Adhesion problems bright copper

Q: I plate nickel over acid copper and am having trouble getting the nickel to adhere to the copper plate. The surface needs to be bright as possible as this is for a decorative application. 

A: Excessive brighter level can cause real adhesion problems with many deposits. Whether you are doing bright copper or bright nickel the components that make up the additives tend to inhibit any post treatment, including more plating. I would recommend using a reverse electroclean for 30 seconds followed by an acid dip to remove the brighteners and activate the surface. This will allow you to plate over the copper or nickel without sacrificing aesthetics. You won’t see this problem with chromium systems as the chromic acid will do this job for you.

Dull silver plating

Q: My silver plating bath is producing a dull, burned finish, what should I be looking into to get a bright deposit? 

A: Look into the concentrations of the following components: [Ag], [CN], [CO3], and [Brightener]. Different corrective actions should be taken for each component. If any component is too low the obvious recommendation is to add sufficient amounts of that component based on tank size to restore optimal operating conditions. The harder issue is having excessive concentrations of these components. If all components are proportionately high, dilute the bath. However, to fix individual components consider