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Chrome Layer Only is Peeling from Nickel-Chrome Plated Brass

March 18, 2014

Q. I make faucet and plumbing fixtures.

Plating procedure : Brass material - Bright Nickel - Chrome (Automatic Equipment)

One of our electroplating parts has a problem.
Chrome plating layer only has peeled.
There was no peeling with bright nickel.

I've experienced a peeling of bright nickel before, but chrome layer peeling have never occurred before. How can it have occurred?

Thanks.

Steve Lim
- South Korea

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March 24, 2014

Thanks for your kind answer.

I agree with your answer. But I couldn't reproduce same kind of trouble, so I couldn't answer to my customer.

So I did some trick. After Ni plating, I dipped parts in Ni solution tank with no current for three hours. And I re-electroplated Ni on it, then Cr plating.

I could get same trouble on the part. Wow!! It was obviously caused by Ni layer passivation. But I think passivated Ni layer could be activated by Cr pre-dippings. So I hidden passivated Ni layer between Ni layer and succeeded.

Thank you, again!!

Steve Lim
- Incheon City, South Korea