Nickle and Chrome

[e3mrk]

I keep seeing Revolvers for sale that say They are Nickle Plated or Others say They are Chrome Plated.
A Friends Father owned a Chrome Plating Shop and explained to Me that what People think of as Chrome is really the Nickle Plating,Chrome is Clear,It is the hard finish put over the Nickle to protect it from Corrosion and Rust.
I don't mean to be picky but I just had to say it.

 

[Alk8944]

I keep seeing Revolvers for sale that say They are Nickle Plated or Others say They are Chrome Plated.
A Friends Father owned a Chrome Plating Shop and explained to Me that what People think of as Chrome is really the Nickle Plating,Chrome is Clear,It is the hard finish put over the Nickle to protect it from Corrosion and Rust.
I don't mean to be picky but I just had to say it.

In short, in spite of this person supposedly being in the plating business, he simply does not know what he is talking about. There is also the possibility that you mis-understood what he said! He possibly was referring to "Triple Plating" which is used for decorative trim, where appearance rather than mechanical durability is the mainly desired result. In this case the base metal is first plated with a layer of Copper. This is polished and plated with Nickel for it's corrosion resistance. Finally a third layer of Chromium is applied over the Nickel. The result is what is commonly referred to as "Bumper plating" or a "Bumper job". While attractive it is too susceptible to impact damage and peeling to be compatible with firearms finishing.

Both Nickel and Chromium are elemental metals used for both decorative and functional plating. They are both totally opaque in any thickness. Either may be used exclusively being plated directly onto the base metal. This is referred to as "Hard Plating" because it does not have a softer substrate under the plating, which is usually Copper. Regardless of the metal used, quality firearms plating is always "hard".

How can you tell Chromium plate from Nickel? It really is easy once you know what you are seeing. Chrome (Chromium) has a "hard", "cold", bluish-white appearance. Nickel has a "soft", "warm", slightly yellowish appearance which is aesthetically more pleasing.

 

[e3mrk]

Chrome 101

To understand how to properly care for your chrome, it's helpful to know a little about the plating process. Before the first layer of metal touches the part, it is stripped of all surface dirt, paint, powder coating or anodizing. The surface is then prepared by polishing and grinding if necessary. The smoother the surface the better the piece will plate and the smoother the chromed surface will look.
The first step in the plating process is a dip in the copper tank. Copper acts as a primer by providing a bond between the base metal and the nickel. The copper also starts filling out any imperfections in the metal surface. Copper will not fill holes but it gives us a surface we can polish out and remove minor pitting.
The second layer is nickel. Nickel is the thickest and most important layer of the plating process. When you see a chromed piece of metal, you are actually seeing the nickel. It is the silver color that you see and it provides corrosion resistance to the part.
Chrome is the third and final layer of the plating process. But why do we need chrome if what we see is the nickel? Because the chrome acts as a clear coat for the nickel. It gives the part the classic mirror finish and also prevents the nickel from tarnishing.

So I am assuming there are different kinds of Chrome used in the Plating process.

 

[rwsmith]

Chromium is clear...

There are a lot of clear coats for metal finishes but chromium isn't one of them. Also, there are cheaper substitutes for genuine chrome.

It's possible that if the man really did own a chrome plating business, it's possible that what he said was either misinterpreted or he only knew enough to accomplish the work without really understanding precisely what the chemical details of the process involved.