Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing 1989-2025
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Plating stainless steel onto aluminum
Hopefully this is a simple question for one with experience in the electroplating field. Is it possible to electroplate stainless steel onto an aluminum substrate?
Sally Almond- Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
2003
No it's not possible to electroplate stainless steel onto anything, Sally. Please post your real-world situation. Thanks.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003
First of three simultaneous responses --
It is possible to deposit SST on Al by vacuum deposition.
Mandar Sunthankar- Fort Collins, Colorado
2003
Second of three simultaneous responses --
Ted is right - you can't electroplate aluminium with stainless steel. Stainless steel is a complex mixture of different metals, alloys, carbides, phosphides and sulfides, just to mention a few things. However, some years ago (back in the 1980's) a quite reputable chemical supply house tried to sell an electroplating system they called "stainless steel". It was in fact a co-deposited mixture of iron, chromium and nickel and whilst it had the basic empirical formula as stainless steel, it did not behave like it. Caveat emptor!
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2003
Third of three simultaneous responses --
Dr. David Lashmore of NIST (then the Bureau of Standards) plated alternating angstroms-thick layers of nickel and chrome as a stainless-steel-like coating too. But it wasn't stainless steel and was a laboratory feat not a practical application.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003
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