electroplating Graphite

[nicamarvin]

good afternoon guys, My name is Marvin, Im from Nicaragua(Central America) I have been playing with graphite powder. over a shiny surface a well rubbed powder can look like a highly polish metal(shooting for a chrome look but its too dark)

here are a few pics(not plated but just rubbed onto a glossy surface)
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so after that, I tried to elctroplate the same plastic spoons with nickel.
(link dead) the only prep was a spray degreaser and pickling. could not touch the surface too much as the graphite layer is very thin.

now here is the issue. the nickel plated well to the thin graphite surface, but the graphite surface was not sticking to the glossy surface. so you can actually peel the nickel off without much effort
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my next step was to try on a rough surface and its actually holding very well, but the nickel does not look shiny as before..
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now here is my question and I hope I placed it in the correct subforum.
what can I do to get graphite powder to stick to a glossy surface? maybe a microscopy acid etching?

Thanks
Marvin

[MichiganMan]

Not really in my wheel house of expertise, but it sure looks like you abraded the surface too much and the plating is showing the scratches through. Acid etch could work and in what would presumably be a production environment would likely be the best fit. Otherwise you might consider using an extremely fine abrasive and barely scuffing the surface (so lightly that it is difficult to detect by the naked eye). My logic would be that if the scratching is shallow enough, then the plating may fill it in well enough to retain your desired glossy finish.

[Guna]

Just to share information, I'm not involved in plastic plating: [i]There are a few different ways to electroplate plastic , but the most robust method (used on OEM auto parts) involves etching the plastic, sensitizing it with a proprietary palladium chloride solution, electroless nickel plating, then conventional copper, nickel, chrome plating. [/i]

[nicamarvin]

Just to share information, I'm not involved in plastic plating: [i]There are a few different ways to electroplate plastic , but the most robust method (used on OEM auto parts) involves etching the plastic, sensitizing it with a proprietary palladium chloride solution, electroless nickel plating, then conventional copper, nickel, chrome plating. [/i]

thank guys, I was experimenting with graphite at the time, but now all I use is Spray On Silver and clear coat it, or electroplated once silvered..

here is a video of me Spray on Chroming a plastic piece(spray on silver)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PKJsZX1Lt4