Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Silver plating Peels off copper

We do hard silver plating 10 microns on copper conductors and we are facing peel-off problem. Kindly help.

Is there any specification for checking/inspection of Adhesion of Silver plating on copper parts.

Ajay L. Chaudhary

2006

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First of two simultaneous responses --

If the plate peels from a substrate, the part is either not properly cleaned or properly activated or preplate struck or there are delays in moving from one tank to another or the wrong process cycle. OR, a combination of all of the above.

James Watts
Navarre, Florida
2006

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Hello Ajay,

If you try to plate silver over copper directly this can happen; you need a base coat of copper and strike silver plating before plating on silver.

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

2006

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I'm working with copper substrate for electronic application. How can I plate copper parts silver 15 microns? Note that parts of copper are (200 cm * 10 cm * 2 mm as thickness) and I have silver plating bath with stainless steel as anode and (50 gm silver cyanide+150 gm potassium cyanide) so where is the problem?
thank you.

hatem shaker

March 16, 2009

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Hi, Hatem. I'm sure the problem is clear in your mind, but it isn't clear to me. Are you successfully plating other parts? Do the parts not plate at all, or does the plating peel off, or is it stained or off-color? Have you tried a Hull cell test? Is there a copper and/or silver strike before silver plating as Khozem suggested?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March 2009

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I am electroplating executive. presently I am working on silver plating. what is the reason of anode blackness and anode polarization of silver plating bath? bath condition :- Ag metal- 30g/l, KCN- 120g/l, Amp- .7dm2 Amit Mishra September 29, 2009 Hi, Amit. That problem is discussed in detail in thread 46293. Please take a look at that and if it doesn't fully resolve the issue for you, please post a followup there. Good luck! Regards, Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey March 4, 2011