FIELD: metallurgy, particularly, thermochemical treatment; applicable in any branch of machine building. SUBSTANCE: method includes heating of metal material, saturation of heated metal material in mixture with nickel-containing component and subsequent cooling. Method is distinguished by the fact that nickel plating is effected in mixture additionally containing corundum and nickel-containing component used in the form of nickel oxide. Mixture contains the following ratio of components, wt. %: nickel oxide, 0.001-10; corundum, 90-99.999. Heating is performed in atmosphere of ammonia. In the course of heating at temperature of saturating mixture 350-450 C, holding is carried out for 5-25 min, and then gaseous products are pumped out to pressure of 0.95 atm. Technical result consists in that claimed method allows improvement of quality of treated surface, reduction of treatment time in saturated mixture by a factor of 4, deposition of nickel layer of considerable thickness on surface of metal material. EFFECT: improved quality of surface of nickel-plated metal material with intensified nickel-plating process. 1 tbl
