I was going through a "Plating Troubleshooting Guide" put together by a previous Plating Engineer at my plant and I came across this suggestion as a solution for a dull finish out of a bright nickel bath:
Nickel chemicals out of balance; most likely high nickel metal (“common ion effect”--means that if you have too much of what you are plating in the tank it will stop plating.).
I've never heard of this as applied to a nickel bath. Any thoughts?
-Dustin Gebhardt, CEF Plating Engineer Danaher Tool Group Gastonia, NC