[Jewelry making - Article 00100] - [Orchid] Plating prep and the fledgling smith

[Barbara Bowling]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Hey, All!

    I've been making jewelry commercially for about 5 years now, working
    primarily in enameling, sterling.. and some nu-gold and copper. I'm
    interested in plating small areas or sterling or fine silver with
    gold. 

    I have a Midas pen plating system, and just reviewed the wonderful
    Ganoksin Archives. However, I find myself more confused than ever
    regarding cleaning prior to plating. I Get that the surface has to be
    pristinely clean, it's just not completely clear to me what the
    best/reasonable method is.. and if I can avoid buying More Solvents
    to keep and store, that would be good. Besides, Rio was out of one of
    them, which prompted my searching in the first place! 

    Specific questions: 

    1. Rio's catalog says that you have to use their "electrocleaning"
    and acid solutions. I saw the comments on using lye (and the
    difficulty in obtaining lye) in the archives. Can I use a solution of
    washing soda (sodium carbonate, not sodium hydroxide) instead? It's
    pH is 11 (very very basic) vs that of lye which is 13 (even more
    basic). It's a log scale, so that's a pretty big difference. On the
    other hand, washing soda is still easy to get? Maybe a longer soak? 

    2. Likewise could I use vinegar as an acid rinse? Again, it's a very
    weak acetic acid, but it might work? I read a caveat somewhere that
    one has to be careful to not get vinegar close to the cyanide based
    plating solutions, since it releases the cyanide into the air (is
    this true???), but it seems that as long as you rinse well with
    distilled water first, it might be ok? 

    3. A couple of the sources suggested a good soak in alcohol and/or a
    short cleaning in the ultrasonic. No base/acid blahblah. Will this
    really work? Seems like it would save me a lot of trouble, but I want
    the sturdiest possibly plate on these puppies. 

    Thanks for your help and indulgence... 

Barbara Louise
Barbara Louise Bowling
Louise's Leap Studios
2700 Harmony Street
Boise, Idaho 83706
www.LouisesLeap.com


 
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________