For Gold, Nickel and Rhodium Plating
Setup
The Shor pen can be used with any suitable rectifier that operates in the proper voltage and amperage range. The pen is attached to the positive lead of the rectifier and contains an anode inside. The negative lead from your rectifier should be clamped to your work piece for better contact. If you are working on an item that is impossible to clamp directly to the work piece, then a probe can be attached to your negative lead and pressed firmly against the work piece. Make certain that you are getting good contact.
General Instructions
- Submerge the complete tip of the pen into the plating solution. When starting out, leave the tip of the pen submerged in the solution for a couple of seconds. Plating is done by a light, quick motion on the area to be plated.
Caution: Make sure that the metal rod that is against the side of the tip does not touch the work piece. Doing so will short out your rectifier
- Keep the pen moving and continue to make contact with the surface until the desired thickness is built up. After desired thickness is achieved, rinse in water and wipe dry with a paper towel.
- It is easier if a separate pen is used for each plating solution, but if you use the same pen for different solutions, be sure to change the tip and rinse the pen in about two inches of water before using.
- The tip of the plating pens can be trimmed to different shapes with a razor and extra tips are available.
Gold Plating
- On the rectifier, set your control at about a 2:00 position to start. You can adjust your setting up or down from there after you start to work, if necessary.
- On the rectifier, set your voltage to 4 volts as a starting point. Adjustments up or down can be made from there.
- Shor 24k Gold Pen Plating Solution was designed to work best between 2 & 9 volts. Gold plating solution will plate directly on stainless steels and other difficult to plate metals such as copper, silver, nickel and regular steel.
Note: Be sure that the surface is cleaned with denatured alcohol. The most common mistake people make is not sufficiently cleaning the surface to be plated.
Nickel Plating
Nickel plating is done at between 3-9 volts. On some items, nickel makes a great base coat before gold plating. Also, nickel adds strength to an item after plating.
Rhodium Plating
Rhodium plating is done at 4-5 volts. The rhodium color looks great on heads when setting diamond or white cz=s.