BR Standard class 6 No. 72010 'Hengist' and Clan Discussion Thread

Would that survive the sort of temperatures in a locomotive firebox?

 

You can deposit copper on steel merely by immersing it in a copper sulphate solution. You need nickel or copper to electroplate steel for a chrome finish. It helps with corrosion resistance, and in decorative chrome, gives a better finish.

 

I assumed the suggestion was that it would be on the water side, not the fire side.

Seems a lot of extra faff to me though, when the evidence is that, suitably managed, both copper and steel fireboxes work in practice.

Tom

 

I don't know, but earth rods are not expensive, you could buy one and attack it with a blow torch and see what happens. Form the manufacturer's literature, if I remember correctly, the electroplated type are more resilient than other types of coating.

 

As I recall, decent chrome plating requires three layers: copper, then nickel, then chrome. For what it's worth, I prefer nickel plate for brightwork - less brash...

Copper plating with CuSO4 was a first year chemistry lesson at secondary school for me

 

Not just temperature, there are also electrochemical effects to consider. I know absolutely nothing about the subject in detail, but understand that when high temperatures are involved it gets rather complicated.

 

Correct..

 

As the suggestion was to apply the coating to the outside of the inner firebox, it doesn't really matter what it looks like. Copper coated steel is used on electrical earthing systems which can get extremely hot if there is a high power short circuit. This could result in higher temperatures than would occur in a boiler, though hopefully not for very long!

 

Then of course, having got your nice shiny plated box, you pepper it full of holes and screw in lots of dissimilar metal things. Heat up same and can imagine the coating fraying rapidly at edges.
While I like the lateral thinking, we can probably park this one?