How to Nickel Electroplate at Home | bit-tech Modding
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Want to spruce up some copper or brass components? Or perhaps you want to re-finish a worn out block? This is the tutorial for you.
For quick reference:
To make the electrolyte - I used 32V at 3A, will work at lower but will take longer
For acid pickle - I used 5mol HCl which I diluted to roughly 0.2-0.5mol with water for 5 minutes
For Plating - I used 4.5V for this part with a distance between it and the anode of about 10cm
For Plating - Connect POSITIVE to ANODE and connect NEGATIVE/GROUND to PART
Timestamps:
00:33 - Intro
02:30 - Materials
06:30 - Making the Electrolyte
12:50 - Cleaning
14:56 - Acid Pickle
16:54 - Plating Intro
18:33 - Plating Method
23:30 - Final Thoughts
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Materials used in this guide:
Nickel Anodes (thin): amzn.to/2WuPzsx
Glass Beakers: amzn.to/2CejAG9
White Vinegar: amzn.to/2Wuhetv
Power Supply: amzn.to/30s1it4
Copper Wire: amzn.to/3jcVM5W
Funnels: amzn.to/3h80VdI
Filtre Paper: amzn.to/30pqHUd
Ultrasonic Cleaner: amzn.to/3eBS0zp
Cleaning Fluid: amzn.to/2Cm36vv
Magnetic Stirer: amzn.to/3jhfSfe
HCl Acid from: apcpure.com/
Source locally and responsibly.
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store.bit-tech...
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A lot of the talk about experimenting and “you might want to try” wouldn’t be necessary if you use current control of the plating. mA per square mm remains a constant if you want reproducible results with varying conductivity or concentration of solution. You power supply has that feature. This has been a very good introduction to plating, thanks.
Pro Tipp: Constant Current works better then Constant Voltage and low Current takes longer, yes but it will be more even and precise. I do Nickelplating for a living. And no i can´t plate your parts because I am not allowed to take any random stuff, we dont do that. We plate grinding tools for CNC-Precisiongrinding. As pointed out in the Video for best Results Clean Parts are the most difficult part of the plating.
Martin Brieger That’s a handy point. I had hoped to do exactly that but it seems the unit I chose is voltage controlled rather than current :/
@@bittech1 set the voltage higher and then set the current limit and the power supply will adjust the voltage down to whatever is necessary to maintain the current. If the voltage is limited and isn't high enough to push the set current, it'll just maintain the voltage at a lower current. It all comes down to the resistance of the electrodes/electrolyte. The higher the resistance, the more voltage you need for a particular current and vice versa
@@bittech1 as @Jamie Foster pointed out, solution is crank the voltage up as high as possible and just set the current as high as you want.
Do you have a recommended device ?
I need some help I do that for living to iam Egyptian and I need help alot please
Timestamps since this is a long boi:
00:33 - Intro
02:30 - Materials
06:30 - Making the Electrolyte
12:50 - Cleaning
14:56 - Acid Pickle
16:54 - Plating Intro
18:33 - Plating Method
23:30 - Final Thoughts
If you put them in the description youtube will automatically display them in the "progressbar"
@@janek-96 Yes, IF the timestamps start at 00:00.
Add these time stamps into the description a long wit 0:00 and take advantage of the time line chapter functionality youtube has
Ami not right in thinking there are extreme dangers if someone tries stainless steel? If the electrodes go around the wrong way do you not get toxic gasses? Might need a warning about that.
@@sonoflysystrata2 Alex, the presenter, had warned about the matter; at the introduction about performing the experiment at a highly ventilated area. Common sense depicts the fact.
Thank you!
I recycle household plastic containers for plating/anodizing. Glass breaks too easily. Anything HDPE, which has the #2 recycling arrow. An under bed storage tub fits very large items😎
Thank you for sharing your video , I really enjoyed it, I restore vintage carpenters plane's and vintage tools , so I wanted to try out some nickel plating, I will try it out a few times on less important things first just to get the hang of it, best wishes from a vintage Carpenter.
