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GOLD PLATING CHEMICALS
The MOBILE BRUSH TYPE Gold Plating
Chemicals include.
- CHROME STRIPPER
- NICKEL ACTIVATOR
- GOLD PLATING SOLUTION
(For our Chemical Specials,
please click on Monthly
Specials above.)
In some applications, particularly when
dealing with Stainless Steel items, a MOBILE BRUSH TYPE Gold Plater may need to apply a
layer of NICKEL. To do this, it is common to use one or both of the following chemicals
available from SMC.
- WOODS NICKEL STRIKE
- NICKEL BRITE
Chrome Stripper and Nickel Activator can
come in a LIQUID "ready to use" form or in a POWDER and or CRYSTAL form that you
mix with distilled water, into the liquid solution.
The powder / crystal form is commonly
referred to as "DRY chemicals."
The DRY CHEMICALS are, or can be, MORE
CORROSIVE than the solution version because the solution versions are diluted with
DISTILLED WATER.
DRY CHEMICALS that are considered Hazardous
must ship as HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, by all shipping methods, which includes proper labeling
and packaging.
Typically, the cost of shipping either
liquid solution is a bit more than the cost of the solution. Shipping powder is almost as
expensive. In a 32 ounce size, the difference is only 2 pounds between liquid solution and
powdered.
- In the liquid state, Chrome Stripper and
Nickel Activator are CORROSIVES and require special packaging, labeling and HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS Shipping Fees, by all shipping companies. CORROSIVES CAN NOT GO BY MAIL.
- In a powdered or crystal state (which is
often called "DRY chemicals") the Chrome Stripper is a CORROSIVE and requires
special packaging, labeling and HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Shipping Fees, by all shipping
companies. CORROSIVES CAN NOT GO BY MAIL.
If you purchase DRY CHEMICALS that are
considered hazardous materials, you will need to have appropriate labeling on the outside
of the containers. The containers must have a label that explains the contents, such as
CORROSIVE 8 for the chrome stripper. This includes DRY and LIQUID chrome stripper
chemicals.
When mixing CHROME STRIPPER (sodium
hydroxide) with distilled water, you will find that considerable heat is generated during
the mixing process.
In ALL MIXING and handling processes, you
MUST follow safety procedures for handling chemicals. Your chemicals supplier will provide
this information for you.
- NOTE: Current GROUND Hazardous Materials
Shipping Fees by UPS in GROUND SHIPPING is $20.00 per box. This includes Chrome Stripper
and the Gold Plating Solutions. CORROSIVES and or POISONS CAN NOT GO BY MAIL.
- NOTE: Current AIR Hazardous Materials
Shipping Fees imposed by UPS in AIR Shipping is $30.00 per box. This includes Chrome
Stripper and the Gold Plating Solutions. CORROSIVES and or POISONS CAN NOT GO BY MAIL.
- CORROSIVES and GOLD PLATING SOLUTIONS,
can not go through any form of US MAIL, even if it is a so-called LIMITED
QUANTITY, according to U.S. Postal Regulations.
GOLD PLATING SOLUTIONS come in an
assortment of sizes (4 oz, 8 oz, 16 oz & 32 oz) and grades of gold concentration from
1/2 an ounce of gold to a gallon to 4 ounces of gold to a gallon, and a lot of
concentrations in-between. The average person has no way of knowing, determining, and or
confirming the concentration in any solution.
We mix several standard grades of Gold Plating
Solution. Each grade has a different amount of gold in the solution. Since we mix our own
Gold Plating Solution, we can give you any concentration you need. You can sample our
concentration, and see the results as you gold plate with our solution, and make your
decision after you see how our Gold Plating Solution actually works for you with your
equipment.
No standard universally accepted or
acknowledged standard on gold concentration within any gold plating solution exists for
Mobile Gold Plating Solutions. The only standard is an old MIL-SPEC and it does not relate
to Mobile "Brush" plating. However, we FULLY expect virtually every gold plating
solution vendor meets the MIL-SPEC. As a result, the MIL-SPEC clearly is not relevant to
any meaningful measurement system.
Plus, you have a choice of LIQUID or GEL
concentrations. We prefer to work with the GEL solution in a thickness we call "a gel
that can flow" consistency because it does not run off of the piece you are working
on.
- GOLD PLATING SOLUTIONS usually contain a
small portion of CYANIDE which works with the cobalt and nickel to HARDEN the GOLD
deposited / bonded to the surface.
Gold Plating Solutions with CYANIDE,
generally, have a HARDNESS, when deposited/plated on a surface, which is measured in a
system referred to "KNOOP," within the Gold Plating Industry. A range of 150 to
200 knoop is a HARDENED GOLD which is what we provide with the CYANIDE.
- CYANIDE FREE GOLD is a product for very
limited gold plating applications, it functions, and or acts, like a pure gold, which is
very soft.
Gold Plating Solutions WITHOUT CYANIDE,
generally, are quite soft, which is measured in "KNOOP," at a range between 50
and 80 knoop, it is considered SOFT GOLD. One tested version came back at 60 knoop.
