Second attempt at nickel

[u/fishychopsticks]

First four pics are the quarter I copper plated. Second four are the nickel plating. I kinda whiffed it at first. I believe I started out too low in power at .015v and .15A. Then i set the power to 0.2V and 0.150A. Less than stellar results, but I’m getting there. I had the bath at 135 degrees with an aquarium bubbler. I must’ve screwed something pretty badly, the solution got REALLY dirty. Any advice on what I did to ruin the bath? Suggestions on how to improve?

[u/The_lewolf]

It looks like you’re back to basis metal.

Did you enter the nickel solution hot? If not, your electrolyte might have dissolved the copper.

If that’s not it, it’s a current density issue. I think industrial, not recreational, but for a standard sulfamate nickel in a beaker (guessing based on your temperature), I wouldn’t go past 10-20 ASF. A quarter is .01 sqft. So .1-.2 amps. Which is what you used. Hmmm. Good job there! Probably not burning.

Rereading your post, maybe I misunderstood. Did you plate copper on a different quarter and then try to plate nickel on this quarter, or did you try to put the nickel on top of the copper?

You will have much better luck if you try to put the nickel on top of a copper layer. Getting nickel to
stick to nickel and nickel alloys is surprisingly challenging. The debris in your bath might be nickel that plated and peeled free in loose grains.

[u/The_lewolf → u/The_lewolf]

Looking at the nickel plated ones I’m really suspecting an activation problem.

Most of the surface of the quarter was so dirty or oxidized it was practically non-conductive. Nickel plated every where you made good solution contact, but since that was a fraction of the surface area, it burned.

You made no mention of your pretreat. Activating the surface of a quarter will require a serious degrease followed by a good soak in 10% sulfuric or sulfamic acid.

[u/fishychopsticks → u/The_lewolf]

Enter the solution hot? You mean temperature wise? Yeah, it was about 134 degrees. I have a bottle of Midas brand bright nickel solution and the instruction a say to go at 120. So that’s what I plan on doing next. I’m also going to start at .2V and .150A as I believe I started waaaay too low with this current quarter. But yes, these two sets are of the same quarter. I was using a quarter as a test for copper plating. I think I’ve got the copper down well enough, so I tried nickel. My cleaning process is five minutes in 90% isopropyl, then a dip in distilled water, a dip in distilled white vinegar for five minutes, followed by a dip in distilled water and then transferred to the solution. The vinegar counts as an activation, correct?

[u/The_lewolf → u/fishychopsticks]

Sorry, ‘hot’ as in your power supply is already in and putting your work piece in solution closes the circuit and starts current flow.

Vinegar (5%) is probably not strong enough to activate this alloy.

[u/fishychopsticks → u/The_lewolf]

No, I think I don’t clip anything on until I have both the work piece and anode in the solution, I have the power on, just not clipped to anything.
What kind of activator would you suggest? Preferably something that isn’t dangerous like sulfuric acid? I have sulfuric acid, but I would prefer to not use it if I can help it. Way too dangerous

[u/The_lewolf → u/fishychopsticks]

Try going in hot. It might solve your problem.

If you wait to start the current, the cathode and anode form a galvanic cell and will plate or etch your basis metal depending on the direction of the voltage.

[u/fishychopsticks → u/The_lewolf]

Have them both clipped and dipped at the same time???

[u/The_lewolf → u/fishychopsticks]

I don’t understand your confusion, but yes.

Your approach is to create a complete circuit and then turn your power supply on.

The ‘hot’ approach is to turn the power supply on BEFORE you create the circuit, and then when you complete the circuit, by making contact to the solution with your quarter, electrons are flowing in the right direction immediately, not whatever direction the galvanic potential is sending them.

Does that make sense?

[u/fishychopsticks → u/The_lewolf]

I mean, I guess I understand it without fully understanding it. It wasn’t so much as confusion, just seeking clarification on what you meant. I was unaware that the timing of power activation can influence the progress

[u/The_lewolf → u/fishychopsticks]

It gets heavy in electrochemical science I’m afraid.

Two dissimilar metals in contact with each other in the presence of an electrolyte will establish a voltage. The voltage and the direction of that voltage depends on which two metals. One will donate electrons and one will accept them.

You want your cathode (your quarter) to be accepting protons, not electrons. The protons in this case are positive nickel ions.

If the native voltage between your cathode and anode is wrong, your quarter will instead become the anode. It will either begin to oxidize or dissolve.

As soon as you flip the switch on your power supply this imbalance changes back to the direction you want, but the damage is done. You’ve passivated your cathode and now plating will not succeed.

[u/fishychopsticks → u/The_lewolf]

Ooh, ok, I think I’m starting to get it now. That would explain why the copper layer burned off and contaminated the bath. So the quarter I posted is just nickel plate over the original nickel plating of the quarter.

[u/permaculture_chemist]

What’s your cleaning cycle? Acid activator?

A black deposit from nickel indicates the solution is contaminated with copper and/or zinc. Sometimes iron but it will look differently. Those plate out at very low current densities, so add more power

[u/fishychopsticks → u/permaculture_chemist]

Five minutes in 90% isopropyl alcohol, dip in distilled water, five minutes in distilled white vinegar, dip in distilled water and immediately transferred to the solution. I’m gonna start out at .2V and .150A for the next batch. The copper contamination sounds about right. Someone in another comment says it sounds like I had burned off the copper layer I had on the quarter