Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Finger print on satin chrome plating

Hi everybody;
we are chrome plating on satin finish to plastic parts.how can I minimize finger prints on this plating?

Murat Cetin
PLASTICS - BORNOVA, IZMIR, TURKEY
2005

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Wear latex gloves when handling the parts.

Marc Green
anodizer - Boise, Idaho
2005

Wear clean white cloth gloves. A clear coat finish is the other option if it does not have any current fingerprints.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2005

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A water-based lacquer will eliminate the problem. If your final hot water rinse is clean, it can be applied there. You'll have to experiment with concentration (get your supplier to help), but you can apply a coating which is thin enough to be invisible, but which will nearly eliminate fingerprinting.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
2005

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2005

Hello Mr Cetin,

Its impossible to avoid fingerprints if you touch the part. Please use gloves for any process involving contact with the part. Use gloves and a sponge with cleaner to wipe clean the part once before etching and once after racking and before copper plating.

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

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2005

Dear Murat,

Advice the employees to wear cotton gloves while racking and unracking the parts.

Regards,

Dominik Michalek
- Mexico City, Mexico

Why don't you try wearing latex rubber or nitrile disposable gloves when handling work prior to plating?

Nigel Gill, BSc MIMF MRSC
- Glasgow
2005

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2005

Hello...
If you don't want to any finger print on parts your addition (leveler and carrier) rate must be balanced.Especially carrier amount in your bath very important.If you run hull-cell or jiggle panel you will see effect of this materials on your parts.

Kolay Gelsin........

Alaattin Tuna
- Turkey

We do both satin chrome finish(US26d) and also bright chrome(US26) we use white cotton gloves to unrack parts, we buy them for something like $.10 a pair, probably a good investment.

Brian C. Gaylets
- Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
2005

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2005

I never thought of what Jeffery had said, excellent point! After our chrome we have a chrome dragout, 2 cold water rinses,t hen a final hot water rinse then a short hangtime, then we lacquer our product with a water based lacquer(we buy it at 100% and dilute to 40%) plus we use the white cotton gloves like I mentioned above.

Regards

Brian C. Gaylets
- Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.