Reply To: chroming

[Gregory Long]

Often a part is plated in copper several times, with lot’s of polishing, or finishing of the copper layers between each layer of copper. The copper is used like a filler or ‘putty’ to fill rust pits, scratches etc.

With the many layers of copper to make the surface as perfect as possible, then Nickel is plated on the part. The nickel will not cover any flaws in the surfaces, but will make the flaws more noticeable.

The nickel layer provides the silver-color bottom layer for the final plated layer of Chrome. The chrome layer adds a blue-black color to the warm silver-gold color of the Nickel layer.

Chrome does not tarnish, and this is the reason it is used over the Nickel layer.

Nickel has a nice, warm golden ‘glow’. Chrome is cold, a harsh blue-black shine over the warm Nickel.

Syd: the plater might be asking if you want to have him polish the part to achieve the needed near-perfect surface condition before plating, or to copperplate the part and polish the copper instead of the parent metal of the part?

Greg Long