Summary for molybdenum pretreatment for plating Discussion
Surface preparation of molybdenum for plating is the central issue in this thread. Maria Perez asks how to pre-treat molly for plating, and the reply notes that earlier responders did not share their methods, likely because they were treating them as trade secrets. Peter Mcguire is credited with one practical approach: a chromic acid electropolish followed by a flash of chrome plating. The answer also points readers to ASM Metals Handbook, 9th Edition, Volume 5, which discusses several alternatives for pretreating molybdenum and echoes the same general advice: once the surface is activated by whatever method is used, a flash chrome should be the first plating step. The discussion does not present a single universal process, but it does identify activation plus an initial chrome flash as the key takeaway.
Q. How do you pre-treat molly for plating?
MARIA PEREZ
employee – PANORAMA CITY
January 8, 2025
ASM Metal Handbook
9th Edition, Vol. 5
“Surface Cleaning, Finishing & Coating”
on Amazon
or
or
(affil link)
A. Hi Maria,
Despite the title of the thread, most of the previous responders did not actually answer it, probably considering their methods to be trade secrets; but Peter Mcguire offered that he deals with it with a chromic acid electropolish followed by a flash of chrome plating.
Volume 5 of the 9th Edition of ASM’s Metals Handbook has a good discussion and detail on several alternatives to pretreating molybdenum for plating, but it does echo Peter’s suggestion that after you get it activated via whichever method, a flash of chrome should be the first plating step.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors and repetition 🙂
Q. My plater states molybdenum can only be Ni plated if the material’s surface is first mechanically distressed by bead blasting. I have found that in doing so residual stresses are imparted into the surface. In the parts I’m processing these stresses result in warpage of the material when it is subjected to temperatures in the 400 degree F range.
Can molybdenum be plated without the use of mechanical etching or other stress inducing surface preparations? If so, can you tell me who I can contact that plates moly in this fashion?
Gary Murdock
– Syracuse, New York, USA
2001
A. Dear Gary,
After sharing this with my technical support department, there is a very strong possibility this can be achieved. Commonly, platers will treat this metal with some form of etching for adhesion purposes, however, to avoid contaminants in the Ni some sort of cleaning must be done on the surface.
Donna Nowak
plating shop – Cleveland, Ohio USA
A. Gary,
We’ve been Nickel plating Moly, Mo/Cu and W/Cu for years without the need to mechanically beadblast.
Steve Chatfield
plating shop – Attleboro, Massachusetts
A. I work with molly every day and everything molly I run gets a chrome acid electro polish and should get a chrome flash.
Peter Mcguire
– auburn New Hampshire
June 22, 2013