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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Difference Between Chrome and Nickel Plating
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Q. Hi, I was wondering, I have a couple of solid brass garrison belt buckles from the '40-'50's. Would it be best to go with nickel or chrome plating for these pieces? Also, want to keep it periodically correct of course.
Timmy Beylemans- Hoboken, Belgium
November 4, 2015
A. Hi Timmy. Nickel-chrome plating is brighter and more corrosion resistant than nickel plating, and it was very widely available by the 1940s, so it's certainly possible that they were nickel-chrome plated originally.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Chrome vs. nickel plating for dumbbells
Q. Dear Reader
Could you give me some idea about how to choose between chrome or nickel plating for free weights products like dumbbells, bars or plates? I mean for handles.
Thank you in advance!
- chiclana de la frontera, Spain
November 9, 2015
A. Hi Daniel
Take a look at thread 26486.
Many people are sensitive to nickel dermatitis. It is a bad choice for any surface in contact with the skin.
Geoff Smith
Hampshire, England
Q. Hi. I see some great information contained here, here's a little offbeat question I have:
I own some guitars with all Nickel hardware, and I'd like to upgrade them with a certain style bridge I've found; however, the bridges are Chrome-plated, and the visual contrast with the Nickel parts is jarring, to my eyes. Is there a chemical/solvent or other method that will give chrome an appearance that is closer to Nickel? Any info is appreciated!
Thanks, Marc
Guitarist - Peyton, Colorado
December 15, 2015
A. Hi Marc. "Chrome plating", in the sense that you are using it, is actually comprised of a heavy layer of nickel plating followed by a very thin layer of chrome plating. Technically it's a very easy thing to remove the chrome plating with muriatic acid to reveal the very slightly yellower nickel plating underneath.
Any plating shop can do it for you, and if a friend knows how to safely work with acid, and how to neutralize it on the bridges and for waste treatment, they can do it for you. I can't guarantee that it will give you the exact look you seek, but it definitely will offer that more mellow tone. After stripping the chrome, try to wax them or lacquer them as the corrosion resistance will be somewhat reduced.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
FANTASTIC! Few things better than a simple solution! Thank you for your response, Ted, and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
- Peyton, Colorado
Q. Hi there!
Finding some really interesting information here, and I have already learned a lot, but I was hoping for some info on my specific situation.
I work as a circus performer, and I have a trapeze bar with weights on either end that I would like to keep shiny with a durable finish. The weights are hardened steel polished ball bearings. They are polished to a mirror finish right now, but I am looking for the best solution to keeping them that way and prevent any rust. I have looked into a lot of options such as clear coats, polishes, and powder coating, but seem to keep coming back to chrome plating as the best solution for look and longevity. The bar will mostly be hanging in a climate controlled theater for now, but will possibly be set down on hard surfaces occasionally and may be used in less climate controlled places in the future.
Any insight you may have on if chrome will be the most durable and long lasting coating would be greatly appreciated!
- Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
January 23, 2016
Q. Hi, I read all the answers, but still not sure about this: I want to buy a belt buckle for like a lifetime with great materials, and I have to choose from nickel or chrome plated belt buckle. While I like more the nickel one I want to know that it will last as long as a chromium ( since you advised chrome over nickel for outside use ) but I am not sure about a waist buckle can count as inside use or outside
Cropca Roland- Pest, lest, hungary
February 29, 2016
A. Hi Cropca. Get the one which looks more appealing to you. The likelihood of the chrome plated belt buckle having the high quality nickel-chrome plating of a truck bumper is zero. Unfortunately, you can't judge the longevity of consumer products from the type of plating they claim to have. Sorry.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hi,
This is a fascinating forum. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
For my bathroom remodel I would like to use a faucet fixture, but it is only available in brass (probably coated) or nickel-chrome. However, a polished nickel finish would be more traditional for the period -- 1890-1920. Elsewhere in this thread it was stated that it is not possible to plate nickel over chrome. Therefore, it would be necessary strip the chrome, or else use the brass version and plate nickel over the brass? Which do you think would be better/cheaper?
thanks,
Tom
- Provo, Utah, USA
March 17, 2016
A. Hi Tom. It is very unlikely that the faucet is "just" chrome plated. It is almost surely nickel plated followed by chrome plating. So get the chrome one and remove the chrome and see if you like it with the remaining nickel plating.
