Summary for nickel activation with acid rinse Discussion
Nickel activation with acid rinse is the focus keyphrase here, and the thread makes clear that a simple hydrochloric acid dip is not the right fix. TJi asked whether a 20 vol.% HCl rinse could remove the passivated oxide layer on plated nickel and make it ready for gold plating, noting that 15 minutes had not worked. The answerer replied that it will not work even if the part is placed directly in 20% HCl or a more dilute mix. Instead, nickel must be activated using a proper nickel strike process, such as a Wood's Nickel Strike, a sulphamate nickel strike, or an iodine process. The practical takeaway is that time in HCl is not the controlling factor; the surface needs a suitable activation/strike step before gold plating.
Can 20vol.% HCl acid rinse remove the passivated layer(oxidation layer), in my experience, 15 minutes acid rinse can not make nickel layer active to be easy for plating gold layer, but I want to know how much time of acid rinse can meet my needs.
thanks a lot
TJi
– WUXi, Jiangsu province of China
2005
A. It won’t work whether you put the part directly in 20 percent HCl or a more dilute mixture. Nickel must be activated with a Wood’s Nickel Strike ⇦ huh? or Sulphamate Nickel Strike or an Iodine process search the site
Ted Mooney, P.E.
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