Nickel Plating Cylinders, DYI

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drf255

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I'm wondering if anyone's nickel plated their own cylinders after porting or trying to remove scoring.

I have a nickel plating kit I used to use for gun receivers. Hot electroplating.

Would there be any foreseeable issues doing some plating?

I figure on blocking the intake, exhaust and plug, and using the cylinder and the plating vessel itself. Make a holder for the nickel anode.

Has anyone tried it?
 
If this was a sound idea, I'm sure we would have heard of it before! I very much doubt that the nickel would hold up......
 
From what I recall reading here, it seems like you would need the anode to be cylindrical
and have a diameter a bit under the bore size of the cylinder.
perhaps the top/end of the anode would need to be non-conductive...?

Been a long, sick week and my recall of what I've read about plating many years ago (but have NO experience with) was already darned poor to start with.
 
Not going to happen.

You have a few major issues.

1. The nickel plating kit you have is not the same as silicon carbide impregnated "nikasil" typically used.
2. Re-plating requires stripping off all of the old plating in a acid bath for the new plating to stick.
3. Even if you could get past the first two issues you still need to hone the plated cylinder to a round, straight, non tapering bore using something equivalent to a Sunnen hone (and then only diamond stones can be used on plated cylinders due to the hardness of the coating)

Sunnen hone:
Sunnen-Hone.jpg
 
Nickle is also soft and not what I'd want lining the inside of a cylinder.

Fact check... Nickel is harder than glass. It is added into welding electrodes for impact resistance. Welding rods for iron are high nickel. Chainsaw file... yup, nickel. Nickel has an extreme melting temp and highly valued in jet engine production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy_steel

Yup, Nickle is soft "Lika' my head"
 
Also the Nikasil takes diamond hones NOT stone.

lol, i said that in my original reply to this topic.

edit, sorry called them diamond stones

my point was its not a garage process unless you have really above average garage
 
Why not use hard chrome? Is a much easier process and used just as often by the major manufacturers. Often used on the large saws.

7
 
From what I understand, plating (replating) often needs a transitional metal to be plated first then hard chrome over.
Nickel is often used as the base... Bam, done.
 
Fact check... Nickel is harder than glass. It is added into welding electrodes for impact resistance. Welding rods for iron are high nickel. Chainsaw file... yup, nickel. Nickel has an extreme melting temp and highly valued in jet engine production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy_steel

Yup, Nickle is soft "Lika' my head"
I work with Nickle almost every day and yes, it is soft. It can be alloyed with other stuff to make it harder, but nothing close to the hardness, or wear resistance of Nikasil or Chrome.

Nickle is added to steel as an alloy to make it tougher and a bit more corrosion resistant. But it will not make it harder.

Nikasil is Nickle matrix infused with silicon carbide. The silicon carbide is the hard wear resistant part of the mix.
 
Like said Nickle ain't real hard, in fact silver brazing alloy has a good bit of nickle.


I got a royal screwing off the 'bag' once.

The saw was an old Husqvarna 1100 with significant 'white death'.

I shelled out 'bout $125 + shipping because it was advertised as having a good P&C.

actually it was good on the exhaust side, but the chrome was flaking off the intake side.

I sent the seller an email, he said go pound sand.

Oh well the Femsa ignition and other parts were worth the price so no need to pursue the matter?




I found some Loc-Tite epoxy (Superior metal?) that was high silicon, made a plug a couple thou. under and filled the voids.

Couple coats and a poor mans hone in the lathe seemed to fill the low spots.


I have yet to assemble the old bilge rat, but I do have some pics of the cylinder.

It may hold or it may blow, guess I will find out someday eh?


008.JPG

Yes I have since cleaned up the squish band.
 
funny thing is I was thinking that someone should save the dome carbon and package
it in a tube like glazing compound to use as a small scratch and pit filler
for cyl walls.
Of course i was halfway thinking as a joke.

But if you ever fire that sucker up, I'm hoping for video and then autopsy pics!
 
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