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Need help with nickel brush plating questions  

September 24, 2008

Hello all! I'm a C.I. Manager with an aviation components company and we are trying to fill in some gaps on an old process, nickel brush plating, and the company that provided our intial documentation and training (Brushtronics) has since gone out of business.

We are trying to determine the following items:

1. Why do you pull versus cut the cotton when wrapping the anode?
2. What is the impact to the plating process if the red leads are plugged into the black sockets and vice-versa?
3. Is there an industry leader in or near Michigan that could visit and provide training or advice on the process?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Robert Amid
aviation component manufacturer - Grand Rapids, MI, USA

Hi, Robert. If you are now lacking and documentation you should try to find a copy of Rubinstein's "Electrochemical Metallizing", which is the bible for brush plating.

Regards,

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

Ted´s advise is the way to go, but in the mean time I will try to answer your questions.
1- You are supposed to use long fiber cottton and pull it to wrap it tight around the anode. If you cut it in short pieces, it tends to loose and move or un-wrap during processing (anode sleeves are not enough to keep it tight)
2- The color of the cables is theoretically irrelevant. As long as you connect the brush to the positive terminal on the power pack and the part to the negative for plating (FORWARD). Of course, etching and some cleaning steps on some metals require REVERSE polarity. Then the brush is negative and the part positive. If you make a mistake you may ruin the part. For instance if you use forward polarity when cleaning a high stength steel you may induce hydrogen embrittlment in the part. If you use reverse with an acid solution you may dissolve metal from its surface instead of plating it or building it up.
3- The best vendors advertise here. Just take a look.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico

Hello,

I am Bob Brookshires last stepson and a former employee of Brushtronics Engineering.

From my memory Guillermo Marrufo's answers #1 and #2 are correct.

Found this thread through a random Google search. Hope Guillermo's answers are helpful.

JW

Jesse Woods
- Laurel, Maryland, USA