The article is devoted to study of the problem of improving of durability of surfaces of copper plates of molds of machines for continuous casting of billets. Presented here are the results of investigations of combined Ni-coatings on Cu that are a thin Ni-sublayer obtained by electric spark alloying method and a working Ni-layer deposited by arc plasma-spraying. Complex analysis (optical microscopy, durometric analysis and SEM) of the coatings is conducted and their mechanical characteristics are also studied. The using of Ni-sublayer is shown to increase the adherence of coatings considerably. Resulted in the work are the values of adhesion and other characteristics of the coatings obtained.