Nickel lesson!

[jbvan]

I found out today the hard way you can't interupt the nickel plating. I went to chrome a couple of little interior pieces that I know got interupted during the nickel. They looked perfect going in, but were blistered after coming out. I actually blew the nickel off with an air gun.
Later, I was chroming 4 brass wheel spinners that had been nickel plated. the first two went great, then on the third I couldn't get the current with the same settings. Scratched my head and upped the current to match the previous two and carried on. When it came out of the chrome bath I knew it had been interupted during the nickel. It is all orange peel looking and it took no chrome. The nickel just flakes off. Live and learn. On the fourth one it came out like the first two. I'm going to try to post a picture of it as well.
Don't interupt the current on the nickel!!
Jim VanAlstyne

[lcaswell]

Yep - this is in the manual in the Nickel Plating section.

If you interrupt the cycle you can etch the existing nickel in 3 parts battery acid:1 part water, then replate.