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Nickel strike bath

 

Would like some help on how to make-up a nickel strike bath. I have a 76 gal tank. Here are the materials I have, nickel chloride, hydrochloric acid, nickel anodes. I trying to plate nickel into stainless steel parts. How often should I make up a bath and how? Please help.

Pedro Galvez
- Paso Robles, California

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Mr. Galvez,

The best source for the information you are requesting can be obtain from your chemical supplier. They can supply you with all the information needed to properly operate a nickel strike bath.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Joel Garcia
- McAllen, Texas

Pedro:

The bath you want is known as Wood's strike. Composition range is Nickel chloride 16-64 oz/gal, Hydrochloric acid 8-32 oz/gal, room temperature current density 20-200 A/ft2, time 1-4 minutes. Best to add salt and acid in a 1:1 ratio.

Bye.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico

Go to MetalFinishing.com, they have their guidebook on line. Included in there is the make up for a Woods Strike. This is what you are looking for. You might find it advisable to read some of the other related information regarding nickel plating.

Gene Packman
process supplier - Great Neck, New York

Ed. note: The Metal Finishing Guidebook was on line for a while in 2002 but is not any longer. But you can obtain it by following the link.

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Durney's Electroplating Engineering Handbook [on AbeBooks or eBay or Amazon affil links] has the Wood's nickel strike formulation that you need.

  
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania