ELECTROPLATING GUIDE & CATALOGUE 2 ABOUT WIELAND Palloys is committed to innovation, quality, reliability and continued support of the jewellery industry - so our customers’ success becomes our success. That’s why we are so proud to be Australia’s exclusive distributor of Wieland Plating products. Wieland is acknowledged as the leading brand of plating products in the precious metals industry. The portfolio comprises of a wide range of electrolytes used in both functional and decorative electroplating. HOW TO ORDER? Simply call, email, fax or log online to place an order. ONLINE EMAIL PHONE FAX palloys.com.au [email protected] 1300 886 108 +61 2 8571 9222 3 Wieland and Palloys are part of Pallion. Pallion is Australasia’s premier precious metals service group. We employ Australia’s most experienced team of metallurgists, chemists, designers and fabricators to ensure that all Pallion products are of the finest quality. Our scale means that we are able to deliver superior value. With distribution offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, coupled with volume manufacturing capability in Hong Kong and mainland China through our subsidiary Goldenage International. Pallion offers its clients unmatched geographical reach and customer service. Pallion offers a full service solution for precious metals including: • Bullion - Pallion is the exclusive distributor of one of the cornerstones of the Australian gold trading system - ABC Bullion, the Australian Bullion Company. • Refining & Minting -Pallion operates Australasia’s largest and most technologically advanced independent precious metal refining and minting facility – ABC Refinery. • Casting & Custom Jewellery - Pallion operates Australia’s premier jewellery casting and custom jewellery production service at Palloys and Goldenage International. • Fabricated Products - Pallion manufactures and supplies the AGS|PJW and A&E Metals range of superior fabricated metal products in the full spectrum of standard and custom sizes and forms including sheet, wire, chenier and solder. Pallion is the exclusive Australian distributor of Wieland Eletroplating Products, widely acknowledged as the leading global brand of plating products in the precious metal industry. • Findings - Pallion is the exclusive Australian distributor of the Regentco and A&E Metals brand of jewellery findings. With a comprehensive range of findings in carat gold and sterling silver, Regentco findings can also be supplied incorporating client logos. • Vaulting - Pallion provides secure vaulting services at Custodian Vaults, Australia’s premier secure storage facility. ONLINE EMAIL PHONE FAX pallion.com [email protected] 1300 653 808 +61 2 8571 9240 4 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 01 INTRODUCTION 6 - 7 02 GUIDE TO ELECTROPLATING 8 - 11 03 HOW TO PURCHASE PLATING EQUIPMENT & CHEMICALS 12 - 13 04 HARD GOLD PLATING PRODUCTS 14 - 15 05 GOLD ELECTROPLATING GILDING PRODUCTS 16 - 17 06 SILVER & PLATINUM ELECTROPLATING PRODUCTS 18 - 19 07 CLEANING & ACTIVATING PRODUCTS 20 - 21 08 RHODINETTE PEN PLATING PRODUCTS 22 - 23 09 EQUIPMENT & CONSUMABLES 24 - 25 10 TECHNICAL DATA 26 - 37 11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 38 12 INDEX 39 5 01 INTRODUCTION Please note: Products that are marked with a skull symbol require a poisons licence. An ‘Authorisation to Possess Cyanide’ is free of charge and can be obtained from your relevant health department in the state you reside. If you have any enquiries or require assistance with purchasing, please contact us for extra information. All products that require a poisons licence must be couriered by road freight or pick up and can not be sent through postal courier. For more information regarding a poisons licence, visit your relevant state web page below. NSW bit.ly/NSW-poisonslicence VIC bit.ly/VIC-poisonslicence QLD bit.ly/QLD-poisonslicence WA bit.ly/WA-poisonslicence SA bit.ly/SA-poisonslicence NT bit.ly/NT-poisonslicence TAS bit.ly/TAS-poisonslicence 6 ELECTROPLATING IS USUALLY DONE FOR A FEW REASONS: • TO ENHANCE THE COLOUR OF THE PIECE • TO PROTECT THE UNDERLYING METAL FROM DISCOLOURATION OR CORROSION • TO PRODUCE A DIFFERENT OR MORE UNIFORM COLOUR TO THE PIECE When it comes to electroplating, there are a few basic rules that need to be followed to ensure a satisfactory end result. Failure to observe these rules by introducing shortcuts will only result in very small initial time savings, with plenty of time to do it all again properly! It is important to follow the instructions that come with the electroplating salts or solutions. Where salts or solutions require the addition of water, it is critical that distilled water be used as it is chemically pure and therefore does not contain any possible contaminants that could give rise to potential