GGs,

I was admiring a nickel plated iron plane on the 'bay the other day.  It 
was in generally nice condition and was advertised as not having been 
cleaned and showed light rust in some places.  My initial thought was 
the rust would likely clean off pretty easily.  Thinking more, or 
perhaps over thinking, I tried to do some googling for the color of 
nickel oxidation and couldn't find a satisfactory answer.  I think 
oxidized nickel is simply dull nickel looking.  Anyway, I'm thinking the 
presence of rust on a nickel-ed plane indicates plating loss and rust of 
the underlying iron. Perhaps there is a metallurgist out there who can 
confirm my conclusion.

Bill W.
In Beautiful downtown Nottingham, PA

Hi Bill,

On 17 May, Bill Webber wrote:
...

> I think oxidized nickel is simply dull nickel looking.  Anyway, I'm
> thinking the presence of rust on a nickel-ed plane indicates plating
> loss and rust of the underlying iron. 

I have an older #90 (Stanley small rabbet plane, Jeff) that per B&G is
nickel plated, and this one looks like nickel rather than chrome.  There
are some areas where the nickel is gone, and the surface underneath has
a dull reddish-brown color.  Rather than rust, this looks more like a
plating applied prior to the nickel.  The surface is smooth and the
color doesn't rub off on my hands.  I seem to remember that for some
materials, copper is applied prior to the final plate to help the final
plate adhere, but I can't point to a reference now.

FWIW,

Norm
 - Madison, WI

FWIW, modern nickel will not stick to steel. Norm is right, there is copper
plating underneath.

I don't know if the historic nickel alloy will stick directly to steel. Maybe
someone like M of A can help us.

Gary K
Albion NY, USA
---- Norm Wood  wrote: 

=============
Hi Bill,

On 17 May, Bill Webber wrote:
...

> I think oxidized nickel is simply dull nickel looking.  Anyway, I'm
> thinking the presence of rust on a nickel-ed plane indicates plating
> loss and rust of the underlying iron. 

I have an older #90 (Stanley small rabbet plane, Jeff) that per B&G is
nickel plated, and this one looks like nickel rather than chrome.  There
are some areas where the nickel is gone, and the surface underneath has
a dull reddish-brown color.  Rather than rust, this looks more like a
plating applied prior to the nickel.  The surface is smooth and the
color doesn't rub off on my hands.  I seem to remember that for some
materials, copper is applied prior to the final plate to help the final
plate adhere, but I can't point to a reference now.

FWIW,

Norm
 - Madison, WI


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OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.

To change your subscription options:
https://oldtools.swingleydev.com/mailman/listinfo/oldtools

To read the FAQ:
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OldTools archive: https://swingleydev.com/ot/

OldTools@s...

Some (if not all) of the later Millers Falls tools have chrome instead of
nickel, and you can pick it out right way on comparison.  The chrome has a blue
tinge to it.  Cars used to have nickle bumpers too.

Ed Minch

Bill Webber wrote: "I was admiring a nickel plated iron plane on the 'bay the
other day.  It
was in generally nice condition and was advertised as not having been 
cleaned and showed light rust in some places.  My initial thought was 
the rust would likely clean off pretty easily... Anyway, I'm thinking the 
presence of rust on a nickel-ed plane indicates plating loss and rust of 
the underlying iron...."

At times the rust will clean off too easily. The rust can work its way under
undamaged nickel and destroy the connection with the substrate, leaving the
plating weakly attached to the rust. A surface that looks almost solid plating
may have almost none of it adhered properly. I once picked up a plated center
punch in the street. It was badly nicked and battered from being run over by
cars, but it looked like almost all of the plating was still in place, with just
small spots of visible rust. After an our or two in citric acid, most of that
plating was at the bottom of the solution, and there was almost none left on the
punch. Each pinprick hole in the plating had caused rust under the plating the
size of a pin head, and there were so many that they joined up. Not the only
case I've encountered, but the most dramatic.

Tom Conroy

Nickel is always plated over top of copper plating.
Nickel itself is not easy to plate and needs a foundation.

The old recipe for chrome was
   copper, nickel, chrome
  You had to plate 3 times to get chrome,
   since it practically doesn't stick to anything else but nickel.

Of course they are chrome plating pot metal and plastic now,
and I have no idea how.

     just the old stuff maam lol
        yours Scott


-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html

Hi All


On the rusty nickel issue I worked for a few months in a plating shop in the
70's during my engineering apprenticeship, there they would degrease the part,
copper flash, a few 10ths I think, then nickel plate and finally chrome plate
prior to polishing the nickel, the copper is there to aid adhesion of the nickel
to certain materials, all a bit vague now though due to the time passed.


Hope this helps.


Regards

Steve, in good ol UK.