Rectifiers for the Plating Industry
Published

Blisters and Nickel Plating

What causes blistering in nickel barrel plating?

Share

Q. We are having problems with blisters in our nickel barrel plating line. The blisters appear on an irregular basis. We test the plating bath once a week and make adds as necessary. Do you have any suggestions as to what might be causing our blistering problem? —P.R.

A. The process you describe seems to be OK, but you mention that the blisters occur periodically, and that indicates to me that something is changing in your system over time.

Blisters can be caused by interrupted current flow through the plating bath, poor cleaning of the substrate and contamination of the plating bath. I would look at your electrical system also. Are you getting continuous current flow through the system? Have you experimented with changing the barrel load to see if you get better results?

You should also start keeping records as to when you see the blistering occurring. You may find that you have a pattern that’s based on time or number of barrels plated or some other factor that occurs on an irregular basis.

Related Content

  • Troubleshooting Alkaline Zinc

    One of the most common problems that can arise when plating with alkaline zinc is an imbalance of brightener in the solution. In this helpful Ask the Expert article, Chad Murphy of Columbia Chemical discusses how different zinc metal concentrations and brightener concentrations can impact efficiency.

  • An Overview of Electroless Nickel Plating

    By definition, electroless plating is metal deposition by a controlled chemical reaction.

  • How to Choose Between Sulfate and Chloride-Based Trivalent Chromium

    There are several factors to consider when choosing between sulfate and chloride-based baths for trivalent chromium plating. Mark Schario of Columbia Chemical discusses the differences and what platers should keep in mind when evaluating options.

Luster-On Products
Hitachi High-Tech FT200 series
Rectifiers for the Plating Industry
Reduced Ion Electroless Nickel
FISCHERSCOPE® XAN® LIQUID ANALYZER
KCH Engineered Systems
In-Place Repairs for Canning Presses
OptiCenter All-in-One OC11
Rectifiers for the Plating Industry