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Nickel plating appearance specification

2004

Hello,

I am designing a steel holder for a magnet and need to specify a Nickel plating finish. This is a component that will be used in a consumer electronics product and it must be appealing to look at, as well as provide corrosion resistance. Is anyone aware of a way to objectively specify the resulting color of the plating? We have specified plating according to MIL-C-26074 [on DLA] before, but we were never concerned with the final appearance of the parts because they were hidden. The industrial designer would like the part to look something like brushed Aluminum or Stainless Steel.

Thanks,

Mark Kubovich
electronics designer - Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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2005

Unfortunately, it's not, Mark. The steel can be brush finished or bead blasted before plating, and you could specify the parameters for that. If you want the plating to impart a satin texture look, that is possible with additives. But you probably need to make samples, and to maintain samples boards to delineate what is an acceptable variation and what isn't.

Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey