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Black Ni Plating

I am looking for a jobshop in the west coast who can do a black Ni plating on anodized Al.

Eriko Ishizeki
Tencor
1998

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I don't think your spec is correct, Mr. Ishizeki. While there are a couple of very specialized exceptions, anodized aluminum cannot be plated. Is this a rework situation where you want the shop to strip a black anodized finish and apply a black nickel electroplating instead? There are a number of shops in California and Oregon listed in our Shop Directory, but I think the spec has to be corrected before contracting with them.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
1998

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1998

Eriko,

I suppose that you look for Ni-electrolytic coloring for Type II anodized aluminum. This process is to electrolytically deposit Ni into micro-pores on anodized aluminum surface using alternating current in some proprietary solutions. It could produce black color for anodized aluminum, but is definitely different from regular black Ni-plating. As Ted said, there is no existing process to do black Ni-plating on anodized aluminum. It is greatly appreciated if you can tell me the purposes for the process you specified.

If you really need black electrolytic coloring for anodized aluminum, both Nickel and Tin process may satisfy you. You can contact the Anodizing Group at Henkel Technologies, 1615 Johnson Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. They may provide you with a list of the metal finishing companies carrying these processes in your area.

Good luck!

Ling Hao
- Grand Rapids, Michigan