The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Direct plating of nickel onto stainless steel

I understand there may be a few of you out there who have plated nickel onto stainless steel without the need for an intermediary copper or other type of flashing. I want to do this and make an oxide of the nickel. To make an insulating surface to protect the stainless even more than it is to start with. I can't use an intermediary because the common ones (copper, gold silver etc ) are attacked by ammonia ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] which the nickel oxide/ and stainless could be subject to at elevated temperatures. Can anyone help me ? I haven't tried this type medium before so please be patient with me if I don't know quite how to be appropriately social in context.

Dan Fyske , EE
screen processes - Azusa, California
2007

---

You are on the right track, Dan. Actually nickel is the usual first layer electroplated onto stainless steel. Most commonly the process is started with a Wood's Nickel Strike. Then you can apply a heavier coating of nickel. You might look into sulphamate nickel as this if often plated without organic brighteners and those brighteners decomposing are a problem at high temperature.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

I am a plating manager at a business where we use nickel sulphamate to plate steel and I have found a way to get sufficient adhesion of nickel to stainless. It appears to be quite strong, but for my company's purposes, we have not tested adhesion at elevated temperatures.

Barry Lynn Norris
- Richmond, Virginia
2007