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Relative costs/options for hard plating aluminum?

I am looking to build a small engine which will require some sort of plating or liner to protect the aluminum housing. Weight will be an issue so making them out of iron or steel is out of the question. I could use a liner for the aluminum, but since this is a prototype build (on a hobby budget) the material costs wind up being pretty prohibitive. Which brings me back to plating.

Obviously Nikasil is probably the industry standard for cylinder bores, but what are the alternatives? I have seen the clones and hard chrome but is there a less expensive process for Aluminum plating. All of the prices I have seen have been for Nikasil are quoted for typical motorcycle cylinders, unfortunately my project does not use round cylinders. How is the cost determined for these plating processes? Is there a rule of thumb for comparing costs when it comes to selecting plating processes?

Ron Stevens
hobbyist - Sacramento, California, USA
December 27, 2009

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December 30, 2009

Since your bore is a secret, how can people offer suggestions?
You might try electroless nickel on one part and if that works then on three parts. Not a huge investment to find out. Nikasil is a proprietary product, so there is little if any direct competition and thus there is no pressure to lower prices.

Ones cost many times what even tens cost and the platers are working in the hundreds a day of known sizes.

If it is not round, how do you propose to grind/machine/ hone the plating? It does not come out uniform in thickness.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida