Arthur S. Kushner

Arthur S. Kushner Consultant

Electroplating

Brighteners and Solder Failure

A customer claims that brightener and grain refiner concentrations in a plating bath will affect the solderability of the plated surface.

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Electroplating

Where did the Brass Go?

We are new to the process of plating zinc diecasts. The few samples we have prepared so far look great after plating, but after top coating and baking, the brass seems to disappear. What are we doing wrong?

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Electroplating

Nickel in a Barrel

Our company does a lot of bright nickel plating. One area that we have problems with is the barrel nickel plating of parts that have somewhat complex geometries. For example, the nickel plating on the inside of some parts becomes dark after drying.

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Electroplating

Plating On Beryllium/Copper Alloys

We are using the same cleaning process that’s used for other copper alloys that we plate. Invariably with the copper beryllium alloys, we see etching on the parts. How can we solve this problem?

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Electroplating

Stripping Silver From Copper and Copper Alloys

How does one go about stripping silver plate from copper and copper alloys?

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Electroplating

Shadow Plating

On some of our parts, we see what appears to be a “shadow.” What causes this and how can we prevent this from happening?

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Electroplating

More in Failure of Zinc Plating

In the December issue of Products Finishing, I addressed a question regarding the failure of zinc plating around welds. One of our readers emailed me and correctly pointed out that I only addressed the plating but failed to address the quality of the parts and welded areas.

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Electroplating

Electroless Nickel Adhesion

Does the baking improve the adhesion to the substrate?

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Electroplating

More on Ionic Liquid Plating

In my column last month, I briefly discussed ionic liquid plating. Since writing the column I have come across some additional information that is of interest to those of us interested in new plating technologies.

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Electroplating

Wood’s Nickel Strike

When I look in the literature or talk with other platers, I am told that Wood’s nickel is an easy bath to use and shouldn’t cause any problems. Generally, that seems to be the case, but is there any place I can get additional information about the strike bath?

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Electroplating

Refinishing Wheel Hubs

If the final plated part does not meet specifications, the parts are stripped and sent through the electroplating process again. One of our engineers suggested that this can cause problems with hydrogen embrittlement.

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Electroplating

18-Karat Gold Plating

I currently do 24-karat gold plating, but now wish to do 18-karat gold plating. What do I have to do in order to do this type of plating?

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