I really liked your video!! Im into restoring an old motorcycle and one thing i want to do is to nikel plate some of it's screws, so this comes really handy to see.
Thanks!
In planting process what kind of anode matarial use
In this situation nickel must be used. You must use the same material that the plating fluid is saturated with.
This is the best plating tutorial on the net.
Definitely the best RUclips video on this subject that I've seen...and I've seen a lot of them!
Two suggestions: 1) Plating isn't about voltage, it's about current. 2) Always use magnetic stirring, or put multiple sacrificial electrodes at different locations, otherwise the plating WILL be uneven.
Reading your comment figured out you know aot about chrome plating, I want to chrome plate copper pipe about a Metre in length. How do I go about doing it
you actually dont need any current. Caswell has a new electroless way of plating. it works.
@@redhed9776That seems to be the superior method. It's more expensive though, especially if you have large objects to plate.
For even better results you could try and find a big ring or even a hollow cylinder of nickel as the anode which could help with a more even finish and the shadows you mentioned
Great video, very thorough instructions and good pacing. You may want to add that nickel compounds are carcinogenic so gloves might be good idea even before you get to the acid.
How about a mask for the vapors?
@@eliwohl8734 Nickel is way too heavy and stable as an atom to leave in the form of vapours, the only vapour you are smelling is the acetic acid from the vinager
It's also illegal pretty much everywhere to 'pour it down the drain' if you find you don't want to store solution as it's toxic waste.
I've been told it's also pretty easy to find source of contamination back to exact house and courts like to 'set an example' so fines can be quite high..
Where I used to live there was a Rexel plant about 4 miles away. I knew a plater there who said they would dump waste into river, pay fine and re-stock with fish every few years as it was still cheaper than paying for correct treatment and disposal.
I'm guessing someone in local government found out or courts did some research as the fines got much much higher the 4th or 5th time they ended up in court (something like £2,000 initially to around £20,000 before plant closed down in 1990's)
i could not stop staring at this mans mustache, it is BEAUTIFUL.
Instant subcription. You made the process clear as mud for a beginner like me. Can't wait to have more time to check out your other videos.
Thanks for taking the time to explain how to plate.
I just found this. Yes old video but kudos, I love the attention to detail and I subscribed because of this vid.
Might want to explain one reason for wearing gloves aside from messing with chemicals is to keep fingerprints from depositing on the part. My understanding is they will easily show up on the finished part. It shouldn't be an issue due to cleaning before plating but it's cheap insurance.
The best plating instructional vid on youtube. Thank you for all the great detail!!
Electroplating sure is easy, but getting an uniform surface finish can be pretty hard. I'm exited to see your results!
E5
I did high chrome plating for 10 years there is a lot of little tricks but there's not too much you can do to avoid thicker quantities of your plating materials towards the end or corners of the work you're trying plate covering the ends of material your trying to plate with aluminium or lead tape will bleed off excess copper nickel Chrome whatever the solution you're working with.
@@googlefirstnanegooglelastn1203 I'd like to have a visual of what you're talking about, using aluminum or lead tape, I don't quite understand how this would be done.
Was staring and the bit-tech logo when I realize the 0's and 1's in the logo are 16 binary bits that gives you a HEX code of 554B which in turn converted to ASCII characters "UK"
Bravo.
sorry to be so off topic but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account?
I somehow forgot the login password. I love any tips you can give me
@Reuben Justice Instablaster :)
@Raylan Camden i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im in the hacking process now.
I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Raylan Camden It worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much, you really help me out :D
At 7:24, you inadvertently played the first few notes of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" when you tapped the beaker with the nickel.
Yaaas I can finally nickel electroplate at home! I’ve always wanted to do this.
You can also use this as a basis for brush plating btw, I didn't cover it in the vid for the sake of sanity though.
