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A Watts bath, named for its inventor Oliver Patterson Watts, is an aqueous electrolyte solution for plating nickel from a nickel anode. It can deposit both bright and semi-bright nickel. Bright nickel is typically used for decorative purposes and corrosion protection.

Plate Thickness Formula To calculate the plate thickness, simply divide the plate volume by the plate area.

X-Ray Fluorescense It can be used to measure plating thickness and elemental composition. XRF also uses standards, software is available that provides the same function. A power supply and XRF tube create a beam whose size can be defined depending on part size by a collimator.

The most accurate and reliable method is to use an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. This type of analyzer uses radiation to measure the thickness of the plating layer by analyzing the composition of the layer. This method is fast and non-destructive, making it ideal for use in production environments.

The average coating thickness can be derived by dividing the weight deposited (in grams) by the product of the density of nickel (8.907 g cm-3) and the surface area to be electroplated (in dm2), then multiplying by 100 to obtain the thickness in micrometres (µm).

Electroplating involves the application of a direct current through an electrolyte solution which causes metal ions to deposit onto a substrate or workpiece. The current density, which is the current per unit area of the electrode, plays a pivotal role in determining the thickness of the deposited metal layer.

Saccharine and magnesium sulfate are possible adders to enhance bright plating. Many suggest using white vinegar (acetic acid), and table salt, to make nickel acetate, then place item an negative supply and use nickel as anode.

The pH of the bath is kept between 3 and 4.5. Operating temperature is 40–70 °C and applied current density 1–10 Adm−2 (28–30). It has been in use for almost a century.