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Activation of mild steel for EN Plating

I have to nickel plate electrolessly on mild steel 1045 with Ni-P using hypophosphite alkaline bath, what will be the best activation and pretreatment procedure?

Salem Karrab
student - Libya
December 16, 2010

You will not get the build with an alkaline solution that you will get with an acid EN.
If it has scale, grit blast it. Then use an alkaline cleaner, rinse very well, a dip in 30- 40 % muriatic acid for about 10 seconds after the first bubbles, rinse very well and rapidly transfer to the plating tank. If you go with the acid EN, add a couple mL per L of ammonia [on eBay or Amazon] to the last rinse tank before the EN.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
First of two simultaneous responses -- December 16, 2010

Steel 1045 does not passivate because it does not have alloying passive ingredients, so it will not require an activation step. Only prep should consist in a thorough cleaning to a water break test and rinse. G. Marrufo

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
Second of two simultaneous responses -- December 18, 2010

sulfuric acid may passivate your steel

Khair Shishani
aircraft maintenance - Al Ain, UAE
January 11, 2011

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