Aloha, fun & authoritative answers -- no cost, no registration, no passwords, no popups
(as an eBay Partner & Amazon Affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases)

Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989

-----

Black Nickel Plating on Brass problem

Q. I work in a watch manufacturing company and tasked to develop a black plating on dials for watches. We have tried using a chemical that can plate(electroplate) the dial to a black color but we did not achieve a good adhesion of the black nickel to the dial. What could be the factors that account to this effect?. We have tried adjusting the current density to a certain range as prescribed in the Technical data sheet, nonetheless still achieving poor black nickel adhesion to the dial. Can you advise what parameters to investigate which could have direct effect to the strength of adhesion to the dial.By the way, the dial is a brass material with primary nickel plate. I need your helpful enlightenment to this query.

Best of Regards,

Roel Basera
- Cebu Philippines
January 4, 2008

A. Hi Roel. I think you have little chance of getting adhesion to a nickel pre-plate without a Wood's Nickel strike.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 4, 2008

A. Ted is correct, you're not going to get the adhesion you need without a Wood's strike or something along those lines. The place where I formerly worked at plated black Ni for many years, we did not use a Wood's Ni strike but it fairly similar, something we came up with on our own. But like I said, Ted is correct.

Best Regards

Brian C. Gaylets
- Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
January 5, 2008

Q. Thanks Ted and Brian. I appreciate your generosity in sharing your knowledge. I would just like to make a follow up if you don't really mind if this might sound too silly. My question is: What is this Wood Nickel Strike -- an all chloride solution? What is the composition of this one and how does it differ from Watts or Nickel Sulphate?

Thanks in advance. Regards

Roel Basera [returning]
- Cebu City Philippines
April 27, 2008

A. Yes, Roel, a Wood's Nickel Strike is an all-chloride bath designed to activate nickel or stainless steel, named after its inventor, Donald Wood of Hill-Cross Company [a finishing.com supporting advertiser]. Robert Probert offers us the formulation and operating conditions in topic 14461.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 27, 2008

(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: