If we wish to deposit a coating of copper on, say, an old spoon which has been dismissed from household service, a solution of sulphate of copper must be made up and placed in a glass or stoneware jar. Two little rods of brass, copper, or any other good conductor are placed across the jar, one at each side, and by means of hooks of wire a plate of copper is hung from one rod and the spoon from the other. The positive terminal of a battery of Daniell cells is then connected to the anode rod which supports the copper plate, and the negative terminal to the cathode rod carrying the spoon. The current now commences its task of splitting up the copper-sulphate solution into pure copper and sulphuric acid, and depositing this copper upon the spoon. The latter is very quickly covered with a sort of “blush” copper, and the coating grows thicker and thicker as long as the current is kept at work. If there were no copper plate forming the anode the process would soon come to a standstill, on account of the copper in the electrolyte becoming used up; but as it is the sulphuric acid separated out of the electrolyte takes copper from the plate and combines with it to form a further supply of copper sulphate. In this way the strength of the solution is kept up, and the copper anode becomes smaller and smaller as the coating on the spoon increases in thickness. It is not necessary that the anode should consist of absolutely pure copper, because any impurities will be precipitated to the bottom or mixed with the solution, nothing but quite pure copper being deposited on the spoon. At the same time if the copper anode is very impure the electrolyte quickly becomes foul, and has to be purified or replaced by new solution. [Illustration: _By permission of_] [_W. Canning & Co._ FIG. 35.--Small Electroplating Outfit.] To nickel-plate the spoon we should require a nickel plate for the anode and a nickel solution; to silver-plate it, a silver anode and solution, and so on. Fig. 35 shows at simple but effective arrangement for amateur electroplating in a small way.