[Jewelry making - Article 00079] - Re: [Orchid] Experience with Plug & Plate kit

[Ralph]

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    I have used the Caswell products successfully. (Specifically
    http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/gldbrshsys.html ) 

    The bottom line is that the "Plug & Plate" is a cost effective setup
    if what you need to accomplish aligns with what it's designed to
    provide. 

    For reference, the after-market gold plated detailing on automobiles
    is the result of a process very similar to what the "Plug & Plate"
    product will give you. 

    This technique is commonly called "brush" plating in contrast to
    "immersion" or "dip" plating which is often used commercially. (Note
    that Caswell offers different solutions for dip vs immersion.) The
    small transformer delivers a constant voltage up to a maximum
    amperage. This means it's not very flexible and is mostly suited to
    cosmetic plating (like auto trim or touch ups). 

    With brush plating you control the plating process (and thickness of
    plate) with your "brushing" technique, not with your voltage source. 

    Dip plating uses a variable voltage source to control the plating
    process. 

    (Here's where it gets complicated.) Remember that a particular
    solution requires a specific volt/amp setting. 

    If you remember Ohm's law the third part of the formula is R for
    resistance. 

    For electroplating, surface area corresponds to "resistance." With
    "brush" plating the size of the wand that touches the object
    determines the surface area. This is pretty consistent. Now image dip
    plating a small earring post versus a large pendant. The surface
    areas that are exposed to the solution are very different. If you use
    a constant volt source the small object will concentrate the maximum
    amperage which might be too much and result in a bad plate. The large
    object will have the opposite problem. Too little amperage will be
    distributed across the larger surface resulting in bad plate. The
    solution is a variable volt/amp source if you want to dip plate
    consistently. 

    Brush plating is pretty easy to do well; dip plating delivers a
    quality product but requires equipment, training, and experience. The
    Caswell site is very informative and worth the time to study. Hope
    this helps. 

    Here's an example. 

    http://yulemshop.com/fidget.html 

Ralph
yulemshop.com
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