Has anyone tried

[gcollins]

Howdy Guys,
i was wondering if anyone out there has bought a home nickle plateing kit, that is done with electrolis, i have used that system to remove rust from CW artifacts, but was wondering about the plateing kits, i know that the biggest part is the metal prep and cleaning before the start of the process!
Hopefully, someone has tried it, i want to use the tank type instead of the brush type, i don't have much faith in the brush method although you could control what gets plated, and what doesn't.

I will be very great full for any and all help.
Thanks greg

[Bill*]

My post will bump this up... As I, too, am interested in the answer. I have been looking at trying one if they do a decent job. Anybody??? ( my interest includes the brush type).
gcollins: Not trying to hijack your thread, I hope you dont mind my adding the brush type to your inquiry?

[leftiye]

I have a brush plating kit for gold for my antique watches. It most likely will brush plate nickel too, just different process, and solutions. Do a google on plating. There is a place that will supply solutions, and probly info on process too. PM me if you want, and I'll try to find the kit and the info as to where to get solutions.

There are rectifiers on ebay for tank type plating. Pricey! even when reconditioned. One may be able to plate with a simple wall transformer with a bridge rectifier attached. By adding a variable resistor (dimmer switch) you could vary amerage output. A variac before all of this would allow yuu to control voltage. Amps required depends on surface area. Voltage seems to be more constant and depends upon the metal beng plated.

[deltaenterprizes]

The kit will cost a lot more than sending it out.
It is a triple process,copper,chrome then nickle.
The part must be polished as shiny as chrome before the plating.The flash coat of copper should be applied with copper cyanide to get good adhesion,then chrome plated and finally nickle. All those solutions plus the power supply cost plenty and most probably you won't get it right the first time.
Electroless is not quite as hard,still expensive.

[leftiye]

Maybe PM Docone, I think he does jewelry. There's another member here who also does jewelry, and is a jack of all hobbies.

[JIMinPHX]

I haven’t done any plating myself, but I’ve sent a lot of things out to plating shops, so I know a little bit about what you need to send them in order to get back what you want. As you said, metal prep is everything. If you don’t have a good polish job before the part hits the plating tanks, then don’t expect to be able to get a good finish after it comes out. Also, avoid sharp corners. They cause the plating material to “tree” up. Cracks do that too.

I don’t know much about the process, but I do know that it involves some really mean chemicals that I don’t want to have anything to do with. I also know that the electroplating process involves bi-directional current. You turn on the juice in one direction & throw in your nuggets of finish material (nickel). The bath soaks up the nuggets. You then reverse the current & throw in the part to be plated with a wire attached to it. The plating guys usually like it if you leave them a little 8-32 tapped hole somewhere so that they can screw a wire to the part. If not, then they usually use a spring clip or screw clamp of some sort to get the current to the part. Where ever the wire connects you get a little spot with no plating. It helps to plan a wire attachment point in a place where it doesn’t show.

That’s about all I have to offer. Sorry it isn’t more.

[Bret4207]

Someplace around here I have an electro plater my next youngest brother built in shop class for my Dad. Dad used it in the gun shop to build up worn parts. No clue on the how's, why's and supplies. Brownells might be a start.