Nickel electroplating is a process of adding a thin layer of nickel on a metal part. The parts must be clean and free of dirt, corrosion, and defects before this plating can begin. A combination of heat treating, cleaning, masking, pickling, and etching is could be used to clean and protect the part during the plating process. The part will then immerse into an electrolyte solution and the function as the cathode. The nickel anode is dissolved into the electrolyte in form of nickel ions which will travel through the solution and build upon the cathode.