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Electrocoating nickel over electrogalvanized steel

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I am an electroplating engineer. I want to electroplate a thin nickel layer over the electrogalvanized steel plate. I tried a few times but all failed. After plating, the surface looked so ugly, dirty and black. Did anybody have some experience of electroplating a nickel layer over electrogalvanized steel plate? Thanks for your time!

Marie Li
Plating engineer - Seattle, WA, USA

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Can you share with us why you would want to do such an unusual finish? At best it is difficult to nickel plate zinc, but you might try electroless nickel if that meets your needs. Otherwise you would need a nickel platng solution customized to apply a strike to zinc. The most reliable approach, if permissable, might be to cyanide copper plate and acid copper plate before the nickel.

Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

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First you must completely remove the chromate conversion coating that is on the zinc., this is where your dark, black, and ugly appearance is coming from. This will involve getting down below the conversion and hence removing some of the zinc thickness. Then enter a regular Watts solution by making contact externally and entering 'hot".

Robert H Probert Robert H Probert Technical Services Garner, North Carolina Editor's note:        Mr. Probert is the    author of Aluminum How-To / Aluminio El Como