Electroplating setup advice
Electroplating setup advice
No, pen plating isnt thick enough. Silver requires a strike coat of either Nickle or Palladium before the gold. Palladium is preferred due to Nickle allergies. Also a sufficient coat of Palladium prevents copper migration to the surface where you get tarnishing. We do 2 minutes in the Palladium to achieve this.
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Setting up plating is not terribly difficult. Check with your supplier to see if they have jewelers who can answer your questions and help you. For example both Rio Grande and Stuller have this available. I found that very helpful when I started with plating.
Equipment has to include a rectifier which converts the AC from the outlet to the DC that plating requires. Small scale can be done in glass beakers or glass dishes. You can get an all in one set-up with multiple tanks and rectifier included. The budget can vary broadly. You might find plating machines in the thousands of dollars or buy the things needed for significantly less. I set up 2 lines that run production and the equipment can be minimal. We opted for NOT using plating machines because its easier to swap out equipment on an open line. Heres your sequence:
Electro Cleaner (degreaser)>Rinse>Acid Dip (neutralizer)>Rinse>Palladium>Rinse>Gold>Final Rinse and steam or dry
All water MUST be distilled or deionized. You need at least one Rinse tank between baths (two is even better). Electro Cleaner, Palladium and Gold all need heat. There are non-cyanide based Gold solutions available. You would need anodes, which are the pieces of metal connecting the current to the liquid. Electro Cleaner uses stainless steel (some people use a stainless steel container so that becomes the anode, Palladium uses platinized titanium, most Gold can use either.
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It is possible to be very safe and environmentally friendly in plating. Ive set up several small production plating lines at our company and this is a must for a business. Best if you have an area that is dedicated to plating, its easier to keep from contaminating other things and easier set-up.
And after all that, it may be that sending your plating out is more economical and easier for you. There does have to be testing per your situation. Plating is easy once things are set up. I can train someone in an hour and they can run the plating line as long as someone can answer their questions, etc If you REALLY want to learn plating, that is a steeper learning curve. There are very few resources (books) geared toward the contemporary small shop. Specific information is more easily acquired from other jewelers or suppliers.
Good Luck,
Ruthanne
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