Red Rust on Nickel Plating: Critical Copper Strike Check

Summary for red rust on nickel plating Discussion

Red rust on nickel plating over aluminum is discussed as a possible sign of an underlayer problem rather than nickel itself. In the brief exchange, the customer reports a product photo showing red rust, and Robert H Probert asks whether a copper cyanide strike was used over the zincate, suggesting the red color may actually be copper rather than rust. Because the thread excerpt is very limited, no final diagnosis is given, but the practical takeaway is to examine the pretreatment and strike sequence on the aluminum carefully, especially the zincate and any copper cyanide strike, before assuming the nickel finish is the source of the discoloration.