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The Electroplating Apparatus
The object and the electroplating metal are suspended in a chemical bath, usually a metallic compound dissolved in water. For example, if you have a steel object you wish to coat with copper, then you would use a piece of pure copper and suspend this alongside the object in a copper sulphate solution.
A wire is attached to the piece of copper and another wire is attached to the steel object. A potential difference is then applied between the two wires, usually by attaching them to a battery.
How Electroplating Works
In the example, electric current flows from the battery through the wires and through the copper. The copper is electrically positive, and is called an anode. It creates positive copper ions, which are drawn to the negatively charged object, which is called a cathode. The copper ions bind with the surface of the metallic object and form a layer over its entire surface.
Over the course of this process, the mass of the copper piece decreases and the mass of copper on the surface of the metallic object increases.
The Strike
The strike is an initial thin layer created using high current and a low ion concentration bath. The purpose of the strike is to create an initial layer on which subsequent layers can attach easily. The strike process is very slow, so after the initial strike more efficient methods are used to continue the plating process and lay down the subsequent layers.