Chrome Plating Instructions

Chrome plating refers to a process of electroplating a thin layer of chrome onto a piece of metal. Chrome itself is an alloy of copper and nickel. It is not recommended to do chrome plating at home, as it requires a number of toxic chemicals and caustic solutions. Traditionally, haxavalent chromium was used for chrome plating. With better technology, trivalent chromium became a viable alternative. The chrome plating process using hexavalent chrome results in toxic waste, which means it is a heavily regulated industry. Trivalent chromium does not produce the same waste, and is therefore not as regulated. However, chrome plating with hexavalent chrome is an interesting process.

Instructions

1

Thoroughly clean the part that will be chrome plated with a de-greaser. Follow this with a dip into a bath of sodium hydroxide, finishing with a bath of dioxides. This acid bath primes the metal for the first step of chrome plating, similar to priming before painting.

2

Place the part into a vat of charged sulfuric acid. Also known as electrolysis, this bath has an alternating current (AC) running though it to make it work. Completely rinse the part with water after this step.

3

Dip the part into a tub of copper strike. This strike is a bath made up of liquid copper. It is important to note that the copper strike bath has cyanide in it, which makes it highly toxic.

4

Place the part into a nickel strike bath next. Like the copper strike, nickel strike contains liquid nickel, but unlike the copper, it does not contain cyanide.

5

Rinse the part with plenty of water, then place the part in the hexavalent chrome solution. Do not put the part in by hand; have a piece of machinery do this step. Once the part is removed from the hexavalent chrome and left hanging to dry, it is finished. From beginning to finish, the process needs several hours to complete.