Controlling nickel plating additions

A. Hi Rajeev. The nickel brighteners are consumed by the plating process, so you are seeking a device that measures the ampere-hours consumed, and feeds brightener in proportion. These devices are often called "amp-hour meters" or "brightener feeders". Most manufacturers of plating rectifiers (power supplies) can offer you these devices. Good luck.

A. Mr Rajeev Garg

Using an amp hour meter is the best possible means of controlling adds to the bath to replenish the solution. These are available from Delhi. The second best is this set of factors. One kilo amp hour is 1000 amps run for an hour. This deposits 1009 grams of Nickel. This usually consumes Brightener as stated on the jerrycans you buy.

Therefore let's assume you plate 500 amps for 8 Hours a day; that's 500 x 8 divide by 1000= 4 Kilo amp hours (KAH)of current passed daily, You can be expected to deposit 4 kilos Nickel (1009 x4). Now if the Brightener used is consumed at 150 mls per KAH, you can be expected to add 150 x 4 = 600 mls per day. The carrier runs at say 300 mls... This works to 1200 mls a day. So you consume 4 kilos Nickel and use 600 mls Brightener 1200 mls carrier. This was an example. First check that your rectifier shows amps: the rest is arithmetic.

Try this desi ilaaj. Most platers do and it works.

Regards,

opinion!

You own and operate a plating shop and you don't have access to burettes, pipettes [pipettes on eBay or Amazon] , pH meters and graduated cylinders [affil links]? How do you possibly keep your baths operating anywhere near the manufacturers' recommended levels? Please read some basic plating literature. You are nowhere close to being able to control basic chemistry without basic laboratory apparatus. You'll have a difficult time maintaining nickel sulphate or nickel chloride levels automatically, much less boric acid. And even if you did, how would you verify it?

Mr Spindler

The situation in small and tiny scale plating units is typically the same as described by Mr. Garg. It is our endeavor to see that such platers improve their technical skills and Mr. Garg possibly represents one out of fifty who dared to ask. He deserves to be congratulated for wanting to improve.

I hope you will recall the state of plating some fifty years back pre WW2 in countries like the UK and on the continent. There was a lot of "mystery" in plating then; it remains here till now. Demystifying plating is what this is all about.

Regards,

Asif Nurie [deceased]
- New Delhi, India
With deep regret we sadly advise that Asif passed away on Jan 24, 2016
2004

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Hi. Rajeev said he had "no modern means to measure the ratio of chemicals/additives, cousins. While it's possible that he lacks laboratory glassware, I don't think he actually said or implied that he lacks it. Perhaps he simply feels that periodic manual titration falls short of his desire to "mechanically control or computerize the whole process".

Regards,

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