@@bittech1 Hey mate why didn't you made a GPU block though? I have been waiting for that kind of video forever 😆
by far the best video on the subject - thank you
I just found out about your channel some days ago and man, you are so talented! I'm learning a lot and loving your explanations on basically everything you do. Probably won't ever do any of them because I lack the skills but you rock!
Ah! A fellow American. We all lack skills. How do you build skills? 🤔
You gotta start somewhere, don't you? Nobody ever started off as an expert in anything. Even this guy started off as a beginner at some point.
More good fun for the diy inclined :). I'm envious of your workshop.
"Whatever pH that is in there...."
A true mastery of the GSE, this one.
Thank you sir, this is an excellent tutorial and can't wait to try it myself.
I used a car battery and the thin strips of nickel to make the solution. I have a charger for the car battery but its one of those roll around kind and takes up a lot of room at the bench, so the battery is easier for me.
Stripped a old charging wire to hang things from and used a paper coffee filter for the bits.
I think in total I spent something like $15 for the vinegar and strips to make the solution.
For the container I just used the plastic vinegar jug. Cut a slit in the bottom side and put one strip in it. Filled with hit glue to seal it.
In the top side I made a window for a nickel strip mesh I made and lowered it in.
The battery connections hold nicely because one can rest on the bottom of a bowl I put the jug in (just in case) and the other clips the plastic and anode up top.
This video just gave me deja vu, I felt like I was back in 3rd year chemistry lol, love the content.
Thanks for the time stamps
Around 7.25 you almost played Mary had a lillle lamb 😊
Cannot be unheard 😅
Rely ferfect and decent way to explane......
You know this guy knows what he’s talking about with a moustache like that
Best tutorial I've seen, thanks
I have been trying to find out about Nickel plating, and most have been wannabe 16 yr old ****holes without a clue- so refreshing to find someone with actual knowledge of doing this process. Many Thanks, I am now going to go through all your vids to see what else I can gleen at the ripe old age of 75! btw jus ordered some Chinesium nickel from the usual reprobates in the sub continent, and a mixer ma toatsies Rabbit stirrer from Mr bezos himself! Ta fella!
This was just what I needed - thanks very much, very informative!
YESSSSS I saw the beaker in the last video and was waiting for this!
Thank you for the knowledge that is shared and I hope you are always healthy and always successful
great vid, just to point out at 25:13 you misspoke and just got the order backwards. To coat stainless steel in copper you must first plate it in nickel. Copper will not adhere to stainless steel without the base coat of nickel not the other way around
Just in time for the weekend!
Thanks for sharing all this information :-)
Great how-to, about to attempt my first plate on a watch case...
Well done. Thanks for the learning!😃
Thank you sir. Video was fun.
Thank you, Alex, most interesting and informative. - Stay well.
Great video. Clear, thorough and well explained.
I like that chill music
This is an excellent tutorial ;)
best video about plating thank you
Awesome video Alex
The Scorpion tail mustache is a nice touch..
I am not sure if I missed the beginning but cleaning a simple bolt, remove paint, wire wheel and run a thread tap over it once as thread gain a very tiny amount I guess like 0.003" but many bolts have rolled threads that make them thick. A tap, cute threads and are loose. Thoughts? Thanks!
DK, ASE master tech since 78, retired.
(Note; I do like the "Yellow Chromate Conversion" that required a good zinc plate as the truck is a 1967 for fasteners and other items to plate. Thanks again!
I imagine you could reduce the risk of shadows (especially when plating complex geometries) by using more than one anode placed around the rim of your electroplating bath, so that all parts of it are "illuminated" equally
I would imagine so
Until relatively recently, in the 1980's, a pickled black nickel was the 'darkest black' available for high end camera equipment and telescopes to prevent internal reflections.
I think it was only within the last 10 years less reflective black has been available (as used by NASA et.al.)
Very good video.
Well done video
I testet it out and it worked great
Using a aeration device like the ones that make bubbles in the fish tank, but only the air tube only. This will keep the solution moving. Or using the they stir pad you mentioned? Although you didn't use it in the Nickel Plating process.