Removing the chrome requires using a dangerous chemical, muriatic acid, but it's not so dangerous as to not be available at every hardware store. So if you are a competent handyman with experience handling chemicals, and you already have goggles ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and heavy duty rubber gloves ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , and have a very well-ventilated garage, secure from animals and children, the danger should not be extreme.
Fill a plastic dishpan 1/3 of the way with water, then add an equal amount of the hardware store muriatic acid ("do as you oughta, add acid to watah"). Then wipe or plug & immerse the faucet parts for one minute, then drain, then immerse in another dishpan with water and baking soda [in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] to neutralize. Then rinse well in clean water. It's hard to say how much bicarb the neutralizing water needs, but after the parts are sitting in it, add a little more; and if/when nothing happens it means you had enough.
Muriatic acid is strong. Even the small amount clinging to your parts will foam a lot when you put it in the bicarb water. When done you'll need to neutralize the acid, and it will be a lot of work to very gradually mix it into bicarb water to neutralize without foaming over. I am not suggesting that you or any given reader has the competence and patience to do this safely; but trying to hide how it is done is probably not a favor to anyone. If you're not completely comfortable with it, perhaps you have a friend who is. Naturally, the best route is to send it to a plating shop as-is, instead of doing it yourself, if you can find a co-operative one.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Ted,
Thanks for the details. For this project, we'll be working with muriatic acid anyway in conjunction with some masonry work. I'll try it on a chromed test piece and see how it goes. Presumably the acid won't hurt the underlying brass.
Tom
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
A. Hi. I think you should plug the faucet if you are going to immerse it. But a 20-30 second dip should be enough to remove the chrome without too much effect on the brass.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Ted,
I decided to have the vendor strip the chrome since they are much more familiar with it than I. The geometric complexity of the piece, assembly of different parts, and risk of damaging a brand new faucet set lead me to consider the conversion price of $85 was reasonable enough. The faucets look beautiful.
Thanks for the details on the conversion. It may well come in handy as there are several bathroom fittings that may only be available in chrome-nickel. Plus, I already have the HCl from some masonry work.
Tom
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Hi Tom. Glad to hear it worked out well! And glad you understood that time is money, and that plating shops aren't robbing us when they need to charge the same for their time as a plumber or auto mechanic. When the faucets are manufactured, and hundreds are placed on a single rack and plated simultaneously, the unit labor cost is low. But when a couple of fixtures need to be custom handled and plated, the cost of replating alone can be more than the cost of a whole inexpensive fixture.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Yes, you can strip the chrome if you like the look of nickel better
Ted,
Harking back to our posts of this past April about stripping chrome ...
I wanted to get bathroom wall sconces in a polished nickel finish. But that finish is not very popular -- such fixtures can be expensive and choice of styles is limited. So I purchased standard chrome finished sconces and stripped the chrome to reveal the nickel under-layer. The result is very nice! It took about 10 minutes full immersion in HCl bath, full strength from the bottle. Of course, it is difficult to tell the concentration of the HCl, though presumably it is fairly high concentration considering the brand and price (Miracle Sealants "Grout and Concrete Film Remover", $40/gallon). We already had the HCl on the job site for use in restoring an interior brick wall. The same technique for stripping chrome will come in handy for other small hardware that is available in chrome but not polished nickel.
Thanks for the hints.
Tom
- salt lake city, Utah , US
Q. We're a decorative hardware manufacturer and we're developing a new part. We want it to look as close as possible to #4 brushed stainless steel (304L) and it needs to have a comparable corrosion resistance of 304L (that has not been electropolished or passivated).
Typically these parts will be used indoors but they should be able to withstand "light" outdoor use, such as on covered patios, etc. and in some cases near the coast. There will also be some light part-on-part movement.