Some versions of CYANIDE FREE GOLD can ship
without any special packaging and or labeling. However, this particular version is not
used in the Mobile "BRUSH" plating industry. This version is used in some TANK
PLATING applications.
HOW MUCH CYANIDE IS IN THE GOLD PLATING
SOLUTIONS? The amount of cyanide hinges, generally, on the actual amount of gold in the
solution. The actual gold in the gold plating solutions on the market today run from 1/2
an ounce to a gallon up to 4 ounces to a gallon. The average seems to be about 2 ounces to
a gallon.
The gold plating salts come from one of
several companies providing gold to the different distributors serving the Mobile, or
BRUSH, Plating Industry. For each ounce of gold "metal" there is, approximately,
1/2 an ounce of cyanide.
So, in a solution of 2 ounces of gold to a
gallon (a gallon = 128 ounces) there is, potentially one ounce of cyanide. Or, 1/128th of
the whole.
That brings us back to a question of
exactly how much cyanide is there in the average 4 ounce container of gold plating
solution? 1/128th. In simple terms, VERY LITTLE.
To convert the small amount of cyanide in
the gold plating solution to a GAS, the cyanide in the solution must accidentally be mixed
with an ACID, like the Nickel Activator. Obviously, this is not a normal part of the
plating process. Ample rinsing in-between gold plating steps minimizes any problem. Our
Instruction Manual explains this in great detail.
24 Karat Gold is PURE GOLD. If you check
the Karat marks on your gold jewelry and rings, typically shown as 10K, 12K, 14K, etc.,
you will find the standard gold ring is 14 karat. This means, in the ring, there are 14
parts gold and 10 parts of other alloys. Pure gold is soft. The other alloys make the gold
ring hold its shape. A PURE GOLD ring would deform, and wear quite badly, in a short time.
In the mobile electroplating process with
gold plating solutions using cyanide, you use gold with an alloy of other items (including
the cyanide) to produce a hard plating which is durable.
Is CYANIDE FREE GOLD better? We have both
versions available. We are able to look at it in an objective manner and let our customers
decide.
From a practical standpoint, there is very
little cyanide, by volume, in the gold plating solution provided by any vendor of gold
plating solutions with CYANIDE, as we said before. What little cyanide there is, does an
important job of hardening the gold deposit.
It comes down to a question of used and
expected life. The better the bonding and adhesion of the gold along with the harder the
gold is, means the better the gold will look and the gold will last longer.
In our opinion, the BEST VALUE is in the
Gold solution that uses cyanide to harden the deposit of gold. Any additional coatings,
such as wax, will additionally benefit the gold coating image. However, for proper bonding
and depositing, we prefer the gold plating solution with cyanide.
You get to choose what you want.
As a side note, cyanide fumes are
realistically not a problem for most gold platers. First, because of the extremely small
amount of cyanide in the gold plating solution. At 2 ounces of gold to a gallon, is the
cyanide is only 1/128th of a part of the mixture. Second, because cyanide is held in
suspension within the gold plating solution. With such a limited amount, contained within
the carried solution, cyanide does not get into the air.
A gold plater could accidentally mix the
gold plating solution with cyanide and the NICKEL ACTIVATOR which is an ACID which can
release HYDROGEN CYANIDE GAS. However, as a part of the Gold Plating Manual, we stress the
importance of thorough rinsing in-between the nickel activating step and the gold plating
step. With thorough rinsing, hydrogen cyanide gas fumes, are not an issue.
The really offensive "fumes" come
from as the CHROME STRIPPER FUMES. Ask anyone who has done any Gold Plating. When you
strip the chrome, the chemical fumes from the chrome stripper are noticeable and, to some
extent, are objectionable to some people.
In any event, Gold Plating solutions
"with cyanide" and some "cyanide free" gold plating solutions may be
considered HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. Proper shipping of hazardous materials require special
packaging, labeling, and added expense. Just the same as the chrome stripper and nickel
activator solutions. The main difference is the packaging and labeling.
If you want independent verification, we
strongly urge you to check with UPS. UPS has a special Hazardous Materials staff and each
company has a Hazardous Materials Inspector at each shipping terminal. Shipping Hazardous
Materials illegally can cause a catastrophe.
Can a person ship hazardous materials
without the special packaging and special labeling? Regrettably, they can. And,
unfortunately, some do.
Clearly, it is cheaper to ship in regular
packaging.
- The proper "poison pack" packaging
to LEGALLY ship the standard gold plating solution costs $10.75 for up to a 16 ounce size.
The 16 ounce size is the smallest size they make. A 4 ounce bottle or a 16 ounce bottle
will fit in the container. Volume purchases can slightly lower cost.
- The proper packaging to LEGALLY ship
CORROSIVE chrome stripper or nickel activator, liquid or DRY, is in a special packaging
that costs, approximately, $6.20 for a one gallon size. Volume purchases can slightly
lower that cost. The price for the packaging to legally ship a quart of chrome stripper or
nickel activator is, approximately, $4.50.
