Tinning Copper Bus Bars

slimf

slimf

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Sep 26, 2017
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Has anyone tried tinning copper bus bars?

I notice the Nissan Leaf bus bars are solid copper, tinned - So they don't oxidise or rust etc.

I tried tinning a small piece of copper bus bar last night in the shed with a MAP blowtorch and some solder.. But it didn't stick. My guess is the copper has to be sparkling clean.
 
Im building a custom leaf module system - So the copper bars are just that.. Copper. I was hoping to tin them after cutting to length and drilling all the holes.

Edit: sorry, I misread your post. Yes your probably correct - electroplating is probably how they were made.

There are some tin plating vids on YouTube that use heat.. but Ill take a look around and have some experimentation.
 
slimf said:
Im building a custom leaf module system - So the copper bars are just that.. Copper. I was hoping to tin them after cutting to length and drilling all the holes.

Edit: sorry, I misread your post. Yes your probably correct - electroplating is probably how they were made.

There are some tin plating vids on YouTube that use heat.. but Ill take a look around and have some experimentation.
Click to expand...
Hello

Use a zinc chloride tinning fluid for radiators. It will clean off all the oxidation. Using paste flux burns up too easy and leaves a carbon residue and makes tinning impossible.

When using a torch it is easily heats up the copper too quickly , go slow and you will tin the buss bar easily.

What I use https://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUX-LIQUI...RAAAOSw-RFci5yU:sc:USPSFirstClass!44460!US!-1

Jim
 
Thanks!dumb question.. what do you use to tin?

Do you use regular solder or is pure tin available?
 
slimf said:
Has anyone tried tinning copper bus bars?

I notice the Nissan Leaf bus bars are solid copper, tinned - So they don't oxidise or rust etc.

I tried tinning a small piece of copper bus bar last night in the shed with a MAP blowtorch and some solder.. But it didn't stick. My guess is the copper has to be sparkling clean.
Click to expand...


This got me looking into electroplating and I tried researching tin but found it's not as readily available as nickel plating. Nickel plating seems to be far easier to do, with only distilled white vinegar and salt. Nickel is easy to get as well, I'm trying to see which of my scrap nickel tabs are actually pure nickel now and going to the grocery store to get some vinegar as we speak.

 
slimf said:
Thanks!dumb question.. what do you use to tin?

Do you use regular solder or is pure tin available?
Click to expand...
Most lead free solders have alot of tin in them, or any lead based solder . Hopefully not in California every thing there causes cancer

Jim
 
Thanks for the replies. Im going to give nickel a go. Ive purchased some anodes from eBay and will take some photos of how it goes with a test strip of copper.
 
Nickel plating success with 18650!

Finally got the distilled white vinegar, put in couple scraps of nickel strips for 24hrs, then plated a copper penny!


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Nice work and good thinking with the used nickle strips.. I didnt think of that.. ended up buying nickle plates from eBay. When they arrive Ill set it up and give it a go.
 
Be careful with using the nickle strips. If they are from the laptop packs, they are nickle plated steel. If all the nickle plating comes off and the steel is exposed, the solution will be contaminated with iron as it will electrolysis into the solution faster than the nickle.
For this reason, also fold the strip so the ends are not in the solution but only the loop end.

I had some I was working on to nickle plate my copper iron tip. So I started the process. Came back a few hours later and the solution wasn't just green/blue, but had a reddish color to it. The batch was useless for nickle plating then. The iron deposits would cause rust points on any metal you try to plate.
 
My Nickle plate arrived from eBay and I had some time this morning to have a play. I found a suitable container in the wifes Tupperware cupboard.

The Nickle plate was hefty... 2mm x 100mm x 100mm - I cut in half and drilled some holes so I could dangle from the edge of the container. Connected it all up and started making bubbles. Ill report back with a video in the next 48 hours to see how it goes.

I used some cheap 2L vinegar from Coles and some table salt for the solution.


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After 4 hours I can certainly see the solution turn a hint of green. Cant wait till tomorrow to see how dark it gets.
 
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