Contact tinning: A millennia‐old plating technology

Abstract

Tinning copper and copper alloy objects by putting them into (electrical) contact with metallic tin in a boiling aqueous solution of potassium hydrogen tartar is a very old technique, but is nowadays almost forgotten. It was possibly invented by the Gauls and used intensively until the 20th century. This paper first briefly recounts the history of this galvanic process. To understand better the parameters influencing the thickness of the coat and thus to reconstruct this ancient technique, laboratory tests were undertaken by varying a series of parameters. The results are then presented with a short interpretation.