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world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


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Plating of Small Polished Steel Balls

2007

Hello,
My name is Paul Miles with a gasket fabricator in Sauget Illinois. We are undertaking a new project and would like to know if carbon steel balls (.156 diameter) can be finished/ coated without leaving peaks or valleys or flat spots on the ball. We are looking for a chrome plating or nickel type finish on these as we do not want them to rust.

Thanks,

Paul Miles
- Sauget, Illinois, USA

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2007

Hello Paul. I think it will be ideal and relatively easy to electroless nickel plate these balls in a barrel.

Electrolytic nickel plating would be somewhat less costly and probably would hold your roundness tolerance, but I wouldn't do that unless electroless nickel was unsuitable for some reason. Good luck.

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

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Surface coating for seal

June 25, 2017

Q. Hi, we have a 3 mm polished steel ball that seals up against a matching female surface.
These two can seal water up to 2000 psi.
But with a gas pressure of 450 psi it can/ not always, have a very slow leak.
The ball is pushed into position by a spring.
Could we coat the ball, or the seat so it had just a little improvement in the sealing area?
Appreciate any ideas / what material to coat with?
Note the ball is lifted and dropped millions of times in its life.
Thanks

Peter David
- Auckland, NI, New Zealand