What does Nickel-Strike do?

Nickel-Strike is a very thin, highly acidic nickel bonding interlayer. It activates passive or difficult-to-coat surfaces, ensuring significantly better adhesion of subsequent layers.

What is it used for?

• Stainless steel (V2A/V4A, high-alloy steels): removes/passivates the chromium oxide layer and makes the surface “active”.
• Already nickel-plated parts / old nickel: reactivates old or tarnished nickel surfaces.
• After dechroming: activates the underlying nickel for further plating.

Not suitable / better: Aluminium → aluminium activator (zincate); zinc/zamak → first alkaline copper; mild steel → conditioner usually sufficient.

How does it work?

• Strongly acidic, chloride-containing nickel electrolyte is run briefly at relatively high current density.
• Etches oxides and produces a very thin, rough nickel seed layer (typically tenths of µm).
• This seed layer provides excellent adhesion for main nickel, optionally copper – and thus also for chrome (chrome only on nickel).

Practical tips

1. Sequence: thoroughly degrease → rinse → nickel strike → immediately wet-on-wet into main nickel.
2. Keep short: prolonged strike can make the layer brittle / promote undercutting.
3. Bath maintenance: keep solution clean/fresh; too low current density = insufficient activation.

Reminder: Chrome only on nickel – nickel strike makes difficult surfaces “nickel-ready”.