You can use our Zinc Tank Plating Solution to rust-proof steel, iron and cast iron parts. It helps you coat complex shapes, deep recesses and screw threads more evenly and provides a functional, engineering finish. This solution delivers a flexible zinc layer that flows into deep corners and hidden recesses without cracking under stress.
While the solution focuses on tough, reliable performance over out-of-the-tank looks, you still have control over the final finish. You can quickly hand-polish or barrel-burnish your completed pieces to bring out a brilliant, eye-catching metallic shine.
As well as this you get total flexibility over your project’s protection levels. You can apply a standard 5 to 10-micron layer for reliable everyday protection. If you need to stop rust in harsh environments, you can easily build up a heavy-duty 30-micron shield.
Provides a measured throwing power of approximately 50–60%, allowing zinc to deposit more uniformly in deep recesses, blind holes, screw threads and other recessed features.
Typical plating rate of approximately 0.5 micron per minute at a plating factor of 2 A/dm² (0.02 A/cm²).
Cathode efficiency typically greater than 98%.
Excellent response to hand polishing and barrel burnishing.
Suitable for plating steel, iron and cast iron components.
Stable electrolyte developed for reliable repeated bench-top use.
HS Code: 3824 99 70
Here’s a before and after shot of a nut and screw that we zinc tank plated with our zinc tank plating solution. In the right side of the image we have left the nut unpolished to show how it appears straight out of the tank and given the head of the screw a quick rub with some Autosol.
Here’s a video showing how to use our zinc tank plating solution to renovate rusted steel parts. Below the video you will find a kit list of all the equipment we used in this demonstration.
Spa Plating has developed the Engineering Grade Zinc Tank Plating Solution to provide durable sacrificial corrosion protection for steel, iron and cast iron components. The solution produces dense, ductile zinc deposits with a measured throwing power of approximately 50–60%, making it suitable for engineering, restoration and workshop applications.
Rather than focusing on a highly decorative as-plated finish, we have designed the solution to produce robust engineering coatings that respond exceptionally well to hand polishing or barrel burnishing where an improved cosmetic appearance is required.
Simple Bath Maintenance
The zinc anodes continuously replace the zinc deposited onto the workpiece during plating. Under normal operating conditions there is therefore no requirement to add zinc salts to maintain the zinc concentration.
Routine maintenance simply consists of:
replacing evaporated water,
maintaining the pH within the recommended operating range,
periodically adding Zinc Conditioning Additive,
replacing the zinc anodes as they become consumed.
This simple maintenance routine helps keep the solution in optimum operating condition while reducing the amount of routine bath maintenance.
For best results, remove the zinc anodes from the solution whenever it is not in use, even overnight where practical. This helps minimise chemical dissolution of the anodes, maintain the correct pH and reduce the need for pH adjustment.
Excellent Throwing Power
The Engineering Grade Zinc Tank Plating Solution has been formulated to provide a measured throwing power of approximately 50–60%. This allows zinc to plate more uniformly on complex shapes, deep recesses, blind holes and the roots of screw threads where conventional acid zinc processes often produce thinner deposits.
The result is a more uniform coating thickness over a wide range of component geometries, making the solution particularly suitable for engineering components with intricate shapes and recessed features.
Thick, Ductile Coatings
Typical coating thicknesses of 5–10 microns provide excellent corrosion protection for most engineering applications.
Where greater sacrificial protection is required, the solution produces dense, ductile coatings of 30 microns or more while maintaining excellent deposit quality under the recommended operating conditions.
Mechanical Finishing
The solution produces a functional engineering finish directly from the plating bath.
Where appearance is important, the deposit responds exceptionally well to hand polishing or barrel burnishing using stainless steel shot, allowing visible components to develop an attractive bright metallic lustre with very little effort.
Stable Electrolyte
We have developed the solution to provide stable day-to-day operation under normal working conditions.
Combined with Zinc Conditioning Additive, the electrolyte maintains consistent deposit quality while avoiding the frequent adjustments associated with more complex plating systems.
Plating Calculator
We have included an interactive plating calculator to simplify the plating process.
Simply enter the surface area of the component together with the required coating thickness and the calculator calculates the recommended plating current and plating time using the recommended operating conditions.
The calculator also calculates the total charge passed (coulometer reading), making it straightforward to determine the recommended addition of Zinc Conditioning Additive and to plate accurately to a specified coating thickness.
Designed for Practical Workshop Use
The Engineering Grade Zinc Tank Plating Solution suits both occasional and regular users who require a straightforward zinc plating process that delivers reliable corrosion protection with minimal routine maintenance.
Whether you are restoring classic vehicle components, protecting fabricated steelwork or manufacturing small engineering parts, the solution provides a practical method of producing durable zinc coatings in the workshop.
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Operating Conditions and Deposit Data
Plating Factor
0.02 A/cm²
Plating rate
0.56 micron/minute at a plating factor of 0.02 A/cm²
Plating rate (mass deposited per coulomb)
0.000335 g/C at 99% cathode efficiency
Temperature
Room temperature – 18–30 °C
Deposit appearance
Matt finish
pH
5.0–5.5
Zinc concentration
26 grams per litre
Conditioning Additive consumption per coulomb
0.1 µL/C (approx. 0.1 mg/C)
Agitation
Medium
Anodes (rod electrodes)
Zinc
Zinc content in plate
Greater than 99%
Cathode efficiency @ 20 °C
98–100%
Cathode efficiency @ 40 °C
99–100%
Hardness
70–80 Hv
Density of deposit
Approx. 7 g/cm³
Stress
Low
Special storage requirements
None
Shelf life
12 months
Health and Safety classification
Irritant
Special considerations
None
Transport (UN number)
None: Not classified as dangerous for transport
Notes:
Agitation is best provided using the Magnetic Stirrer in reversing mode. This helps minimise tide marks, particularly on thin, flat workpieces.
