Here's another source of plating equipment and supplies for all of you
who might be thinking of doing some nickel plating.  The company is out
of Dallas and services the jewelry making/repair industry:

  SWEST Inc.
  11090 N. Stemmons Fwy
  Dallas, Tx 75229
  1 800-527-5057

They sell a series of "cyanide free" nickel, copper and gold plating
chemicals and supplies including anodes, plating baths, and power
supplies.  They also sell the "pen" platers that Dennis Mead mentioned
for touch up work.  I have used their chemicals with excellent results
(ask Jim Edwards!) and have done quite a bit of small scale plating.

A couple of comments are in order.  Touching up nickel plated parts is
not as easy as it sounds.  To get a perfect match with the old plating
would be nearly impossible.  To do it right, the part should be stripped
and then fully replated.  Therefore a means of stripping the nickel off
the part will be required.  I use an electro-stripping method, but I am
still searching for a good chemical nickel stripper.

One thing I've found is that the final finish is only as good as the
finish of the base metal.  Preparation is the key.  Plating work is 90%
prep, 5% plating, and 5% cursing.  Plating actually magnifies the flaws
in the part, unlike painting, which can hide quite a bit.  You can save
money if you bring your parts to the plater all prepped and ready to go.

Be prepared, if you are going to do plating work, that you are going to
need a good D.C. power supply with a variable output voltage and a means
of heating your bath to 160 degrees (I started with an old modified Mr.
Coffee machine) You will need an aerator, a degreasing agent, an acid dip
(pickling) tank, and anodes.  The chemicals from SWEST aren't cheap
either, about $75/ gallon.

There is the issue of rinse baths and the EPA.  I keep all of my rinse
water and dispose of it properly.  Living on well and septic, one starts
to appreciate the effects of ground water pollution.  Good plating work
can be done on a small scale, but like anything else, it takes a little
research, some patience, and the proper equipment.

Happy plating to you,

Eric Bergstrom