Bill DeShivs
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Nickel plating
- Thread starter JLK
- Start date
Satchmoeddie
New member
Aluminum needs a copper under-plate.
Nickel plating plates over copper super well, and that is why almost everyone who really cares about doing good work, uses a copper under-plate. I assure you any quality nickel plate job on machined, milled, extruded, or cast aluminum, needs a copper under-plate. Zamak or other cast alloy metals will also have a very inferior plating job, if it is not under-plated with copper, or brass. The same is true for steel, white cast, or grey cast steel, milled or machined high carbon, silicon steel, low carbon, etc. Gold plate also benefits from a cuperous underplating of copper or brass. Guitars get sweat on them for hours on end, and no underplating results in the plating bubbling off, pitting, flaking off, and generally turning into a huge mess. Japanese plating was notoriously bad for many years, but now China, Korea, and Indonesia are taking the lead in crummy plating. Yes, removing old plating is a massively huge PITA, but 98% of a new plating job in in preparing the metal. If it is not too obtrusive tiny bits of copper can be left behind, if they are in an inconspicuous locations, and the plating is thin, and feathers in well with the rest of the surface. It's best to go to bare metal, and you can use an etching gel to eat away at copper plating in tight places. Copper takes on nickel plating really really well, and that is why platers use it. If the nickel plate does not take well, it is right back to square one again.
Nickel plating plates over copper super well, and that is why almost everyone who really cares about doing good work, uses a copper under-plate. I assure you any quality nickel plate job on machined, milled, extruded, or cast aluminum, needs a copper under-plate. Zamak or other cast alloy metals will also have a very inferior plating job, if it is not under-plated with copper, or brass. The same is true for steel, white cast, or grey cast steel, milled or machined high carbon, silicon steel, low carbon, etc. Gold plate also benefits from a cuperous underplating of copper or brass. Guitars get sweat on them for hours on end, and no underplating results in the plating bubbling off, pitting, flaking off, and generally turning into a huge mess. Japanese plating was notoriously bad for many years, but now China, Korea, and Indonesia are taking the lead in crummy plating. Yes, removing old plating is a massively huge PITA, but 98% of a new plating job in in preparing the metal. If it is not too obtrusive tiny bits of copper can be left behind, if they are in an inconspicuous locations, and the plating is thin, and feathers in well with the rest of the surface. It's best to go to bare metal, and you can use an etching gel to eat away at copper plating in tight places. Copper takes on nickel plating really really well, and that is why platers use it. If the nickel plate does not take well, it is right back to square one again.
Bill DeShivs
New member
Yes, nickel plates on copper well.
But that's not the reason copper is used. It's used because there is a contrast between the copper and nickel, and you can see when the nickel has fully covered the copper. Copper is not necessary on steel, and not using it does not cause an inferior product.
I do plating- nickel, gold, copper, brass, and cobalt. I also am a musician and have built (and plated) quite a few guitar parts. Copper underplating makes no difference on steel parts, sweat or otherwise. Most guitar parts are Zamak or zinc these days. These materials eventually corrode no matter what is plated on them.
But that's not the reason copper is used. It's used because there is a contrast between the copper and nickel, and you can see when the nickel has fully covered the copper. Copper is not necessary on steel, and not using it does not cause an inferior product.
I do plating- nickel, gold, copper, brass, and cobalt. I also am a musician and have built (and plated) quite a few guitar parts. Copper underplating makes no difference on steel parts, sweat or otherwise. Most guitar parts are Zamak or zinc these days. These materials eventually corrode no matter what is plated on them.
arquebus357
New member
I would like to verify that Colt's nickel plating had a copper base. I had an Colt Python that was a Georgia State trooper's service revolver. Where the nickel was wearing off from holster use, you could see the copper layer over the steel.
Bill DeShivs
New member
And I have a Colt (factory nickel) with worn plating that shows NO copper, so they must have used both processes.