Re: plating aluminum

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Hollmike-at-aol-dot-com>
> 
> Robert,
>   Plating onto aluminum is simple - if you do one thing first.  Take a metal
> salt(I used nickel chloride if memory serves) and complex it in a solution of
> ammonium hydroxide.  The excess ammonium hydroxide will dissolve the oxide
> coating and cause the nickel to enter a redox reaction with the aluminum and
> leave a nice 'strike' plate which can then be plated in a normal fashion.  I
> don't remember the details of what I did for this because it was done about
> 15 years ago, but it was very simple to get the nickel layer onto it could
> not be removed without sanding it off(or something similar).  I would imagine
> since copper sulfate is easily complexed in ammonium hydroxide, it would work
> too.  Haven't tried it though.
> Mike

	When I worked at Hughes Aircraft the plating shop used to plate
aluminum by first apply copper, then gold (this was the preferred
material for space use).  Don't know other details but the procedure
above should work and is easy enough to try.

Ed