Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive
(Hard Chrome Plating)
by Larry Zitko, ChromeTech, Inc.
April, 2002
Burnishing and Honing
Q. What are the effects of either burnishing or honing on the quality of hard
chrome plating?
A.
I have no experience with burnishing and little with honing. Some of my
customers who hard chrome plate the inside diameters of hydraulic and
pneumatic cylinders use I.D. honing extensively. I remember them commenting
that the stones had to be matched to the material being cut. In other words,
they had different honing stones for steel and chrome. The honing of
chromium after plating was slow, I recall. Although many chrome plated
hydraulic valve spools are centerless ground after plating, I saw some of
them that were O.D. honed on a honing machine built by Sunnen.
Just like grinding or belt-polishing, one should always strive to improve
preplate and postplate finishing steps where possible. The preplate
finishing can effect pitting, nodulization and corrosion resistance of the
deposit. The postplate finishing affects the visual and functional
properties of the plated part.