Where theworld gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989
-----
Life of Nickel Sulfamate bath
Q. I am curious as to how long a properly maintained nickel sulfamate bath should last? we have been changing ours every six months or so due to peeling gold(soft and hard), all chemicals and baths are from Technic. any comments would be greatly appreciated. it seems to me we shouldn't have to change baths that often..
ernest lehnCalifornia, USA
1998
A. A properly maintained bath can go for years.
Do all of the water adds with DI water.
Rinse exceptionally well, so there is very little drag in. If you have hard water, final rinse should be DI or equivalent.
Carbon treat the bath about once a month. Cartridges work well but cost more than bulk carbon in a filter housing.
Is it possible that you are changing out activation tanks after nickel plate at the same time?
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
1998
A. A properly maintained Nickel Sulphamate Plating solution should last for ever! I have know of baths that have been in place for over 20 years, and I am sure that other readers of these pages know of ones with much greater lifetimes. It sounds to me that you are not carrying out periodic carbon treatments, allowing the nickel surface to passivate prior to the gold plate, (by the way, how is your gold strike when you are getting all of these peelers?) and in general blaming the nickel instead of finding the real cause of the problem.
Richard Zuendt- Garfield, New Jersey
1998
adv.
"The Sulfamate Nickel How-To Guide"
by David Crotty, PhD
& Robert Probert
published Oct. 2018
$89 plus shipping
Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread