Q… How important is cleanliness?
A... Some would argue, it is the most important stage when preparing items to be electroplated or treated. To ensure you can achieve great results, firstly you must ensure the items to be plated are spotless and chemically cleaned.

Q… What do I need to do ensure my parts are ready to plate?
A... With all Jane Kits products, the key to successful plating is in the preparation of the items to be plated. Parts must be in a chemically clean state prior to attempting any type of plating or treatment procedure. The actual process required to get your items in a chemically cleaned state may vary based on what it is you start with. However, Jane Kits recommends and supplies two cleaners to assist in ensuring your items to be plated are prepared and chemically clean. If you have objects you wish to re-plate you must ensure all previous plate has been removed and the items are back to bare metal. (More information on preparation can be found in the FAQ Preparation).

Q… What cleaners do Jane Plating Kits sell?
A... Jane Plating Kits sell Jane Clean and Parts Wash which are the two solutions we recommend purchasing from our CLEANERS category on our website. They are not included in any of our Kits. Both of these solutions are concentrated and should be diluted with water and are sold in numerous sizes.

Q… What is Jane Clean used for?
A... Jane Clean is labelled a Rust & Scale Remover. It is a blend of acid-based solutions Jane Plating Kits have created to assist with aggressive stages of cleaning and preparation. It is excellent at removing rust and scale deposits. It will also successfully remove zinc, passivated zinc, cadmium and galvanizing coatings. Jane Clean is almost your best friend when it comes to preparation and plating.

Q… When is Jane Clean used?
A... Jane Clean is used as an aggressive cleaner. It is predominately used in the early stages of preparation. If you have objects you wish to re-plate and they have zinc, passivated zinc, cadmium or galvanizing coatings that need to be removed, then immersing in a diluted mix of Jane Clean will remove the plate by dissolving them. It is also used for items that have surface rust or scale impact. Due to the corrosive nature of Jane Clean, exposure should be carefully monitored so the parent metal is not damaged. As soon as the metal part is cleaned it should be removed and thoroughly water rinsed to neutralise the acidic impact.  

Q… Do you use Jane Clean neat or dilute with water?
A... Whilst you can use Jane Clean neat, it is not recommended. The bottle of Jane Clean you receive is highly concentrated. It is an acid-based solution and is recommended to be diluted with water at a ratio of 1 part Jane Clean to 5 parts water. (i.e. 100ml Jane Clean mixed with 500ml water to create a 600ml mixed solution). Even in this diluted state, Jane Clean will work very efficiently.

Q… Can the diluted Jane Clean I mixed up be used more than once?
A... Yes, Jane Clean is used to carry out early stage aggressive cleaning and stripping etc. This stage of preparation will result in what appears to be contamination to the Jane Clean bath, however, as long as the Jane Clean is still active, the debris left in the mix should not impact your part. Jane Clean is designed to carry out this the early stage cleaning and therefore as long as your part continues through other cleaning procedures thereafter (including the final clean) the part will not be affected by the contaminates.

Q… Will Jane Clean remove nickel or chrome?
A... No, Jane Clean will not remove metal coatings such as nickel, chrome, copper or brass. If you expose an item that is coated in any of these metals into the Jane Clean it will slowly corrode the metals. However, it will take days if not weeks to remove all traces of these metals and in that time the parent metal will be adversely affected. It is recommended to carefully media (sand) blast these types of metal plates.

Q… What containers should I use for Jane Clean?
A... Whilst Jane Clean is an acid-based solution, it doesn’t require any specific grade of a container, however, always carry it out in plastic containers, rather than metal. When using Jane Clean it is advised to use a plastic container in good condition and one manufactured from quality plastics.

Q… Is Jane Clean dangerous?
A... Jane Clean is an acid-based solution, it contains various chemicals that are corrosive and include phosphoric acids. Whilst this solution will not cause immediate damage to your skin, it will irritate. It is strongly recommended to always wear protective chemically resistant gloves to protect your skin from exposure when handling this chemical.

Q… What containers should I store the Jane Clean in?
A... As mention above Jane Clean is an acid-based solution, that is corrosive. Whilst it doesn’t require any specific grade of a container, it is advised to use a quality airtight plastic container when storing the diluted mix of Jane Clean.

Q… What is Parts Wash used for?
A... Parts Wash is labelled a final clean before plating. It is a blend of alkaline solutions that used as a very strong cleaner which removes all traces of grease or film. Using this cleaner will assist in ensuring that the parts to be plated are spotlessly clean.

Q… When is Parts Wash used?
A... Parts Wash is used immediately before your parts go into the plating bath. It is recommended that this product is used as a final cleaning solution for everything that is to go in the plating or treatment baths (i.e. parts, anodes etc). This stage of preparation is critical, this is the final stage prior to parts going into the plating bath. All parts should only continue from this stage of cleaning to the plating bath if they pass a “Water Break Test” (see below).

Q… Do you use Jane Clean neat or dilute with water?
A... Whilst you can use Parts Wash neat, it is not recommended. The bottle of Parts Wash you receive is highly concentrated. It is recommended to be diluted with water at a ratio of 1 part Parts Wash to 5 parts water. (i.e. 100ml Parts Wash mixed with 500ml water to create a 600ml mixed solution). Even in this diluted state Parts Wash will work very efficiently.

Q… Can the diluted Jane Clean I mixed up be used more than once?
A... Yes, however, Parts Wash is a final cleaning solution and does need to remain uncontaminated. It is used just prior to parts entering the plating bath so it is extremely important to ensure you are cleaning the parts and not contaminating the parts. Therefore, whilst it is okay to use the Parts Wash mix several times, as soon as the solution looks in any way contaminated, a fresh Parts Wash mix should be created.  

Q… What containers should I use for Parts Wash?
A... Parts Wash doesn’t require any specific grade of a container, however, always carry out cleaning your objects in shallow plastic containers. When using Parts Wash it is advised to use a container in good condition and one manufactured from quality plastics.  

Q… Is Parts Wash dangerous?
A... Parts Wash is an alkaline solution which is best described as a strong detergent type of cleaner.  It will not cause any short-term issues; however long-term exposure may cause skin irritations. It is therefore recommended to always wear suitable gloves to protect your skin from exposure when handling this cleaning solution.  

Q… What containers should I store the Parts Wash in?
A... Parts Wash is an alkaline solution and is not corrosive. Whilst it doesn’t require any specific grade of a container, it is advised to use a quality airtight plastic container when storing the diluted mix of Parts Wash.

Q… What is a Water Break Test?
A... A Water Break Test is a test you should perform on any item prior to it being allowed to enter the plating bath. Once the item has been cleaned by completing the Parts Wash procedure, water rinse the part and hold it by the wire to inspect. Water must hang on the part in an unbroken sheen, no beading. Water will hang on perfectly clean parts in an unbroken film. If the water beads or separates rapidly, the item is not chemically cleaned so commence the Parts Wash procedure again prior to attempting the water break test. Once it successfully passes this test, do not touch it with your fingers and place into the plating bath.