Should you care if a vendor ships properly
LEGALLY? To date, there is no information I know of that says you will have to pay a fine
because the vendor shipped improperly to you. However, another way to look at it is this.
All of the companies providing Gold Plating chemicals buy their products from a small
number of different chemical sources. All of these "MAIN SOURCES" properly label
their shipping containers. Since the gold plating solution vendors selling to mobile gold
platers know the items are hazardous materials and needs special packaging and shipping,
their obvious acts of ignoring the rules would make me wonder what else they are doing,
and to whom. Or, if they are misleading, and or, misrepresenting points on shipping, to
UPS and or Federal Express, and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), is there
anything else they may be misleading or misrepresenting, to you?
GOLD PLATING SOLUTIONS come in liquid
concentration and GEL solutions.
Some gold platers want a very liquid
solution because they started that way.
Other gold platers who have experienced the
GEL, prefer the GEL because it does not run off of the side of the vehicle like the liquid
gold plating solution can, and will.
Still other gold platers want to purchase a
full bottle of Gold Plating Solution and convert it to a GEL at their location. The
concept being that the thickening agent waters down the gold concentration and or adds
bulk / volume and they do not get as much for their money.
- One material to thicken the Gold Plating
Solution is 88% water! No evidence exists to prove it is the material used by any vendor
of gold plating solution or every vendor of gold plating solution. However, the product
does exist and it will work. Some may use it, others may not.
- American Gold does not use a water based
material to thicken our Gold Plating Solution. Any customer who wants to thicken their own
solution is welcome to do so. American Gold will sell you the Gold Plating Solution in the
liquid form separate from the material to gel the solution, so you can do the mixing, if
you want to.
- Experience shows American Gold, the material
American Gold uses to GEL the Gold Plating Solution DOES NOT materially add to the volume
of liquid.
- Further, American Gold OVERFILLS the Gold
containers past the appropriate quantity mark whenever we provide Gold Plating Solutions
in the GEL form.
- American Gold fills exactly to the
appropriate full liquid mark whenever we ship liquid gold plating solution.
- Gold Plating Solutions can come in an
assortment of MIXTURES.
Each mixture can, and probably does, have a
different amount of gold in the gold plating solution.
The most common Gold Plating Solution is
the CYANIDE base version. The Cyanide is a HARDENER for the Gold. Although the actual
percentage of CYANIDE is VERY SMALL, it performs a very important function to give the
gold plating a long lasting and durable finish. Cyanide is a poison.
Because there is a component of cyanide in
the mixture, even though it is a very small part of the mixture, the gold plating solution
with cyanide must ship in a special package.
Another version of Gold Plating Solution is
the ARSENIC base version. The Arsenic version does not harden the gold as well as the
cyanide does. Arsenic is still a poison.
Because there is a component of arsenic in
the mixture, even though it is a very small part of the mixture, the gold plating solution
with arsenic must ship in a special package.
There is fresh talk of CYANIDE FREE GOLD
PLATING SOLUTION. This sort of FLASH PLATING can result in a bright finish. However, in
assorted uses, the actual amount of gold deposited onto the surface is substantially less
and not as hard. Therefore, the gold plated finish may suffer from a long term durability
problem and not last as long. Some versions of cyanide free gold is not a hazardous
material, although it is not generally used in the automotive industry, so it can ship
without special packaging. The other cyanide free gold may still be a hazardous material
and require special packaging.
American Gold Plating Equipment &
Supplies has always recommended the standard gold plating solution with the very small
amount of cyanide because it gives the best long lasting results. However, we will
accommodate you with CYANIDE FREE GOLD, if that is what you want.
There may be truth to the idea of watering
down the gold plating solution from some vendors. One of the major suppliers of gold salts
and premixed mobile gold plating solutions explained that people who call them always seem
to ask if the buyer can dilute the premixed mixture of gold plating solution in the
container, changing the HIGH CONCENTRATION of gold into a ratio of less gold by volume.
The answer is, they can, and it is reasonably common to expect this does happen. It is
also very common to have people ask for special mixing of gold levels. This is there the
1/2 an ounce to a gallon came up. And, even at 1/2 an ounce to a gallon, it will gold
plate some.
American Gold Plating Equipment &
Supply mixes our own basic solution and adds in gold salts and a powdered thickening agent
to GEL the Gold Plating solution. We control the quality because we actually mix the
chemicals.
Key Benefits
- Benefit 1. American Gold mixes several
grades of Gold Plating Solution in a GEL form so you will not waste money with gold
running off of your wand or have a spill problem.
-
- Benefit 2. American Gold will provide you
with Gold Plating Solutions in a liquid form if that suits your requirements.
-
- Benefit 3. American Gold will give you the
GEL Materials FREE if you want to GEL your solution after it arrives.
Pricing
Prices of Gold Plating Chemicals fluctuate.
Please call us if you would like prices on Gold Plating Chemicals or check our Chemical
Specials on our other Web Page by CLICKING
HERE.
To go back to our Gold Products Page, CLICK HERE.
To go to our GOLD PLATING INFORMATION PAGE,
CLICK HERE.
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