Platers Recipe for making THE BEST Alkaline Copper Plating Solution
Electroplaters Handbook of 1891 (GE Bonny)

1. Dissolve eight ounces of copper sulphate in one quart of hot rain water and set aside to cool.

2. When cool, add liquid ammonia, whilst stirring with a stick or glass rod. At first a green precipitate will fall, and then this will dissolve on adding more ammonia, until the whole solution assumes a lovely blue tint.

3.Dilute this with an equal bulk of cold rain water, and add to it enough solution of potassium cyanide,whilst stirring. To destroy the fine blue color of the ammonia sulfate and give the color of old ale to the solution.

4. Set aside for a few hours and then pass it through a calico filter, and make it up to a gallon of solution with rain water.

This solution may be worked cold, but the rate of deposition is increased and the deposited copper of improved quality when the solution is heated to a temperature from 110 to 130 degrees F.  Plating Glossary Circa 1890 - 1930
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