Watts Nickel Bath: Basis for Modern Nickel Plating

When looking at the chemistry of the Modern Nickel Plating solution, you have to go back to the early 1900’s; 1916, to be more precise. Watts began plating nickel with nickel sulfate, nickel chloride and boric acid. These components are the basis of all modern bright, semi-bright, microporous and high-sulfur formulations used today. While the combination is always the same, the amounts differ some by bath type and manufacture.  To compare the original formulation to the bright nickel levels, here are the typical levels: 1916                                                  2013 Range Nickel … [Read more...]

Choosing the Right Bright Nickel Process

Bright Nickel plating has been used in nearly every area of manufacturing. Whether it is plumbing, automotive, food service, military, machine and equipment components, or fasteners bright nickel provides an aesthetic finish with good corrosion resistance.  Bright nickel electroplating processes may be in coil / sheet lines, reel to reel, barrel or rack processes.  For this discussion we will consider the rack and barrel processes.  Bright nickel typically serves as a bright finish to provide a cosmetically pleasing finish over steel, brass, or copper. Usually it is a decorative under layer … [Read more...]