I thought I understood Gold Plating

[pokermandown]

I hate when reality collides with my understanding. I have ready many times on this forum that all plating is 24k. I have read that from many of the most knowledgable folks on this forum. I thought I understood the chemistry of Au electroplating. It made good sense. Then I run into a "reputable" web site that is offering 14k and 18k plating solutions. *BOOM* mind blown. How in the physics can this be so? I would love to get a little help understanding how you can move Au⁺ ions at the same speed and time as other ions.

this is the site that caused my existential crisis: https://www.goldplating.com/collections/vendors?q=Plating%20Solutions

Looking forward to learning something new!

Thanks
-PMD

 

[anachronism]

Hi

It might be that you've construed something somewhat slightly differently from the information presented. All gold plating on ewaste fingers etc is 24k.

 

[nickvc]

The plating solutions are all high gold content and the description of 14 or 18 karat plate refers only to the color of the plating, but the gold content will still be 23k + as you cant plate alloys very well.

 

[galenrog]

12K, 14K, and 18K are common on plated jewelry. Plated fingers, pins, and sockets in electronics is almost always .999, or 24K.

Time for more coffee.

 

[g_axelsson]

If you follow the link and dig a bit deeper (reading beyond the header) it states that it is a cobalt hardened bright gold bath with a purity of 99.7%. (It's all in the technical data sheet).

As people have said, it's just different colors. Even the bottle states 24k on the first line below 14k header on the label.

Göran

 

[pokermandown]

Thank you all. It is reassuring to know that chemistry still works

 

[Lino1406]

Hollow gold jewelry uses 9K, 14K etc. The electroformed gold contains 2 metals except gold and "the velocity of ions" is controlled by voltage, concentration, temperature

 

[Geo]

Karat gold can and is plated. The metals added modifies the natural quality of the gold in some way. Hardener, brightener. A slot card is designed to be plugged in and unplug through many cycles. It would make the gold plating more durable if there was a hardener added to the gold. In a visual object, color enhancement is desired.

 

[nickvc]

Karat gold can and is plated. The metals added modifies the natural quality of the gold in some way. Hardener, brightener. A slot card is designed to be plugged in and unplug through many cycles. It would make the gold plating more durable if there was a hardener added to the gold. In a visual object, color enhancement is desired.

To make sure that no one thinks the plating is of low karat I will repeat all plating is near fine gold with minimal traces of other elements to add the desired color or property, much Italian lower karat jewellery is flash plated to give it a better color to make it visually more appealing.