[crayner]

Hi All,
Does anyone have a referral to an electroplater that can do Nikasil (or one of the other 100 trademarked versions of a Nickel Silicon-Carbide coating) on a cylinder that doesn't cost 300 a cylinder? I'm looking for prototype through short (100 unit) run production.
Thanx crayner

[NC Cams]

As soon as you ask for Nikasil, you're painting yourself into a small corner via the used of a VERY expensive and unique process.

In lieu of using the process, we fitted/used thin walled iron sleeves on the prototype engine work we did and paid the weight penalty.

Albeit a bit heavier and bulkier, it was far easier to hone/repair/service and it was definitely durable.

[crayner]

The route the prototype is taking I'm using a 4130 chromoly steel tube with a .125 wall thickness as a sleeve, pressing it and boring to finished diameter - the issue here is with production - pressing in the steel liner and secondary-machining the bore to size vs machining it once, plating a 4 mil layer and finishing w/a scotchbrite pad... just wondering if the process had caught on enough such that it wasn't hugely expen$ive...

[mxtras]

Maybe check some of the MX magazines - I recall seeing an ad in the back section of the magazines for Nikasil plating of 2 stroke cylinders - Kawasaki specifically since Kawi's came with this from the factory.

Scott

[NC Cams]

If you are using 4130 for a sleeve, why not pre-H/T it and make it FAR more bullet proof than nikasil???

4130 can be hardened and drawn to a Hrc 44 or so - much harder than a BHN 200 or so that a cast iron sleeve might get. When honed, it would be FAR tougher and wear resistant than surface treated coatings or the like that nikasil might offer.

Another trick would be to nitride the sleeve - again, MUCH harder surface potential than nikasil and, perhaps, a bit more slippery. Nitriding of steel/tool steel is now a very popular preparation for piston rings.

Recall, that if you are dealing with a piston/ring/bore deal, you have to look at ALL the parts metallurgical compatibility with each other for them to work. Hint: tin plating of the piston is a neat, inexpensive trick to make them slippery and quite tolerant of working with other parts and not scuffing/scoring.

Nikasil is pretty much a high dollar, ultratech way to make tricked up sleeves work in racing applications. For some, it is the ONLY out. When you're making sleeves out of 4130, however, you simply may not have to use it - you have a much tougher/wear resistant pallet to work with, if you know how to prepare it.

[AirChunk]

Do a search for Millennium Technologies or U.S. Chrome