Anode bags help reduce particulate contamination from dissolving zinc anodes by retaining carbon particles and undissolved zinc within the bag. However, the agitation produced by the magnetic stirrer can disturb material that has collected at the bottom of the bag, allowing some of it to re-enter the solution. Particulate contamination can also be introduced from other sources, including the workpiece, particularly from voids, holes and blind holes, as well as from polishing compounds, drilling, grinding and airborne dust. Occasional or continuous filtration is therefore recommended.
For the greatest accuracy when plating to a specified thickness, use the coulometer reading provided by the Calculator together with the MultiPlater. Unlike plating time, the coulometer measures the total charge passed through the workpiece, making it unaffected by interruptions to the plating process and automatically compensating for changes to the amp setting during plating.
Remove the zinc anodes from the plating solution whenever it is not in use, even overnight where practical. This is particularly important if the solution is being operated towards the lower end of the recommended pH range. Zinc will slowly dissolve chemically in the acidic chloride solution even when no plating current is flowing. This unnecessary dissolution increases the zinc concentration and causes the pH to rise, which may affect plating quality and increase the need for pH adjustment.
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 and APC. Delivery times range usually from 2 – 5 working days.
Royal Mail option is available on a limited range of non-liquid orders. Delivery from 5 – 10 working days.
Free UK mainland delivery available on orders over £200
International orders usually 5 – 10 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:
Electricity is not flowing through the plating circuit.
Check all electrical connections and clean them if necessary. Check that the workpiece is connected to the negative output of the MultiPlater and the zinc anodes are connected to the positive output.
Deposit dull or matt.
Amp setting too low.
Set the amps to the value shown by the Calculator.
Poor surface preparation.
Check the cleaning cycle and make sure all rust, scale, grease and other contamination have been removed before plating.
Solution approaching the end of its working life.
Renew the plating solution.
Burnt or powdery deposit, especially on corners and edges.
Amp setting too high.
Reduce the amps to the value shown by the Calculator.
Solution pH too high.
Carefully reduce the pH by adding dilute hydrochloric acid in small increments. Mix thoroughly and recheck the pH after each addition before making any further adjustment. It is very easy to over-correct.
The pH has risen because the zinc anodes have been left in the plating solution while not in use.
Remove the zinc anodes from the solution whenever it is not in use, even overnight where practical. This helps minimise chemical dissolution of the anodes, maintain the correct pH and reduce the need for pH adjustment.
Insufficient agitation.
Increase the agitation.
Workpiece too close to the anodes.
Increase the distance between the workpiece and the anodes.
Deposit thinner than expected.
Incorrect estimate of the surface area.
Recalculate the surface area, paying particular attention to the units, which should be in square centimetres. Enter the corrected surface area and required thickness into the Calculator.
Plating time too short.
Plate for the time shown by the Calculator.
Amp setting too low.
Set the amps to the value shown by the Calculator.
Deposit rough.
Particulate contamination in the solution.
Filter the solution and investigate the source of the contamination. Check the anode bags for accumulated carbon and undissolved zinc. Contamination may also enter from the workpiece, particularly from voids, holes and blind holes, or from polishing compounds, drilling, grinding and airborne dust.
Pitting.
Gas bubbles adhering to the surface of the workpiece during plating.
Increase agitation. Reposition the workpiece or anodes if necessary to improve solution flow around the article.
Amp setting too high, particularly if the pitting is concentrated around corners and edges.
Reduce the amps to the value shown by the Calculator.
Solution pH too low, especially if the pitting is concentrated in high-current areas such as corners and edges.
Carefully adjust the pH to within the operating range shown under the Tech Specs tab. Mix the solution thoroughly and recheck the pH before making any further adjustment.
Particulate contamination.
Filter the solution and investigate the source of the contamination.
Unplated areas.
Poor cleaning or activation.
Review the complete cleaning and activation process.
Rust, oxide or other contamination remaining on the surface.
Remove all corrosion and contamination before plating.
Deep scratches, pores, voids, holes or blind holes retaining contamination.
Clean the workpiece thoroughly and, where possible, polish the surface before plating. Pay particular attention to areas that may retain oils, polishing compounds or other debris.
Plating directly on to a difficult-to-plate metal.
Refer to the Process Sequences tab for the correct preparation procedure for the metal being plated.
Deposit peels from the workpiece.
Poor surface preparation.
Review the complete cleaning and activation process.
Plating directly on to a difficult-to-plate metal.
Refer to the Process Sequences tab for the correct preparation procedure for the metal being plated.
The zinc deposit is adhering well, but an underlying coating is peeling away from the basis metal.
Examine the peeled area carefully to determine where the failure has occurred. If the zinc remains firmly attached to an underlying coating, strip the old coating completely before replating.
Previous nickel plating has not been completely removed. The zinc may peel from the remaining nickel layer, or the zinc and nickel layers may peel together from the steel.
Strip the workpiece completely back to the steel before preparing and replating it.
Solution becoming cloudy.
Particulate contamination.
Filter the solution and investigate the source of the contamination. Occasional or continuous filtration may be required.
Plating on to Steel
Degrease.
Remove any rust mechanically or chemically.
Electroclean.
Rinse thoroughly.
Dip in Activator or ActiClean for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Rinse thoroughly.
Open the Calculator tab, enter the thickness and surface area of the workpiece, then set the amps and plate for the time shown.
