A method of applying a multi-color finish to a plumbing fixture includes depositing a first coating on the plumbing fixture; selectively applying a masking material in a graduated fashion over at least a portion of the first coating to define a gradient from a first portion of the plumbing fixture that is substantially completely covered by the masking material to a second portion of the plumbing fixture that has substantially no masking material; depositing a second coating over the masking material; and removing the masking material from the plumbing fixture such that the plumbing fixture has a surface finish including a transition region representing a gradual transition between the first coating and the second coating.

A decorative component includes a plateable resin body portion that is light-transmissive. A thin intermediate layer of material is electrolessly deposited over the body portion. The intermediate layer is laser ablated to selectively remove the intermediate layer and expose the light transmissive portion. The part is then subjected to electroplating. The ablated areas do not receive the metal layers of the electroplating, thereby defining a pattern defined by the ablation. The laser ablation may define an outline, leaving the thin intermediate layer within the outline that is electrically isolated from areas outside of the outline. The electroplating process will not apply layers to the isolated areas, and the intermediate layer therein will dissolve, exposing the light transmissive body portion. An opposite side of the part is also exposed and transmissive, such that light will pass through the body portion and illuminate the pattern.

An electrical circuit, for example a printed circuit, for producing a module for integration into a card such as a chip card. This module includes electrical contact or connector which includes lands for the connection and communication of the chip with a read/write system. To give them a white color, or a color close to white, these electrical contact lands are at least partially covered with a layer of a rhodium alloy. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such an electrical circuit.

Four rod electrodes (50a to 50d) for separating ions according to a mass-to-charge ratio are held by two rod holders (51). The rod holders (51) are attached to metal holder sustaining stands (52) provided on a bottom surface of a vacuum housing (1). A coating film layer (10) is formed by a black nickel plating process on parts of wall surfaces in the vacuum housing (1), an inlet lens (4), and an outlet lens (6), the parts facing a quadrupole mass filter unit (5). The emissivity of the coating film layer (10) is higher than that of Al or the like, and thus radiant heat from the quadrupole mass filter unit (5) is efficiently absorbed by the coating film layer (10). Therefore, heat generated in the rod holders (51) due to dielectric loss is efficiently dissipated, and deformation of the rod holders can be reduced.

There is provided a roughened nickel-plated sheet having a roughened nickel layer as an outermost surface layer on at least one surface of a metal base material, wherein the brightness L* of the surface of the roughened nickel layer is 30 to 50, the glossiness of 85° of the surface of the roughened nickel layer is 1.5 to 50.

The present disclosure describes electrodeposited nanolaminate materials having layers comprised of nickel and/or chromium with high hardness. The uniform appearance, chemical resistance, and high hardness of the nanolaminate NiCr materials described herein render them useful for a variety of purposes including wear (abrasion) resistant barrier coatings for use both in decorative as well as demanding physical, structural and chemical environments.

The present invention describes a composition and method to control dimensional growth during an anodizing process. Potassium permanganate has been discovered, when added to an anodizing solution containing at least one acid, to minimize dimensional change. This novel composition and method were found to be safer, quicker and less expensive than the conventional method of anodizing aluminum. In addition, the novel composition and method were found to have superior properties to aluminum anodized by the conventional method with respect to durability and corrosion resistance. In addition to anodizing, the novel solution described herein is capable of several other uses including the removal of organic and metal contaminants from solution, producing black electroless nickel on a substrate, producing a bright nickel coating on a substrate such as aluminum, and cleaning and activating aluminum for plating.

Methods of forming near field transducers (NFTs) including electrodepositing a plasmonic material.

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the corrosion resistance of a chrome-plated substrate wherein at least one part of a chrome-plated surface of a chrome-plated substrate is dipped into an electrolyte comprising trivalent chromium ions, at least one conducting salt and at least one reducing agent, and afterwards, a trivalent chromium oxide film is formed on the at least one part of the chrome-plated surface by applying a pulse reverse current between the chrome-plated surface and a counter electrode electrically connected with the chrome-plated surface through the electrolyte. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a chrome-plated substrate obtainable by this method.

After drying the surface of a tin plating layer having a thickness of 0.4 to 3 μm which is formed on a base material of copper or a copper alloy by electroplating at a current density of 5 to 13 A/dm.sup.2 in a tin plating solution consisting of water, tin sulfate, sulfuric acid and a surfactant, the surface of the tin plating layer is heated to melt tin, and then, cooled to cause a layer of the tin plating layer on the side of the outermost surface to be a tin layer, which has a structure obtained by solidification after melting, while causing a layer of the tin plating layer between the tin layer and the base material to be a copper-tin alloy layer, to produce a tin-plated product wherein a tin layer, which has a structure obtained by solidification after melting, is formed on a copper-tin alloy layer formed on a base material of copper or a copper alloy and wherein the tin-plated product has a glossiness of 0.3 to 0.7.