Technical nickel plating experience/advice..... good/bad/ugly

I just got some shock mounts and headlamp stands nickel plated and am pretty damn happy with price and results. I know it's not as good a chrome but........ I'm wondering how it will hold up over time before I take more down to have done.

 

Holds up very well. I had a chassis on an O/T car done in nickel plate and it held up for many years until I decided to change the finish for paint.

I see plenty of good condition original nickel plate on vintage vehicles. It's just as good as chrome in my view. It ages better than chrome and can be re-polished from time to time.

I think it also protects the base metal from rust better - you see plenty of rusty chrome but not so much on nickel.

 

Most early plating was actually nickel, not chrome. I reckon it has a neat yellowish antique silverware-type tinge to it, unlike StreetRod chrome. I have nickel plated stuff at home and was quite pleased with the results.

 

These parts were all done in electroless nickel, I specifically wanted the anti-chrome look.
Prior to taking them to be done I gave them a brushed look using scotch brite pads and then requested a satin finish. This whole batch was $250.

 

That is the look that I am going for on my next build.

 

I just had some parts done in nickel - brackets, pedals, tie rods and panhard rods. I had the bare metal vapour blasted, then plated and then lightly vapour blasted again. There was no polishing at all - so much cheaper to do. See here ;

 

DDDenny, that stuff looks great, I had these 4 pieces done for $60 and was happy with the price.....

Blackjack, that looks pretty close to same color/shine as mine... looks really nice.

I'm already considering getting all kinds of things plated now,

 

Where's the shop, contact info ?

On another note....
After nickel plate it's one small step and just a quick dip in the chrome tank, kinda like clear coat for the nickel

 

DD - at those prices it's cheaper than powdercoat.

 

Where did you get that done Douglas?

 

It's a small shop south of Harrisburg, PA. I'm planning on stopping by tomorrow, and will get their info..... and PM it to you.

 

I've used both electrolytic and electroless nickel for roughly 35 years. Your parts are of course electrolytic which is most often preceded by a micro layer of copper. Electroless is great given it is very controllable on the thickness as that is simply a "more time in the tank" issue but of course the greater the thickness you want, the greater the plating cost. One real nice aspect of EN is that bolt threads or anything you don't wan't built up dimensionally, can be coated with a thin layer (0.0005" increments are common) and will still allow nuts and bolts to function correctly.

- EM

 

http://www.tfcplating.com

 

Pinkee built a green 32 highboy sedan a few years ago. He used bright nickel, satin , and satin over glass beaded parts. The three variations of nickel finish was really nice. Don't know if the satin was electroless. I think nickel is a "richer" looking finish than chrome.

 

Am I completely full of shit on my understanding of this

Copper plate & polish and stop. That's copper plated.

Copper plate & polish, then nickel plate stop - that's nickel plated.

Copper plate & polish, & nickel plate then dip in chrome tank stop - that's chrome plated.

"Chrome" is that last quick dip that's like clear for the nickel.

 

Two different things being discussed on this thread Electroless plating and Electroplating. Two different processes with different steps and different costs.

 

31 vicky with a hemi, you forgot the polish of the parent metal and pit repair if needed first, then copper-polish, nickel-polish then chrome.

 

Actualy the decorative chrome just changes the yellowish tint of the nickel to a blueish tint-it has no protective properties. Also not every plating shop puts on copper first. The copper just helps level the surface and adds to the rich look of a premium chrome job. If corrosion resistance is a concern specify that they put on over 6/10 ths of a mil (thousandth) of nickel-more money.

 

The chromium layer keeps the oxygen off the nickel, preventing oxidation (tarnish).

 

I'm not a plater, the local guys I talked to here said the the cost for either was nearly the same, and that either could go in the final chrome tank. That final chrome tank dip would add about 10% over stopping at straight nickel plate

 

The above pictured parts weren't perfected prior to being plated.

 

i am a little confused. i thought the process was as 31vicky described and the chrome part was "the easy" part of the process. the prep and base [as in body and prime] took the time and the money.
how can the chrome not add protection yet stop the nickel from tarnishing?
any platers have the facts?

 

You are talking about the difference between Nickle and Chrome plating not Nickle Electroless and Nickle Electroplating. There are two different nickle processes being shown in this thread one is Electro plating (OP)which is as you described and that process can be continued through to chrome plating and there is Electroless which is what DDDenny showed and it is my understanding that the part is just chemically cleaned and then put in a nickle solution no copper, no buffing, no electricity so way less labour intensive than typical Electroplating but also not shiny like Electroplating. Electroless Nickle plating is more of a protective coating for wear and corrosion resistance than a coating to enhance the looks of something.

 

Electroless nickel plating is not a cheaper version of electroplated nickel. It is neither cheaper nor inferior in performance.

 

Following.

 

I asked when I stopped by today to drop off more pieces, and I'm getting Nickel Electroplating done. And because i'm doing the (not so good) prep work myself, my cost is reflecting that.

31Vicky, this is there web site.... http://bbmetalfinishing.com
They do all types of plating and polishing, I could have spent $400 on same pieces if I had them prep and chrome. (that is just out of my budget) will post more pics in my build thread.....

 

http://www.tfcplating.com/Services.html
From that page:

Electroless Nickel
Unlike conventional electroplating, no electrical current is required for deposition. The electroless bath provides a deposit that follows all contours of the substrate exactly, without building up at the edges an corners. A sharp edge receives the same thickness of deposit as does a blind hole.

The most widely used engineering form of electroless plating is, by far, electroless nickel. Electroless nickel offers unique deposit properties including uniformity of deposit properties in deep recesses, bores and blind holes. Most commercial deposition is done with an acid phosphorus bath owing to its unique physical characteristics, including excellent corrosion, wear and abrasion resistance, ductility, lubricity, solderability, electrical properties and high hardness.

TFC offers different types of Electroless Nickel

• Low Phos- A hard deposit approaching hard chrome with no heat treatment necessary for hardness. Comparable to boron electroless nickel. This deposit is used mainly for its hardness and wear properties.
• Mid Phos- By far the most widely used deposit. It has a bright uniform appearance and is used for both decorative and electronic applications.
• High Phos- Compressively stressed deposits with excellent adhesion, ductility, and superior corrosion resistance.

 

I've often wondered why a guy can't do his own at home on small parts. My dad was a chemist and a plater. I'll ask him what it would take to get a hobby setup going.

 

I am not a proctologist, and no, I won't have a look!

 

Called dad. He said quit pipe dreaming. That's that. Not cost prohibitive to do it for your own stuff.