Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Painting Nickel Plated Fishing Lures

I am a manufacturer of fishing lures. The majority of the lures are completely nickel plated prior to my finishing them. The lure needs to have nickel plating on the back but I am unable to get paint to adhere to the front. Would you be able to advise me how to treat the nickel so that it will accept and hold paint. The types of paint used are vinyl and / or enamel.

Alfred Tesch
owner / manufacturing fishing lures - Ballston Spa, New York
2004

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First things first. Are you sure the plating shop has not chromium plated these items? Getting enamel to stick to nickel may be a small problem, but getting it to stick to chrome is a very big problem.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

You might have to blast the surface to be painted lightly with 400 aluminum oxide before plate to provide some tooth. Another thing that you might try, is a 15 min bake cycle at about 600F in air if the metallurgy will take that high a temp. This will typically put a thin oxide coating on the nickel that will provide a little better adhesion of the paint. It is also a great check of the quality of the nickel plate. Look for tiny blisters.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2004