These parts will be made for us in Taiwan. The simple solution would be to make these new parts out of 304L, but that is probably not an option price-wise.
The materials that we have to work with are:
-Substrate of steel or -possibly- aluminum. (Prefer steel due to price.)
-Any type of common, decorative plating. (Nickel, chrome, copper-nickel, etc.)
We don't like chrome or bare aluminum because they lack the warmth/yellow tone of nickel/stainless. We'd also like a brushed finish (grain) instead of a completely smooth/mirror finish so as to match our #4 brushed stainless.
What do you recommend?
Hardware Manufacturing - Atlanta, Georgia, US
April 4, 2016
A. We generally go for chromium plating for following reason:
When the component needs a wear resistant & corrosion resistant surface.
Melting point of nickel is about 1450 °C. It is mainly used when a component needs to withstand high temperature. When the component to be plated comes in contact with acids, we generally go for nickel plating.
Since the nickel is highly capable of withstanding high temperature, there will not be any dimensional changes in the part due to expansion.
Tool designer - coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India
Plating for audio jacks outdoors year 'round
Q. I'm working on a project for a consumer product that will reside outdoors year around in all types of climates. Could you recommend a finish for a female mono jack (like a stereo jack) that won't corrode? The product won't be visible to the consumer as it will be embedded in a plastic housing but because it will undergo the friction of plugging and unplugging I'm concerned about the finish wearing off and the corrosion impacting the performance of the product.
Fonda Moyers- Palatine, Illinois, USA
June 1, 2016
A. Hi Fonda. Nickel plating or electroless nickel plating is widely used on such plugs and jacks. Electroless nickel, probably 0.001" thick, will be quite corrosion resistant and wear resistant, and sufficiently conductive (the tarnish will be thin and non-problematical).
The ultimate would be hard gold plating over a base coat of nickel plating, but this would probably only be necessary if the signals are extremely low current, low voltage, digital signals. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I have some WWII watches I have collected, U.S., British, and German(captured). Some of the finishes are bright, and I assume these are nickel chrome? Others are somewhat duller, and I am assuming these are nickel? Is this a fair assessment, and if not how do I tell the chrome finishes from the nickel finishes? By the way...great forum!
Bill Brankowitz- Avondale, Pennsylvania, USA
June 11, 2016
Q. I have a classic car with painted bumpers and I want to have them re chromed.Which is the better process,chrome plating or micro (electroless) plating?
Tom Morden- Trenton Michigan USA
October 16, 2016
A. Hi Tom. I don't know what "micro" plating claims to be, perhaps a trade name, but electroless is not appropriate for a bumper. Nickel-chrome plating is what you need. Please review "Understanding Chrome Plating".
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Nickel plating on swizzle sticks quickly dissolves
November 10, 2016Q. Hi
I want to make a couple of swizzle sticks using stainless steel rods (grade 304ss)
I had a few rods nickel plated and did a stress test. I placed the plated rods in a mixture of tequila, gin and water. After a few hours, I noticed that the plating washed off on many areas of the swizzle stick.
My questions are:
1) Should I nickel plate or chrome plate the swizzle sticks?
2) Are nickel plated or chrome plated rods safe to use as swizzle sticks?
3) If nickel or chrome plated swizzle sticks are unsafe, should I just use stainless steel (grade 316) rods as swizzle sticks (without any plating)?
4) Finally, how can I ensure my 304 or 316 stainless swizzle stick is corrosion resistant to alcohol.
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
A. Hi Ryan. The ideal would be electropolished 316SS. It's as bright as nickel-chrome plating and will last essentially forever.
Nickel and chrome plating are safe, and widely used for similar things -- I have a nickel-chrome plated juicer and cocktail stirring spoon -- but will not have nearly the longevity of 316SS.
I can't imagine nickel dissolving in grain alcohol and water though.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hi,
Big thanks for all the ample information about anticorrosion properties of Ni and Cr.