Question... Ran the process to create an acetate similar to above. About 300ml household vinegar. Half tsp table salt, fully dissolved. DC power set to 20v/4amp. Cathode/Anode 25×100×1mm. Came back about an hour later. Cathode almost completely dissolved. Solution is clear, *not green*. Bottom of jar filled with dendrites.
you can do more anodes like one on each side as long as the total surface area of the anodes is equal to or less than the surface area of the cathode.
I started loving Chemistry 😀
Very helpful video. thanks for posting! :D
Excellent video , very thorough with all the information that I needed , 👍😎
25:01 Small Correction: Stainless steel must be Nickel plated prior to Copper plating - contrary to what you said.
This is because iron (steel) and copper are quite far away on the reactivity series. Thus Nickel plating is used as an intermediary step.
23:59 seems this is how gold plating is done. First copper, then nickel, then the gold sticks to it perfectly. However, nickel became unpopular for jewelry. Nickel allergy is a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis - an itchy rash that appears where your skin touches a usually harmless substance. Nickel allergy is often associated with earrings and other jewelry. So I don't know what happens when gold is plated upon nickel if this still is bad for the skin?
Really great video. Thank you.
Great video, but at point 21:00, your supply shows no current. Is it even on at that point?
Also, you keep talking about voltage, but isn't it the current that matters? When I tried this, with a fixed voltage, the current varied greatly just by moving the pierced close to each other.
Bravo, you have Nice Shop.
very interesting, and well presented and explained. Thanks!
Excellent video! Thank you!
I've seen some people use either a pump or a aquarium bubbler. So, there's my 2 cents.
I built a working steam generator model that I could spruce up with nickel plating, I already have a huge list of projects and tools to plate
Very interesting and informative explanation of the process. Well done. Have you tried using citric acid for pickling? I use it for cleaning up small parts after silver soldering to remove residues. Any thoughts please?
Great video, thanks.
Maybe a daft question, but can you use a car battery charger for a power source? Excellent tutorial as well. I'm just a retired hobbyist restoring things like storm lanterns etc
Yes, many people use a battery charger at 6 volts although lower voltages can and are often used.
Amperage is the important thing though, there are formula's of amperage needed for surface area being plated, it won't be adjustable using battery charger. I don't think it's possible to use a modern automatic 'smart' battery charger, you need the old style 'dumb' ones which often have a high and low charge rate.
Excellent thank you really interesting
Hi id like your imput on nickel plating the inside of a motor cycle steel petrol tank ? Older classic bikes often suffer with rust from the ethenol in newer fuels and old fuel being left for long periods of time. ,obviously the rust will be removed first .all the best bob
Thanks sir this video
Did you ever get to try brighteners with this solution?
Wow...I've been researching how to nickel plate at home recently. Seeing you make a video on the subject suddenly is both awesome and kinda creepy. lol.
Very informative and interesting. I am a hobbyist. I would greately appreciate if you could share how Nickel Foam coating can be done on steel plates? I guess the process would be more or less the same.
there is a pro trick to fix the shadowing and that is to use two anodes one on either side of the part
at 3:10 In my oppinion it's a really bad idea to put a lid on any electrolysis setup.
you'll be producing hydrogen at one electrode, oxygen at the other.That's not dangerous if the gases can disperse, but becomes very dangerous (explosive atmosphere) when there's no ventillation.
if you add salt, you'll be producing chlorine gas, which is poisonous, so again you want good ventillation.
I think he meant storing the solution with a lid when not in use.
Thought of using a round nickel disc in the base connected to your thin (high surface area) anode pieces? This would ensure fragments continue to be conductive.
Thank you sir. How about the nickel ingot sir, can use to anode and cathode to make a solution. And can you tell me what is the use of nickel ingot? Thank you
@@jhorossposter5893 Nickel is used as the "sacrificial item".... that gives off metal ions that are then plated onto the item you want to plate (the brass or copper in this case).
