tannic acid crystals?

Tannic Acid + Potassium Hydroxide >>> Potassium + Tannic acid in OH- (from hydroxides). With the appropriate steel (Stainless steel) you can electroplate tannic crystals to steel.

Make sure your Lye (Potassium hydroxide is Pure) No zinc like in some impure store-bought Lye. If zinc is present it will ruin your crystal-making process.

A magnetic stirrer that can go to 1000 RPM and a hotplate that can go to 100-200 degrees C check e bay for that for a few 100 dollars can work. Also, you need a power supply. 0-15 volts 0-2 amps work very well.

The solution is toxic and hazardous to wildlife (sodium tannate crystals in Lye). Please dispose of it properly.

Materials.

Hotplate and Magnetic stirrer.

Glass beaker 1 L

Jewelry scale

Powersupply.

Weight boats.

Spoons or other stainless steel stuff.

Copper wire.

Chemicals:

Tannic acid 100 percent Pure.

Potassium hydroxide- 90 percent pure rest water.

Urethane paint.

In order for this to work your stainless steel must be very pure. This knife WAS dull and dirty and it did not plate well. Weigh out 6.41 g of tannic acid to a 1 L beaker and add 6.47 g Potassium hydroxide and it will get hot make sure u are wearing gloves and appropriate PPE. Fill to 700 ml of water.

Place the beaker on the Hotplate and heat to 60 degrees and stir to Medium speeds 750 rpm. Heat and stir for 30 minutes until the solution boils and turns black. Allow it to cool for a few hours.

Have the negative wire set up to the copper wire and the positive wire set up by a clamp to the spoon set the voltage and current to 8 volts - 9 volts 1 amp max. Check on the solution by turning off the power source and lifting up the clamp with the spoon. Do this every 25 minutes.

For a total of 50 minutes of electroplating the third pic, let the solution dry overnight or for a few days. Using plastic cups then Pour in the Urethane like Paint into a weighing boat with the spoon and let it dry carefully for 24-48 hrs.

This way you can coat the Urethane paint into the steel.

The lye attacks a coating of the steel allowing the tannic acid OH- solution in water to plate to the steel. Make sure it steel (stainless steel).

I discovered this by accident and found no internet or youtube videos on this stuff Online. So It was a trial and error type project but I am glad that I did it.

U can plate it for 25-30 minutes at a lower voltage and current and practice with plating and then adhering the epoxy or Urethane to the spoons. Higher Humidity seems to be an issue too.

Thanks for reading this.

SHOE0007.