Restoring Rust Pitted Nickel Plating?

[Mark R Webster]

Hi guys, just curious how you restore pitted (from rust) nickel plated surfaces. In the past after de-rusting I have tried to buffed them out with a wire brush but the spots are quite unsightly and remain rough/sharp. Suggestions on how to improve the look and surface? Thanks

[Mike Brady]

Hi guys, just curious how you restore pitted (from rust) nickel plated surfaces. In the past after de-rusting I have tried to buffed them out with a wire brush but the spots are quite unsightly and remain rough/sharp. Suggestions on how to improve the look and surface? Thanks

There really is no way to replace nickel plating unless you commit to stripping and replating the piece. I have Stanley lever caps that have slight pitting that I was able to buff out with compound on a buffing wheel. Good nickel plating does respond well to buffing as long as you don't go through the nickel and get to the copper layer that is under it.

The nickel that was on some of the old joinery planes was not very good to begin with and it peels off with time. Again, no easy fix.

I personally don't think that any old tool is worth the expense of replating. I did buy a couple of parts planes over the years just because they had nice lever caps that I swapped out for bad ones. Antiques that are drastically altered aren't going to have value, even if they look great. Buying nice original examples is still much easier than costly restoration.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Mike!!

[Glen Canaday]

All that is very true. Anything we do to an old tool eventually becomes part of the history of that tool.

We have to decide if we want that which we do to fundamentally alter a piece, as something like replating can't be undone. Once stripped you can't put the old nickel back on.

That said, I still want to try it on some of my pieces of lesser value. The major obstacle is stripping. Replating at home appears as easy as rust removal by electrolysis. It's almost identical, in fact. But I've never done it.

Edit:

Oh, to add an answer to part of the question: the pits need to be filled with a platable filler and smoothed over to the surface finish you want on the final piece after stripping and before plating. The plating with follow the pits, not fill them in! It's like painting over bondo vs spray painting a hole. Nickel plating usually does not exceed .0005" in thickness.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Glenn, I appreciate your thoughts.

[Karl Andersson]

I have made the pits less noticeable by first using Simple Green and a stiff nylon scrub brush to remove rust, then using Autosol and/ or Meguiar's Mag and Aluminum Polish (for car wheels) with a no-nap dish towel or diaper cloth to clean and smooth the pits. I think the Meguiar's has some wax in it to help prevent more rust - neither leaves white deposits in the pits. I have been too aggressive with wire brushes before and worn through the nickel to the copper underplating - depending on condition, even brass brushes can do it in my experience. An old toothbrush and Autosol does wonders.
Have fun,
Karl

[Rob Luter]

Have faith in a good cleaning and polish. See below. The #18 and #65 on the right side were pretty rough at first. I gave them a good scrubbing with soap and hot water, then hit them with some rubbing compound and paste wax. Not perfect, but nice enough

[george wilson]

I am not an expert on plating,but I do have an electro plating outfit,and have done plating,especially gold and nickel. The information you have been given is all true.

Let me warn you that a plated pr re plated surface is NO BETTER than the surface beneath it. In fact,a replated surface will GREATLY AMPLIFY any tiny little defect beneath it. The nickel will get into every little pock mark or crevice,no matter how small,and will GLITTER in that defect,making it much more prominent.

Currently,I am offering no re plating services,and certainly no re buffing and re plating services. Every time I use nickel plating solution,even wearing nitrile gloves,and with the greatest care,I get an awful metallic taste of nickel in my mouth !!

If you just can't stand it,Brownell's gunsmithing supplies sells ELECTROLESS nickel plating solution,which is intended for guns. I don't see why it wouldn't work on WELL POLISHED cast iron lever caps. Again,I caution you that that polish had better be perfect !

You also need to first COPPER PLATE the bare cast iron. Especially cast iron must be copper plated. AND,the surface you're plating needs to be CHEMICALLY CLEAN. NO WAX,NO OIL!! No fingerprints. NO NOTHING: ZIP,NADA,ZERO !

The problem is,the electroless plating solution is a bit expensive. I don't know the current price. You might try Googlng it. I also will suggest that you could likely find it a LOT CHEAPER on Ebay. Probably without the guarantee that Brownell's places on its products. I'd advise you to be careful.

Personally,I think a well polished BARE STEEL surface,like Rob Luter's planes show above,is more attractive than nickel plating. And CHROME is RIGHT OUT. It has a cold look about it,blue based in color. Nickel looks warm,having a yellow based color. Chrome would have to be comercially done,as the solution is depleated every time it is used. Nickel and gold solutions are replenished by the use of a gold or nickel anode. It will last till the acid evaporates out.

[Glen Canaday]

What he said. That's why I mentioned filling the pits. I think you can use brazing rod and then file/sand/buff flat, smooth, and pretty before the copper plate but I have only read this and can't substantiate it. I'm sure if I manage to pull that off I'll toot my horn a bit.

[george wilson]

I would recommend a low temperature type of silver solder. The brass brazing rods I am familiar with are very hard indeed. Silver solder of any temperature range is a LOT softer and more easily filed and polished.

[Mark R Webster]

Wow thanks for all the information. I think I have decided that plating is a little too much for me and will just do the best I can with polish etc. Any way you guys are great for all the input.

[Eric Brown]

In addition to what others have said, you can reverse the electrical connections on a plating supply to remove the plating. The reason imperfections show up worse when plating (or re-plating) is that the suspended metal in the plating solution is more likely to attach to surfaces with the most solution flow. A flat surface has good flow. A scratch has poor flow at the bottom of the scratch. So things like name stamps actually improve by plating them.

For nickel, it will bond stronger if a copper plate is used first. You can use the less expensive copper plate like bondo too. You plate, then sand it back off. This will leave a layer of copper in the bottoms of the scratches. You can repeat until the surface is smooth and then nickel plate it.

A good supplier to consider is: http://www.caswellplating.com/

Good luck. Eric

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks Eric!

[Glen Canaday]

Hey that's pretty good stuff, Eric and george!

I have some silver solder but it belongs to the working Tek 531A oscilloscope in my closet. It's gonna stay there but now that Radio Shack is dead and gone ordering online will have to suffice.

I have a mitre box resto coming hopefully sooner rather than later and I would love to try this on its originally plated but now bare parts.