Nickel Plating

[animal]

I was just in Ga. and yet you didn't come and see me....

Ya snuck in and back out without telling me ya sneaky son of a gun

 

[Corvette Ed]

Looks interesting,keep us posted.

 

[Mr Clean]

I have started this. I finely found a jar that I thought would be suitable for the processes. I just started making the Plating solution. I'll post a pic when It is done. It's supposed to be Green...We see.

 

[Mr Clean]

Ok I bought a little set of sockets on epay 8.00 shipped. I really liked the set in the video. Just thought they were cool. Anyways, Sandblasted the set, wired wheeled them, cleaned them with Acetone, and than out gassed them. Hung them on a wire, and put them in a Plating solution with the POS + on the other strip of Nickel, and the Neg - to the wire. Let sit in the solution for about 30 minutes. I powered coated the tray in red. Took them out of the solution, and polished them by hand. It didn't come out as shinny as I thought it would, but all in all I'm very pleased.

 

[Mr Clean]

I think maybe next time I will polish them a bit more. I know I was told what you put in you should get out...

 

[RecklessWOT]

That solution should be a much darker emerald green, probably pretty diluted. May have something to do with why you didn't get a great coating. Also a raw nickel coating is not shiny, it will come out looking like a matte grey color (maybe "semi gloss" in some situations), needs to be polished a lot to make it shine. Think like the look of a galvanized zinc coating minus the weird checkerboard pattern.
Still pretty cool though, glad it mostly worked out!

 

[Mr Clean]

That solution should be a much darker emerald green, probably pretty diluted. May have something to do with why you didn't get a great coating. Also a raw nickel coating is not shiny, it will come out looking like a matte grey color (maybe "semi gloss" in some situations), needs to be polished a lot to make it shine. Think like the look of a galvanized zinc coating minus the weird checkerboard pattern.
Still pretty cool though, glad it mostly worked out!

I think I didn't have enough Nickel. I was also told the more I use it the darker it will get. I'm thinking about getting a few more strips of pure Nickel, and making it a bit darker.

It was a matte grey when I took it out of the solution. Polishing wheel and some Flitz got it to where it's at.

Kevin I appreciate you commenting on this, I don't know anyone who has ever worked around this. So I was just winging it...LOL

 

[RecklessWOT]

I think I didn't have enough Nickel. I was also told the more I use it the darker it will get. I'm thinking about getting a few more strips of pure Nickel, and making it a bit darker.

It was a matte grey when I took it out of the solution. Polishing wheel and some Flitz got it to where it's at.

Kevin I appreciate you commenting on this, I don't know anyone who has ever worked around this. So I was just winging it...LOL

Seriously though dude for just throwing something together yourself I'd say you did alright!

And yes I would also assume you'd need more nickel. Hah, and by no means am I a pro, I only did it for a couple months as a teenager. But yeah I suppose that's still more experience than your average person lol.

 

[DanMcG]

Couldn't you just go longer for a thicker layer of nickel?

 

[RecklessWOT]

Couldn't you just go longer for a thicker layer of nickel?

kind of yes and no. A longer dwell time will lead to more attacing to the surface but if there's not enough nickel in the solution, there's just not enough. Not like if you leave it in there for a year eventually every last molecule will find its way onto your part. There are also negatives to leaving it in too long. Realistically a higher concentration is just better compared to hoping time will lead to more. In a professional setting it's left in for minutes, not hours. I'm pretty sure this was already an overnight thing. At that point you're not gonna get much better than that even if you left it in for a day or two

 

[Mr Clean]

I bought a couple of more strips of Nickel today it will be here in a few days. I'm going to add more Nickel to the solution.

I was reading the nickel is only going to adhere so much if there isn't enough of it in the solution.

 

[Mr Clean]

Ok made my Nickel solution a bit darker. Got a 2WD Blazer key chain, so I'm nickel plating it. I'll post other pics when its done.

 

[Mr Clean]

Pretty happy with the way it came out...pics don't do it justice.

 

[bucket]

I finally remembered to get a couple pictures of my little socket set. I forgot that the Allen wrench was actually a special one, with a detent ball and a couple socket stops.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Mr Clean]

I finally remembered to get a couple pictures of my little socket set. I forgot that the Allen wrench was actually a special one, with a detent ball and a couple socket stops.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You need to send that to me, and I'll make it look nice and new...