Nickel is a really wonderful element. It is hard won when we take it from the ground. It was discovered quite by accident by Copper miners. They brought this strange hard rock to the surface and took it to the nearest centre of learning for study. It was soon discovered that it had great potential. Nickel, as a metal, is perfect for a variety of uses as it is not only hard but it is also ductile. Ductile means how easily a material can be moulded into a different shape before it breaks under the pressure. Nickel is extremely ductile which is why you will see it used for Electroless Nickel Plating like that done by https://www.poeton.co.uk/standard-treatments/electroless-nickel-plating.
As we have said before, Nickel is quite rare and when it is discovered it is quite difficult to extract. This is a great shame as Nickel is also a very rust resistant material. It is also able to withstand extremes of heat and cold without tarnishing. However, as it is so rare it is impossible to find enough of it, or keep the cost low enough to make more things out of it.
Therefore the only way to use it effectively and sparingly is to take a base metal that is easy to obtain, such as iron for example, and then coat it with Nickel using the plating technique above.
