Letter 25895

Gold plating an aluminum sword  

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I am an artist, and I have been crafting a decorative sword for a while now. The sword is very important to me, because it symbolizes me. I have been reinventing the metal working process during the sword's construction. The blade is made of construction grade steel and has been chrome plated. I cast an aluminum handle around the base of the blade. When the blade was plated the electrode had to be attached to the aluminum handle. Unfortunately, the current which passed through the handle oxidized the piece of the handle below the electrode. I am in the process of trying to repair the oxidization right now. Next, I want specific regions of the handle to be gold plated, but I am concerned that the handle, or worse the blade, will be damaged when electricity passes through the sword. I would like to know a few things. I want to do as much of the work as possible. Is there a way I could plate the handle safely myself? How can I clean the residue from the handle if it needs to be plated professionally? I would also like to do this as cheaply as possible. Any suggestions y'all have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you:)

Brandon Christeson
artist - Plano, Texas, USA

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