Nickel Plating the Busbars
As I have some time to wait for my electrician, I thought I would have a go at nickel plating my busbars. In an earlier blog post I created my Nickel plating solution and have been storing it for when it was required.
I found a test busbar and attempted nickel plating it. I cleaned the piece with greese remover and then dunked in pool acid (in an attempt to etch the copper). I then rinsed the piece in clean water while ensuring I didn’t touch the piece with my fingers. I plated for 10 minutes and this is the result.
After 10 minutes on each side,I decided to give each side another 15 minutes. The results were fantastic.
I didn’t capture images or footage of the following piece, however I nickel plated my first real bus bar. My first attempt wasn’t perfect due to insufficient cleaning. I could tell after only a few minutes of plating that parts of the bar were not 100% clean as it was not plating evenly. I stopped, Sanded the bar with 1200 grit wet and dry paper and cleaned again. I then plated for 20 minutes each side. The result is a nice plate which does not rub or scratch easily.