So cold 'tarnishing' of the Ni surfaces is based on the reaction of Ni with atmospheric sulfur
⇦this on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links]
-- S in different compounds such as SO2, H2S , mercaptans and the like.
In industrial hygiene, a sampling bags with Ni coated brass valve are used and respectively. The valve gets tarnished and Sulfur compound sampled shows low results diminishing its concentration with time. Manufacturer doesn't care about that and other valves from SST or Plastic are used. On the other hand Ni coated valve is good for all other chemicals with other good properties. Unfortunately, the valve include two parts assembled deadly with crimping and one of them has in construction - a plastic/rubber washer/gasket. The valve can't be coated farther with Ni by tumbling easily because of the small diameter air pass in the stem which would be very difficult to expose to electroplating .
Is there a possibility for not electroplating over Ni?. There is no mechanical charges on the valve (pressure differences or else) and its application is normally one to several times but the sampled mixture should not react with Ni.
Cutting the stem I see it is Ni coated inside also, maybe by tumbling.
Thank You
Regards
George
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
January 7, 2017
A. Hi George. Despite the long explanation, unfortunately I don't understand it. Hopefully a reader with more experience in those particular areas will.
Electroless nickel plating is more corrosion resistant, especially to sulfides, than electrolytic nickel and will give more complete and more even coverage, but it may be too expensive for you.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hi Ted,
Firstly I just wanted to say a massive thanks for an amazing thread, I have really found some helpful ideas in here as I am sure many other have too!!
I had a quick question which I was hoping you could be kind enough to answer.
Q. We need to get our Antique Brass Plated Door Handles, Back Plates & Door Hinges re-plated as we are modernising our house.
We really like the Nickel finish but are concerned that with time the Nickel coating will come off the handles or will tarnish with little use.
Can you recommend what I should be asking Electroplaters to do or what to look out for???
I just didn't want to get 50 x handles plated and find out they look bad over time.
Kind regards,
Sam
UK
- Manchester, United Kingdom
March 2, 2017
A. Hi Sam. Nickel should be fine for interior use. It is very slightly yellowish compared to the very slight blue tinge of chrome, i.e., it is warmer looking. If done well it should be fine for a couple of decades. It does have that slightly yellow "tarnish", but it is not objectionable and should not be conflated with the extreme tarnish that silver and brass get.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hi Ted,
Thanks for the reply.
Ted should I ask the plating people to have the door handles clear coated lacquered to protect it from tarnishing?
Would that work?
Thanks
Sam
- Manchester, United Kingdom
A. Hi again. That's up to you. I wouldn't.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hi,
I'll use a spring door stop like this.
I know there are manufacturing variables, but can you guess which finish might best avoid rust? e.g. chrome, nickel, white paint, brass, etc.
It may also be worth noting that the base plate of the door stop will be affixed to bare aluminum.
Thanks,
Rob
- Fayetteville New York
May 10, 2017
A. Hi Rob. Get the painted one -- it has some chance of survival outdoors whereas I'd guess that the nickel & chrome ones won't last at all. Nickel-chrome plating must be of absolutely top quality for exterior exposure (see our previously mentioned 'Understanding Chrome Plating' to fully appreciate why), and I would highly doubt that a $5 door stop has top quality plating.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hello! I am looking at wall mounted wine openers as a gift to my husband. I cannot decide between these two. I like the look of the darker black nickel plating but I do not really understand the benefits of the black nickel plating vs. chrome. Considering it is much more expensive, is it overall better quality? If so, in what regard? Worth the extra $$? Thank you!
Michelle Hunter- Aiviano Italy
August 17, 2017
A. Hi Michelle. After a lifetime spent in metal finishing, I am no better equipped to tell the quality of something from its sales-pap description than anyone else is :-(
These are both made by the same company and sold as premium quality items, so their quality is probably very similar. You say that one is much more expensive, and I don't know if Amazon changed the prices since your posting, or things are different in Italy, or you inadvertently gave a wrong model number, but the difference is small on the live pricing today. Please go with the one you prefer.
