Nickel coatings were electrodeposited onto a steel membrane in a conventional Devanathan cell in order to measure the diffusion rate of hydrogen into the steel substrate during electrodeposition. In most cases a Watts' solution containing various organic additives was used: butyne-2 diol-1, 4; saccharine or thiourea. The structure of the electrodeposits was studied by X-ray and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was shown that the electrodeposition parameters (pH, composition of the bath, additives) have a strong effect on hydrogen permeation.