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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
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for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Nickel plating Q&A, Problems & Solutions: Home Brew Hard Nickel
Q. We are facing problem in thickness of nickel plating, we are using nickel as a base component
pH-4.1
Baume-19
H3BO3-45.11gm/lt
NiCl2-47.84gm/lt
NiSO4-249.84gm/lt
Current density= 3 Amp/Dm2
What will be do for increasing thickness.
Senior executive - Noida, India
May 2, 2024
A. Hi Gaurav,
Sorry, I'm not quite understanding ...
How long do you plate for, what thickness do your achieve, and what happens when you try to plate for a longer time that is preventing you from plating thicker? Thanks!
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. Nickel thickness problem due to not enough time to plate or concentration low or Nickel metal in baskets very low or not enough amps
POPATBHAI PATELElectroplating Consultant - Sterling Heights
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Q. Hi, we open new project and will do hard nickel electroplating, we'll use solution consisting of:
Nickel sulphate 180 g/L,
Ammonium Chloride 25 g/L,
Boric Acid 30 g/L,
Sodium Saccharin 0.5-4 g/L.
My Q:
1- what material should the tank be made from (can I use plastic one or stainless steel?),
2- and I need analysis process easy and that can I do, to analyze the 4 component concentrations in solution after a period of time.
3- I need 2 tanks, one to give yield strength about 600 MPa and another give about 1100 MPa, any advice to how make it by changing pH and current density?
Farouk - Egypt
? Ammonium Chloride?
Chris Snyderplater - Charlotte, North Carolina
A. Ammonium Chloride - For Hard Nickel it is OK. Sara Michaeli Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel ? Hard Nickel? Gene Packmanprocess supplier - Great Neck, New York |
A. Plastic tanks are OK (preferably UHMW polyethylene without welds or polypropylene welded by qualified personnel. For chemicals, nickel sulphate is titrated as nickel metal (in this site you'll find formulas), boric is difficult, it's easier to saturate (saturation happens close to what you want at temperatures of around 60 °C, excess will precipitate and adhere to your anode bags), ammonium chloride is titrated, sodium saccharin I really don't know (never did it but I'm sure you'll find it somewhere in a good book). Regarding hardness and tensile strength both are increased by increasing pH. Hopefully you know the rest of the story about hard nickel. How can you embark in a project without knowing the basics? Chemical balance and plant engrg. are basics.
Guillermo MarrufoMonterrey, NL, Mexico
Q. Tell me the electrolyte for nickel plating on aluminum which I can make by nickel sulphate.
VivekStudent - Mumbai, Maharastra, India
2007
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A. The Watts nickel bath is the most popular, Vivek, and it contains nickel sulphate but also a smaller amount of nickel chloride and boric acid. However, nickel cannot be plated directly onto aluminum. First the aluminum must be zincated, and then, most commonly, either alkaline electroless nickel plated or cyanide copper plated then acid copper plated before nickel plating. Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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