No passwords, No popups, No cost
we earn from your eBay & Amazon purchases

Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Adver-
tise
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
curated with aloha by
ted_yosem
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
- Pine Beach, NJ
finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry


  pub
  The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989

-----

Nickel Plating over aluminum without copper




I am in the process of getting my motorcycle's aluminum wheel hubs up to scratch since they have somewhat started to corrode. At first I was planning to polish them and then clear coat them with some sort of lacquer.

Then, I found a local plating company and will now nickel plate them instead (they have problems with chrome plating). Now this plater told me that their nickel plating process, that is electroless, does not require copper underneath the nickel. They basically give the item two coats of zincate (since it's aluminum) and a coat of nickel.

My questions are:

1. I have already plated the front hub and it has been done acceptably. The only problem is that it has what look like small pimples in an area of about 1.5 cm squared. They do not really bother me but would you think they are sign that the nickel will eventually start to fall off?

2. Is it true that there are some methods of nickel plating which do not require a base copper coat? I always thought copper strengthens the plating process. Perhaps that it why there are those slight pimples mentioned above?

Thank you very much for your replies.

Kurt Smith
Hobbyist - Liverpool, UK
2004



Zincate/electroless nickel is a perfectly good process. Copper would not improve this process. If you have blisters now, you will have attack of the Al under the blisters and peeling later.

jeffrey holmes
Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
2004




(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

Finishing
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g,
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2024 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"