Gunsmithing Nickel Boron plating

[TORKAR]

I'm currently operating a small Cerakote operation and would like to look into nickel boron plating as well. I've struck out with my online "googling" and would like to know if anyone has experience or input. I've found a few large scale operations that do this kind of plating, but I don't own a factory and wouldn't want to spend more than a few thousand dollars for equipment. I'm looking to build my retirement business and plating would be complimentary to my current operation. Any input will be helpful.

Thanks

 

[desertrat1979]

Re: Nickel Boron plating

From what I just read it seems like a really cool finish to have on a firearm. Only drawback I see the the types of chemicals. It seems to be a pretty direct process and while it doesnt involve any specific equipment, it looks like you will need a pretty decent background in chemistry. Also, you may want to look and see what restrictions or laws your area may have with storing the chemicals needed to do this. It wouldnt suprise me if you needed EPA certs or licensing to purchase or even store this stuff. It also looks like the hazmat fees for disposal are somewhat high too. Unless you have a large scale operation, I dont think it would be a wise investment. I dinno what kind of overhead you have, i.e. employees, but I am sure that the larger companies that do this, like Exo, probably have some chemists involved on the payroll.

 

[TORKAR]

Re: Nickel Boron plating

I'm not looking for any EPA or hazmat hassles, that's for sure. I've seen the electroless nickel setups that can be used for small batches but chemistry isn't my thing. Thanks for input.

 

[Jhnmdahl]

Re: Nickel Boron plating

You'd want to go electroless for better uniformity, which requires constant agitation of the plating solution and a somewhat elevated temperature, but other than that it isn't all that hard. Here's a paper where the authors give it a shot, and document the effects of solution strengths, temperature, etc. and walk you through exactly what they did:

http://jcsp.org.pk/index.php/jcsp/article/viewFile/616/288

John