Nickel coating is a popular way to protect metals from corrosion. Nickel is a good choice for this purpose because it has high corrosion resistance and is relatively cheap. But how can you tell if the metal has been coated with nickel? In this article, we will explore some ways to do this.
Examine the Metal
Run your eyes along with the metal. Nickel is silvery, so if you see a gray or black coating on it, it’s more likely than not to be painted. Nickel is also very reflective. Suppose you look closely at the metallic surface and find that there isn’t much of an angle where light is incapable of reflecting (i.e., the angle where you’re looking along the surface of the metal).
Put Some Magnets on the Metal
If you have some neodymium magnets available, try holding them up to the metal. Nickel is nonmagnetic, so if you find that they are attracted to it or stay close for a while, then it’s not nickel-plated. However, magnets can still affect non-ferromagnetic metals, so this method isn’t foolproof.
Apply Acid to the Metal
There are acidic pastes that can detect nickel coatings, like Nickel Safe. You can use one of these to run a test on your metal. First, try scrubbing the metal with sandpaper (no power tools) to see if there is any effect on how it reacts to the acid. If there isn’t, try applying Nickel Safe and seeing what happens over time. Nickel coatings will react with the paste as it eats away at the nickel.
Conclusion
Nickel coatings are a popular way to protect metals from corrosion. Nickel is a good choice for this purpose because it has high corrosion resistance and is relatively cheap. Nickel can be detected by looking at it closely, holding magnets up against it, or applying an acidic paste that will react with nickel over time to corrode the coating.