Nickle Plating Kits

[TGG]

Has anyone any experience, comments, recommendations or otherwise of these kits that you can pick up for around £150.
Mike

[Craig T]

Yes, done quite a few bits with mixed results ..... maybe 75% success rate.?? A kit is an easy introduction but you do end up getting stuff you maybe already have ...bucket, gloves, wire , croc clips etc. There are a lot of variables which affect the quality of the plating. My kit came with quite extensive instructions and there is a lot of stuff online.. . very useful if you just have the odd part and need it plated quickly......but still something of a black art !!

[Eric]

Yes, done quite a few bits with mixed results ..... maybe 75% success rate.?? A kit is an easy introduction but you do end up getting stuff you maybe already have ...bucket, gloves, wire , croc clips etc. There are a lot of variables which affect the quality of the plating. My kit came with quite extensive instructions and there is a lot of stuff online.. . very useful if you just have the odd part and need it plated quickly......but still something of a black art !!

Definitely

[malc87]

Ive often thought of getting one but most people I ask say its a Labour of love with mixed results.
Main thing seems too be its handy to do a few urgent or missed parts.
Its so cheap to get it done in bulk I decided it wasn't worth it.

[Triple Parts]

Are you confusing zinc plating with nickel plating Malc? Although I suppose the same applies to both.

[malc87]

I would say the same for both Tony

[Triple Parts]

I've not tried Nickel plating, but I found the key with zinc was a decent mains powered power supply that you can control. I messed about with car batteries for ages with mixed results, but as soon as I used a power supply it was much easier to achieve good results.
.

[TIM500]

I recently tried a nickel plating kit, The test piece plated perfectly, after that very poor results, and the ones that did plate sometimes flaked, in hindsight I should have got a zinc plating kit, but not sure that would have been any better, youtube i found was full of complete bollox videos, i tried a few before getting my kit.

[Eric]

Same results with Zinc kits ( from experience), save your money.

[scouse]

My issue is that everything around the kit rusts, even in a sealed container
So don't keep anything valuable with in 10 ft

[robh1f]

That is soooo true mate.....I did a few weeks in the plating shop at Bus Works at London Transport in Chiswick whilst doing my apprenticeship. Loved every minute of it.....nickel,copper and hard chrome but you can " flash chrome " to make it shiney. As you say EVERYTHING rusts or falls to bits as the chemicals used are really corrosive....no real ventilation or face protection as nil elf and safety back in the 70s...

[Zytec]

That is soooo true mate.....I did a few weeks in the plating shop at Bus Works at London Transport in Chiswick whilst doing my apprenticeship. Loved every minute of it.....nickel,copper and hard chrome but you can " flash chrome " to make it shiney. As you say EVERYTHING rusts or falls to bits as the chemicals used are really corrosive....no real ventilation or face protection as nil elf and safety back in the 70s...

Very similar at Crosvilles central works in Chester back in the day too.

[H1 Mike J]

i bought some nickle blocks on ebay (about 25mm x 25mm x 6mm) hanging in a bowl of white vinegar. Hang about 5 or 6 on some 50lb fishing line and ensure they are touching each other, then connect a crocodile clip to top one that sits just above the vinegar. Use a 12v power source set to about 3 to 10amps ( whatever just creates a few bubbles on part to be plated.
Connect a part to the negative terminal crocodile clip and blocks to positive terminal. I leave for about 4 to 8 hours.

Same trick works for rust removal with washing soda and water mix ( heaped table spoon full / gallon). same power source and connections. Use a 6 or 8mm mild steel bar for positive terminal. Also helps to strip any old paint.

nickle blocks were about twenty quid and have lasted ages.

Great for stuff like cylinder head bolts, after a quick polish with any metal polish eg solvo autosol.

Warning dont use copper or galvanised wire, and dont join the nickle with wire or it rots very quickly and messes stuff up.

Posher styles shown on U tube.

not so sucessful on gear lever etc, but probably just me not preping stuff properly.

Super cheap way after I'd spent wrong side of £100 on a propriatary galv kit, which also works but the above style still turns out shiny bolts etc.

See Utube for loads of additional details, but Ive just done 12 head bolts this week and well happy with results

REgards, MIke J