A nice looking black nickel finish is probably harder for them to source than a rather routine chrome plated finish hence the slightly extra cost, and hence (perhaps) a slightly lower chance of them suddenly switching to a lower priced lower quality supplier. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I need to apply a coating on a brass component that mates to an aluminum component. The galvanic corrosion is an issue. Chromium is located 55% between Aluminum and Brass on the galvanic series. Nickel is 70%. The coating will need to be very thin (0.0005") and cosmetics do not apply. The aluminum component is far more expensive than the brass component and must be preserved. This needs to be a singular coating (not nickel/chrome). The assembly will be located near sea water in a hot and humid environment. What are the pros and cons of each coating regarding corrosion resistance? What is recommended and why?
Wapa Toolee- Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
August 18, 2017
A. Hi Wapa. The galvanically correct coating would be cadmium plating, but this might be an environmentally unacceptable solution. Another good possibility for galvanic compatibility would be aluminum coating, but this might be expensive and difficult. If forced to choose between nickel and chrome plating, the nickel might be pit-free and porosity free at 0.0005" thickness; the chrome would not be. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hello. I see some good information here from over the years. I wonder if you can help. I'm developing a pump. A seal made of carbon and graphite-filled teflon rubs against a 7075 aluminum surface. Sometimes grit will embed in the seal and then gall the aluminum surface pretty badly degrading the mechanical seal. I'm thinking of nickel plating the aluminum but after reading these notes wondering if nickel-chrome plating may be a better path for better wear and hardness properties.
Jud Ristau- Medford oregon USA
December 17, 2017
A. Hi Jud,
Can the aluminium be changed to stainless? If so, that could help avoid problems. Whenever I buy pumps, I always look for a stainless option even though they cost a bit more.
Blake Kneedler
Feather Hollow Eng. - Stockton, California
Q. Thank you for your great information.
I purchased a set of fog lights for my car that will be fixed on grille guard. The bezel of these fog lights are hard plastic and the brackets are steel painted in black. As far as my grille guard is OEM GM bright chrome what type of plating I should choose for my fog lights bezels and brackets in order to have the best harmony with my grille guard?!
There are some aftermarket chrome parts that are not as bright and shiny as my chrome grille guard and have yellowish look which I don't want such a finished look on my fog lights.
Please explain what exactly I should ask the chrome plating workshop to do for my fog lights to have the best clear chrome look? What type or under what specification?
Regards,
- Budapest, Hungary
March 26, 2018
A. Hi Syd. You are looking for real chrome electroplating rather than "chrome-look paint" (sometimes called "spray chrome"). Please see our on-line article "Understanding Chrome Plating". Chrome electroplating will be the color you are seeking.
However, it is unlikely that a hobbyist can judge the longevity of a given shop's chrome plating process from their sales pap, so in addition to looking for real chrome electroplating you probably will want to see if any friends have experience with given chrome plating shops.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Dear Ted,
Thank you very much for your reply and I really appreciate it.
Best regards
- Budapest, Hungary
Q. Hi, hoping you can help with some advice. I am a student designing a low-cost extrusion machine for lab research into sand-filled composites. I am (currently) intending to make the screw and barrel from AISI 4130 steel, and am unsure as to whether hard chrome and EN are possible for this steel grade, and if so which is the better option as it will be a highly abrasive environment, but particularly factoring in cost of plating.
Any help would be appreciated!
Michael
University of Southampton - Southampton, Hampshire, UK
August 29, 2018
A. Hi Michael. Hard chrome plating will be less expensive and (I believe) more suitable. However, assuming the extruder runs constantly with sand-filled media, I'm not sure that any plating will be thick enough for long life. The screw and barrel should probably be case-hardened before plating; and QPQ processing may be more appropriate than plating.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Sir
please explain detail procedure of satin chrome plating. What is the plating provided on vernier & micrometer.
- Bangalore city/Karnataka state/India country city
October 31, 2018
A. Hi Sanjeev. There are many different ways to get what various people will call "satin" plating, but micrometers are probably glass bead blasted and then nickel-chrome plated.
Please introduce yourself and your situation.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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