Copperplating Occurring in Electro

[Lewis Downey]

snippet from other thread...
I have read in the technical journals that copper should not be placed a sodium carbonate electrolyte,,,, I now see why.....
 

Is sodium carbonate special in this regard. Would a NaOH electrolyte be expected to have or not have the same problem? Did you ever figure out the definitive source (or cause) of the copper ions in the electrolyte or did you punt on that question and go straight to stainless conductors? I guess the definitive source was the stranded copper wire... but how?

Has anyone else had the same issue with copper/copperplating?

Funny that it would work fine for years then suddenly go south.

[Cheryl Watson]

Sodium carbonate is a strong base.

Sodium hydroxide (lye) is a STRONGER base.

Lye + copper = no-no to a greater degree.

It didn't work fine for years... more like months using the jumpers, and they got rotated ... so it took a while for the copper strands to become compromised.  Once the corrosion set it, it progressed rapidly.  I have learned to be more observant.

Don't know if any one else has had the issue, although I have seen some skillets that appeared copperplated... just don't know the history of how or why that occurred on those items...... could have been previously chrome plated with copper layer underneath, or... ????