Like many of us, I do a "mixed bag" of electro (and electroless) plating… all small parts requiring 25amps or less. Most of the time I use copper wire to hang my parts in the solution, but bare copper wire has gotten expensive (no, I did not just notice that ;-} ) and the smaller gauge copper wire (often picture hanging stuff) is lacquered or otherwise coated, making conductivity nil, or difficult at best.
Enter 0.041" "Safety Wire".. I buy one pound spools of the stuff for other applications (including powdercoating & painting.. sandblasting is a quick method to clean the wire) and got to wondering if it would be suitable as a plating hanging wire? The 0.041" SS Wire will hold a load of weight, in theory, it should be very conductive, but will it "react" to the various degreasers (SP), acid dips (including Nitric), all plating chems, etc. and "other" solutions?
Copper wire will "plate" and lose it’s conductivity, sometimes during a session. "Unplating" is not worth the effort and "cost" is a major issue.
My thinking (a dangerous past-time) is most, if not all, plating should not adhere to Stainless Steel (as I understand, not without a lot of pre-plating prep) so it "should" be a good alternative to copper??
Am I blowing smoke? (or smoking the wrong stuff? And just outta my mind? ;-}).
Please educate an ignorant thinker.. I would appreciate it.