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Seeking satin nickel finish without nickel plating

How do I get a satin nickel finish (similar to cabinet knobs that you would find at a home depot) on sheet metal and machined aluminum parts without nickel plating? Is there a colored anodize available that will achieve this look?

Tom Hoang
Test Equipment - Chestnut Ridge, New York
2003

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2003

Hi Tom. I hope that when you say sheet metal you mean aluminum sheet metal because steel cannot be anodized.

Aluminum can be brush finished or bead blasted, then anodized, dyed as required, and if necessary lacquered to give a lot of nice looks. A brushed nickel look sounds entirely practical for a small part like a knob. But to get a broad expanse of aluminum to have a highly decorative glow to it like brushed nickel may be a lot to ask. Talk to a couple of established anodizing shops and try some samples.

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

We do an anodize which we dye with a custom stainless steel color which many of my customers have used to copy satin nickel.

David A. Kraft
- Long Island City, New York
2003