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 Bright Nickel Plating Nickel plating provides the bright, leveled surface that expected by customers who specify "Chrome Plate". The bright nickel finish on its own has only limited value as a protective coating:
A lacquer film will help preserve the finish, but corrosion will be accelerated on any areas where the lacquer film is thin or damaged.
Bright Chrome Plate Bright chrome plate is one of the best barrier finishes that can be applied to steel parts. There have been a number of different systems developed to improve the corrosion resistance of the finish, e.g: Duplex Nickel, Microporous Chrome e.t.c. For normal decorative "Chrome Plate" a single layer of bright nickel is applied to the base steel and then a thin layer of chromium is deposited. The thin layer of chromium does not add to the leveling or brightness of the finish but does not add the characteristic blue/white lustre that gives "Chrome Plate" its unique appeal. The thin chromium deposit greatly improves the corrosion resistance of the finish. Chromium is extremely reactive and oxidises immediately it is exposed to air. The transparent oxide film prevents any further attack occurring, it is also repaired quickly if a surface scratch breaks the film. Corrosion occurs on microscopic areas of exposed nickel, undercutting the chromium layer and results in "Rust Spots" occurring. Dust will accelerate this effect and so cleaning with a household spray polish on a regular basis can greatly lengthen the time taken for corrosion to penetrate the "Chrome Finish". |
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