Summary for hard chrome will not deposit onto Discussion
hard chrome will not deposit onto is the core question here, but the thread excerpt does not include any technical answers or a list of compatible or incompatible metals. Kelson Redding asks whether there is a list of metals that can be placed in a hard chrome bath without receiving chrome buildup. The only response shown is from Ted Mooney, P.E., RET, who does not answer the chemistry question directly; instead, he points to Robert K. Guffie’s book *Hard Chromium Plating* as a possible reference for more detailed information. Because no substantive plating advice appears in the excerpt, the page mainly documents the question and a suggested source for further research rather than a definitive answer.
Q. Hello, I have been looking around and have not been able to find a list of metals that Hard Chrome will not buildup on. This is my question: What metals can be put into a Hard Chrome bath that will not get chrome deposited on them?
Thanks for your time!
Kelson Redding
– Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
“Hard Chromium Plating”
by Robert K. Guffie
on Amazon (pricey)
or
eBay (sometimes)
or
AbeBooks (rarely)
(affil link)
Hi Kelson. Casting a question in the abstract, instead of telling us your actual situation and what you’re trying to do, can turn an interesting & answerable question into a dull one which will likely garner misleading “answers” :-)
Are you interested in the situation where the metal is simply placed in the solution, electrically neutral … or the situation where it is part of the plating rack, or part of the article being plated, and is thereby cathodically charged? Chrome ions will be reduced to chrome metal on any material which has a sufficient excess of electrons on it. That probably includes all true metallic surfaces in high current density areas, but may exclude some metallic surfaces which have a sufficient oxide coating to serve as an insulator and/or surfaces which are far enough from the anodes such that hydrogen evolution will result instead. The chrome will not properly adhere to surfaces that are not clean and active, but there’s a difference between not adhering properly and “not get chrome deposited”. It’s not okay to put most metals into the chrome plating solution anyway. Guffie’s “Hard Chromium Plating” has an 8-page chapter on fixtures where he makes that point a couple of times. Best of luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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August 2015