On Sat, 22 May 2010 13:49:21 -0000, you wrote:
>--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Giuseppe" <peppe685@...> wrote:
>>
>> As the subject....how to plate the etched pcb? liquid alloy?
>
>What you really need is an electroless Tin plating solution. You
>can do a search on "electroless tin" and you should get some hits,
>both of commercially available plating solutions, and instructions
>on how you can make your own. One of the better discussions is
>here (Note the post by Ted Mooney):
>
><http://www.finishing.com/0200-0399/260.shtml>
>
>Back when I was young and immortal [1], I used one of the Cyanide
>based Tin plating solutions, and it worked quite well. However,
>now that I'm older and more mortal, I refuse to use Cyanide in a
>home lab.
>
>[2] Hey, I said "immortal", not "immoral"! :∗)
>
>Dave
>
>
One thing to watch out for with electroess plating is to keep everything
ABSOLUTELY CLEAN. The slightest hint of contamination and you will have
spots 8=(.
Along the same lines you want the purest water you can get if you are mixing
or diluting your own solutions. Several years ago a gunsmith friend was having
consistency problems with his nickel plating setup. He finally got a carboy of
reagent grade water from a laboratory supply house and the problems went away.
If you think what comes out of your tap is pure water, fill Pyrex container from
the tap, boil it dry and look at the crud on the sides. In fact that's probably not
a bad first test for any water you plan to use in your PCB processing.
Keith Bowers WB4LSJ- Thomasville, NC