My suggestion is to ensure a high degree of free nickel ion presence and to ensure that as the thin nickel pieces break apart they still remain electrically connected as the anode.
How would the acidic content of the vinegar effect the process?
you should plate that mustache
Hello. Does the acidity of the vinegar play a role? I have normals with about 5% acidity and essence with 25% acidity.
Thanks... Very informative... Well done!
Do you happen to know if steel can be plated onto steel?... Say, to fill in some pitting?
Thanks again...
7:27 musical tapping noted!
does a 6% solution of acetic acid work as well? That is a lot easier to get ahold of where I live than plain white vinager
Thanks for nice education. Do you know what kind of material I can use that doesn't react and interfere with the solution. I want to hang down thick pieces of nickel in the bath and I guess copper-wire will interfere with the nickel solution.
What happens if there is paint on the surface of the metal to be plated.
I literally shit my pants at 8:03 when that music whacked in😂
Im trying to coat old bolts have soaked them in vinegar and removed the rust and ultrasonic cleaned them and then picked them but rust appears after would wax n grease remover or methylated spirits instead of distilled water it makes it rust
Very good tutorial. I notice you use 5% (food grade) vinegar here. Is it better or worse to use a higher concentration? I usually get hold of 35% (meant as cleaner) where I live.
Little nod to Steve1989MRE in the stirring? Nice.
I didn't have a tray big enough for all the parts
@@bittech1 When you turned on the power, you missed an opportunity for a 'nice hiss'!
@@leeadler4221 Well you see when you tell me now it seems obvious
I really want to do this to the drinking water faucet I have to match my polished nickel plated kitchen faucet, but I'm super worried this isn't going to work because I am having a hard figuring out the interior of this faucet since it has a TDS display screen in the body of th faucet. Hoping someone else here has done something similar.
Nice video !!! Some years back I nickel plated some Pennie’s do you by chance know how to reverse the effect any info will be much appreciated
I am interested in electroplating a design that's been etched. Would leaving my toner on the initial part keep the nickel from adhering to the sections I desire to remain brass, or would I be better off just sanding the nickel off? My main concern with option two is that it may cause flaking.
No expert, just curious, what did you do? I guess etching fluid is way more aggressive than this so the toner would work? Or Nail polish, remove with acetone afterwards? I don't think you can easily remove the layer after it is plated.
Liquid Metal needs nickel plated coolers. Could you make an update to this with your lessons learned from doing this for longer?
@21:00 why was the current zero? the meters look like they have milliamp resolution, less than 1mA over what must be several square centimeters seems very low for many plating operations. I can imagine that on a cheap supply the last digit might be fake, but less than 10mA is not much either.
I was thinking the same thing. In fact I have the same power supply and just checked it across a 400 ohm resistor. With the current set to 1-milliamp (0.001 amps) and the voltage cranked up over 3 volts the power supply enters constant current mode and, indeed, does display 0.001 amps... at 1.8 volts average, once it warmed up ( it bounces around a bit, +/- 0.15v). Was 2.35 volts when first turned on.
So, the last digit does work. Well, it read out a number, which can be set. A quick bit of ohms-law math reveals the current displayed is in error by ~400% (current x resistance = volts, .001 amps x 400 ohms = 0.4 volts; I'm reading a voltage almost 5 times higher). The actual current is 0.004 amps (4 milliamps, not 1 milliamp). The resistor is actually 466 ohms. And the actual volts are 1.81 average. So the volts reads out good.
I would like to see what the voltage goes to with the volts set to 32v and the current set to 0.001 amps.
Time to open up the power supply and see if it can be calibrated.
Edit: No calibration potentiometers inside. Looks to be firmware calibration only. I did check the error at higher current and the error in the current display seems to be consistant. It's reads 3-millamps low at 1-milliamp set, and 2.5 milliamps low at 400-milliamps set. So that's only a 0.6% error at 400 milliamps. Very acceptable.
I use vinegar with 25% acetic acid (to dilute). More acetic acid means more nickel acetate.