Which does gold plating 'stick' better to: brushed or polished stainless? I would think brushed right? More surface area to grip?
Gold plating
- Thread starter Amirite
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I have zero experience with having items plated. Is electro-plating more durable? What's the alternative?
When you are plating, it isn't surface area that effects the "grip". It is the type of bond that determines the "grip".
I have never plated Stainless Steel. So I guess I can't answer to the reliability of plating SS. But, I have seen a few others try and fail. Some tried to nickel plate first, then plate the gold on. But, the nickel wouldn't "grip" all that great. Others had great results with nickel first. Others just plate the SS without the nickel.
If it were me I would experiment, or look around for a business that does that sort of thing, and ask them. Each business will use different acids, and techniques. So it would help to see their results.
There is "Electro Plating" and then there is what's called "Immersion Gold". The immersion process is a chemical process.
For something like jewelry and things that will be handled alot, then the "Electro plate" would be more reliable.
Electro plating is done by passing a direct current through one object to another, as the current passes from the positive to the negative side, small particles of the plating are picked up by passing electrons and deposited on the negatively charged object as the electrons pass through it. so you want to A) submerge an object tied to the negative end of the current into a solution of suspended gold that is positively charged(drop the positive end of the circuit into the solution) or B) us a charged brush and some gold paste to brush on the gold plating while the object to be plated is tied to the negative end of the circuit. Aqueous submersion makes for a move even coating. To plate Stainless steel you first need to clean it of any grease or oil, alcohol works well. Then you need to activate the coating on the stainless steel so it is receptive to the plating. This is done with a rub on compound then you plate it. 3 volts of DC current works well for gold too much higher and you will burn the gold and any lower will not "stick" properly, you can get kits for this. that have the activating agent and the gold solution. I looked into this because I want to plate an SS shotgun I have. It will look like crap when your done, you will need to polish it.
note: plating adds thickness to all affected material, threads will get tighter or unusable, holes get smaller, rods get bigger. before you plate think about this and tape off parts that this will affect or brush on some Vaseline to prevent plating in these areas.
note: plating adds thickness to all affected material, threads will get tighter or unusable, holes get smaller, rods get bigger. before you plate think about this and tape off parts that this will affect or brush on some Vaseline to prevent plating in these areas.
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Great information. I'll look for some jewelers here in NYC that hopefully have some experience plating SS. Is gold food-safe? Any concerns with the gold plating coming in contact with e-liquid?
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