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ted_yosem
Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

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  -----

Wood's Nickel Strike?




Q. Maybe this question seems strange, but could you be so kind and explain me what the "Wood's nickel strike" is? I suppose it's a chloride bath with low pH, but I'm not sure. Thanks in advance.

Adam Wittmann
- Poland
1999


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A. Not at all strange, Adam:-)

Stainless steel, and nickel itself, are very difficult to properly plate onto because of their natural passivity. Don Wood (deceased) developed a combination activator/strike bath for the purpose. As you surmised, it's a nickel chloride bath at low pH. Specifically, per the Metal Finishing Guidebook, it's:

More detail can be found in the Guidebook. Good luck.

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


Q. Can you translate your units to metric please.

rayde
- Glasgow, Scotland
July 29, 2024

Ed. note: Many readers use their real names because they enjoy the camaraderie of being part of this community; they may be less likely to engage with those who won't.

A. Hi.

Although metric units are usually better, I love the simplicity of Robert Probert's suggested formulation: 2 qt/gal HCl, 2 lb/gal NiCl :-)

2 quarts HCl per gallon = 64 fl oz/gal X 7.81 = 500 ml/l
2 lb Nickel chloride per gallon = 32 oz/gal / 0.134 = 239 g/l
20-200 ASF x 0.108 = 2.2-21 Amps/dm2

Luck & Regards,

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


A. Wood's Nickel strike

Hydrochloric acid 8-10 % by vol.
Nickel chloride 25-35 oz/gal
Cathodic Current 2000 amps per 30-40 sq.ft.

Time to plate 2-3 minutes

You can plate Stainless Steel parts.
Before you plate need activation.

Popatbhai B Patel
Electroplate consultant - Sterling Heights




Q. I just recently started using Wood's nickel strike and I must say my results are nothing short of spectacular! I had been using another product. So my question is, is the Wood's nickel strike made from a particular company or is that name just a catch-all name for that particular mixture? I hope this doesn't seem like a stupid question. Thanks, I have a lot of time on my hands.

Richard Courtright
- San Francisco California USA
November 23, 2014


A. Hi Richard. It was invented/developed by Don Wood (dec.) of Hill-Cross Company [a finishing.com supporting advertiser], but has been generic for a very long time now. It contains nothing but nickel chloride and hydrochloric acid -- nothing proprietary.

Regards,

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




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