Do I really have to use copper over a nickel strike coat

[gsw3]

I have been plating small brass parts for years and never tried plating steel. Thinking that I had to copper plate steel first then apply nickel--well, that did not work. Read that I have to put on a nickel strike coat then copper, then continue the nickel plating. It worked, however, I thought what if I just continued nickel plating the part without the copper? I am having super results just using nickel right on the plain steel, plating for about 1 hour and the parts are just killer! Question: Will the parts be as durable without the copper plate being applied? The parts will be used on a motorcycle I am restoring. Aso, can I expect the same results using the Copy Chrome kit (using no copper)?

Thanks,

George W.

[mcaswell]

Nickel (and Copy Chrome) over steel is a perfectly viable option, but you should understand the possible benefits of adding a copper layer.

Copper builds up a thick layer quickly and is very soft. This makes it very easy to buff a thick layer of copper to a high shine. After you get a high shine on the copper, a quick nickel plate will look even better than you've got now.

[gsw3]

[mcaswell]

Thanks for the nice comments.

Applying copper might help with the pitting, but more likely it's an agitation problem.

We have heard of that method of agitation and are planning to include it in the next version of the manual.