"Chrome plating"

Beginners and hobbyists should probably stick to copper, gold, nickel, or zinc plating ... and avoid chrome plating! Virtually all real chrome plating is done from highly concentrated chromic acid -- the toxic & carcinogenic hexavalent chromium that made Erin Brockovich famous.

Chrome plating is always highly "inefficient", with never even 1/4 of the applied electricity going to deposit chrome, while more than 3/4 of it just generates copious amounts of hydrogen gas bubbles which effervesce the chromic acid into the air in ginger ale fashion.