Nickel plating by chemical reduction

Claim 1

AN AUTOCATALTIC CHEMICAL REDUCTION PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PLATING NICKEL ON METALLIC OBJECTS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, PLATINUM, SILVER, NICKEL, GOLD, COBALT, PALLADIUM, ALUMINUM, AND COPPER, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PROVIDING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A NICKEL SALT AND AN ALKALINE HYPOPHOPHITE, THE NICKEL ION BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 3 PARTS BY WEIGHT TO ABOUT 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID SOLUTION, THE HYPOPHOSPHITE RADICAL BENG PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 3 PARTS BY WEIGHT TO ABOUT 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID SOLUTION, IMMERSING AN OBJECT OF ONE OF SAID METALS IN SAID SOLUTION , NICKEL PLATING SAID IMMERSED OBJECT BY AUTOCATALYTIC REACTION OF SAID SALT AND SAID HYPOPHOPHITE, REMOVING SAID PLATED OBJECT FROM SAID SOLUTION, MAINTAINING SAID SOLUTION THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF SAID IMMERSION AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 90 DEGREES CENTIGRADE TO ABOUT 100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE AND AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PH VALUE INT HE RANGE OF ABOUT 3 TO ABOUT 9 BY THE PRESENCE IN THE SOLUTION OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE SALTS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM SALTS OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND AMMONIUM SALTS AND INTRODUCING THROUGHOUT SAID IMMERSION PERIOD AND AT SUBSTANTIALLY REGULAR INTERVALS ADDITIONAL HYDPOPHOPHITE INTO SAID SOLUTION IN AMOUNTS OF ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER LITER OF SAID SOLUTION.