plating defects. The rectifier should be of the required output and the containers for the plating solutions and wash containers should be made of an inert material such as glass or plastic so that they are able to withstand heat if required and not react with the chemicals, as some are cyanide based. Anodes should be of the required standard and cleaned when needed. Distilled water is also referred to as deionised water or demineralised water. INTRODUCTION 7 GUIDE TO 02 ELECTROPLATING 8 ELECTROPLATING STEPS & SETUP FLOWCHART Polish Ultrasonic Degrease Wash in Clean Water Electrolytically Clean Hot Water Rinse Distilled Water Rinse Electroplate Wash in Clean Water Dry Rectifier (D.C. volts) JOB JOB Anode Anode Electroclean Distilled Water Rinse Plating Solution Electrolyte Notes: • The item should be well polished, as the electroplating will tend to reflect the lustre of the piece prior to plating. • The item then needs to be thoroughly degreased - this is best achieved in an ultrasonic cleaner. • The item should then be electrolytically cleaned to produce a chemically clean surface. On removal from the electrocleaning solution, the item should be thoroughly rinsed in hot tap water and inspected. If the film of water on the item is unbroken, then it can be finally rinsed in distilled water and proceed to the next step. If the film of water is broken, then the electrocleaning step should be redone. Thorough cleaning is essential prior to plating otherwise the plated deposit will have poor adhesion and will peel off in extreme cases. • The item may now be introduced into the plating solution and plated. Not following the instructions may result in the colour of the deposit being poor or wrong. • At the conclusion of plating, the item needs to be removed and thoroughly rinsed and dried. GUIDE TO ELECTROPLATING 9 When we plate a piece of jewellery, we are using electricity to facilitate the process. Liquids are excellent conductors of electricity and happen to be an excellent medium within which precious metals can be dissolved for plating (electrolyte). There are two common forms of electrolytes used for plating precious metals: acid-based (rhodium plating) and cyanide based (gold plating). It is very important to separate these two plating solutions as acids and cyanides as they can combine to form hydrogen cyanide gas, which is lethal. When your jewellery item is immersed and electrical currents pass through the solution by means of an anode (+) and a cathode (-), electrolysis is taking place. The jewellery item is connected to the cathode and negatively charged; whilst the positively charged anode is suspended in the electrolyte. When electrical current is flowed through the solution, the gold or rhodium dissolved in the electrolyte is deposited onto the cathode or piece of jewellery to be plated. The amount of electricity used (volts) will determine the amount of time needed to evenly plate the item. The catch here is that too high a voltage can result in burning of the plate surface. Cathode: Negative charge article to Anode: plate connected to the cathode Positive charge Oxygen gas bubbles Hydrogen gas bubbles Electrolyte: A solution that conducts electricity. Plating solutions contains ions Ion: An electrically charged atom or group of atoms. anion ( - ) negative cation ( + ) positive Cation: Anion: a positively charged ion that A negatively charged ion that is attracted to the cathode ( - ) is attracted to the anode ( + ) during electrolysis during electrolysis 10 Power supply unit contains: Rectifier: converts alternating 240 volt current (AC) to direct current (DC) Alternating current Transformer: allows control of (always fatal) the voltage Volts Amperes Fuse Neg ( - ) Pos ( + ) Adjustment knob CATHODE Article connected ANODE to the negative wire - cathode Anode connected to the positive wire Electroplating solution: Platinised titanium anode mesh (Hot plate or gas flame) Electrolytic cleaning: INDIRECTLY HEATED Stainless steel anode GUIDE TO ELECTROPLATING 11 HOW TO PURCHASE PLATING 03 EQUIPMENT & CHEMICALS ONLINE EMAIL PHONE FAX palloys.com.au [email protected] 1300 886 108 +61 2 8571 9222 12 Palloys is the exclusive Australian distributor of Wieland Electroplating products, suitable for Jewellers and Hobbyists. These items are kept in stock for your convenience and can be shipped Australia Wide. To purchase any Wieland product, simply call, fax, email or visit our website. PRODUCT LIST STOCK NUMBER DESCRIPTION POISONS LICENCE 52/AU750SI WILAPLAT 750 SI GOLD PLATING (Au 4gm/l), 1l REQUIRED 52/AUBG1L AUROSTEEL BRIGHT GOLD PLATING (Au 4gm/l), 1l REQUIRED 52/AUBP1L AUROSTEEL HARD GOLD BASE PLATING (Au 4gm/l), 1l REQUIRED 52/GP1000 WILAPLAT GILDING SALT (1000) FINE GOLD, 1l REQUIRED 52/GP1055 WILAPLAT GILDING SALT (1055) YELLOW, 1l REQUIRED