NurdRage - 2010-05-31
We show you how to galvanize metal objects to protect them rust. First we get 30g of zinc sulfate and dissolve it into 100mL of water. Zinc sulfate was made back in our video on making a copper sulfate and zinc battery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id3tL2iI0Vw Then connect the item you want to galvanize to the negative terminal of a 5 volt power supply. Connect the positive terminal to a strip of zinc metal. Zinc metal was obtained from our video on getting useful materials from batteries: http://www.youtube.com/watch#%21v=knc1lSupAwQ Immerse both electrodes into the zinc sulfate solution and keep them from touching. Then turn on the current and run it for about one minute to give the metal a zinc coating. Remove the object and now it's galvanized. To test the rust protection, place it on top of a paper towel soaked in saltwater. You should also place an unprotected item next to it for a good comparison. Cover the towel to prevent evaporation and wait a day or two. The treated object should remain rust-free, perhaps developing a white crusty coating. The untreated object should start to rust.
Thanks!! This clears everything up for the stuff we're learning in chem!!! I find it's these practical "how to" videos that helps me understand the concepts more, rather than those that only teach the concepts and nothing practical.
The one time I tried to arc-weld galvanized metal (steel, I believe), it produced a strange white substance that looked like semitransparent cotton fluff. I suspect it was some sort of weird zinc compound. Any ideas?
I am addicted to your videos they are fun to watch and very informative. I have a question, can you remove zinc for hot dipped galvanized steel? I have read on web that is very hard or almost impossible to do without melting the zinc off
thank you for the video! defiantly something new for me that I didn't know and after thinking about it, this leads me to the following question: is it possible to apply this to anything else but metal? I have carved sculpture out of wood and I would really like to give it galvanized look. i was thinking to paint the sculpture with iron powder and galvanize it? will it turn to solid surface or will it break off?
There might be some arrangement of circumstances where you could convince wood to be electroplated, but as a rule you need a conductor that can easily give up and accept electrons, and wood does not do that. For the most part, metals are the only materials that meet that criteria, and not even all metals(gold comes to mind).
Awesome video, we need more microscope videos!
The principles described here also apply to boat hulls. There are large (or small) zinc blocks attached below the waterline of a boat as a sacrificial metal. They are more reactive and thus keeps a protective bubble (so to speak) around the boat.
Nurd rage love the videos man. Is there a chemical and/or electrical process to remove or scavenge the zinc off of galvanized products?
I never said it was "hot dip" galvanizing. But it's still "galvanizing" as "electroplating"
thank you so much, have been looking all over youtube for this kind a video, I am going to use it in a school project and again thank you :D
Very interesting ,is there other platings that are more appealing to the eye than zinc ? i.e. plating artwork ?
love this stuff man. keep up the good work
very informative. Didnt know or forgot about the sacraficial anode bit about the galvinisation. Great into into chemistry for my son. keep posting!
I've got a question, NurdRage. I know you were using about 5V, but I'd like to know about how much current was used in the experiment.
How well does this zinc galvanization reacts to mechanical stress? I'm aware that it's a coating, not an alloy, but to disdress or peel away the coating do I need a file/sandpaper or is enough handling the item for some time?
old video but you could have used steel wool to remove the gray crystallized zinc and reveal nice shiny zinc. you could then show if it oxidizes easier or not compared to crystallized version because of the increased surface area of the zinc crystals.
Thank you! Very informative.
What kind of zinc sulfate did you use, percentage wise?
Very informative. Thank you very much
Excellent, thank you for posting this video.
Hello, what is the best method for galvanising a car part? What is the difference between diffrent solutions eg. with zinc chloride vs. vinegar&washing soda? Are these affecting quality of plating?
Thanks
Great tutorial! I have a ask, may you make a video about how to make aerogel?
Hey Nurd! is necesary to use ZnSO4 as electrolyte?, can I use table salt instead? Great videos!
Roberto Baggio no... You cant use table salt... You have to use any zinc salt
What difference would there be for the rusting if we used plain water instead of salt water? What effect does salt have on the rusting?
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing.
That is really Interesting, I had no idea that was the electric charge the one protecting the iron from corrosion.
yea i know right?
i'm kinda late to reply
Does voltage matter depending how much you are galvanizing? If so, how do I calculate the amount needed?
It says 5 volts at the beginning of the video. Current should be your limiting factor not the voltage...
@beavis3269 only thing the current does is speed up or slow down the reaction. less current = more even coating while a high current will just build up closest to the point in which the clip is touching the metal.
Cool, I've done this before except I used Zinc Chloride I made from some Zinc and HCl
Very cool! im surprised the nail rusted so much in one night in a salt solution
awesome, thanks for making this.
@NurdRage The white powder is called wet storage stain, or white rust, It's because you didn't give the zinc time to oxidize before your saltwater test, The galvanized nail would have performed much better if given the time to"dry"
I'm more experienced with hot-dip galvanizing, but I know the look, thought you ought to know.
So! is it useless method to protect steel?!
Reality Insight Library no not at all it’s a really good method to do if done correctly
Anvil Bound i want to galvanised my car.... Is it possible to do this?
Very cool. Reminded me of a video about colloidal silver production. Have you had any experience with colloidal silver? That would be a fun video that would sure stir up some discussion and views!
I have hypothesized that if the surface of the metal to be galvanized were etched with tiny striations, those little scrateches would fill with zinc. In effect I think that the initial layer of zinck could not only be thicker (if the striations are all spaced out very close and such) but also more durable. There are many different kinds of electroplating, some like vandium/chromium and such are done to make surfaces harder and more resistant to scratching.. yet all of them wear out.. .
What kind of microscope did you use for the nails? I need to do a similar method of microscopy for my thesis. Thanks! :)
Thank you for this great video, cheers :)
I can't stop watching its 5 am it's so amazing he must have the best chemistry class ever
Can you galvanize silver to keep it from tarnishing?
are there any advantages of using your solution or using ammonium chloride & zinc chloride as a zinc plating bath? Your solution appears easier to obtain
I saw a dude use water, Sodium Bicarbonate (Arm and hammer super washing soda), and pickle juice. He didn't even filter the juice, and there were even pickles still in the jar!
nice video. will you ever be showing a video on how to make lead dioxide electrodes?
So I am wondering, if someone chemically needed zinc, could you do by putting a load of galvanized steel into sodium hydroxide solution? if sodium zincate is what you needed that is.
what other reagents can be used to electroplate?
can you use this galvanization to protect iron from etching chemicals?
How long will galvanization last if used on an automotive body panel and properly primed and coated?
I made a steel ring in my shop class. I love it but the issue is it keeps rusting and I have to clean it. I'll give it a nice good polish and give this a try!
honestly mate your vids are some of the best iv seen very informative :) make a website and put up a pay-pal account so i can donate :D
very interesting channel watched several of the videos and like very much keep up the good work. :D
Could you do a video of brightener additives for shiny finish plating
Great job!
What if the item is too big to put into an apparatus like this? I'd like to coat e.g., exposed metal parts in my car.
Hi will this work with a copper plate? and could you make a video of crude electroplating please
RichardISwiftS - 2010-05-31
Even though I never do these experiments, they're always entertaining and informative to watch!