This invention is for holding components made of a ferromagnetic material parallel to a component axis for electroplating the component. The component substrate according to the invention has at least two magnet poles, oriented toward the components and having opposite polarity. The magnet field lines extend from one magnet pole to the other magnet pole through the components only in the vicinity of a contact faces of the components oriented toward the magnet poles. This prevents ferromagnetic particles from depositing on the ends of the components remote from the contact faces. The apparatus according to the invention is especially suitable for holding a plurality of components during electrolytic surface coating of the components.