Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Any alternate electroplating salts which can give silver colour?

We do electroplating of copper wires of 36 to 42 gauge. We use the process of spool to spool basis. First we do electroplating of copper through copper cyanide bath and than of silver bath as per requirement. We want to save silver as its rates are drastically increasing day by day. Is there any method of electroplating which can give us silver finish colour without silver, or any other electroplating salt which can be added in silver bath which can save Silver? This same process we do gold plating also..and we also need something alternative source of electroplating salts which can give similar colour like gold..or any addition of electroplating salts into gold plating bath where we can save gold.

Dhiren Patel
buyer - Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
April 15, 2010

Hi, Dhiren. Silver is silver and gold is gold. You can get a silvery color by tin plating, or a goldish color by brass plating -- but you haven't told us the application. Is the wire used for electronics, or sold as jewelry wire, or what?

Maybe you could do white bronze plating before the silver or gold in order to reduce the required thickness? Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 15, 2010

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May 12, 2010

Dear Mr.Ted,
I apologize for the late reply. Thanks for the reply and you also wants some information for the end use of this wire...we manufacture different items from this wire for embroidery work on dress material and Sarees. We already do gold plating and silver plating since last 50 years,but as off now both the elements are too costly..so we are looking for something new where we can get the colour on those wire exactly or almost similar to gold and silver.We are also interested in technology where we can apply any kind of colours on tin plated copper wires or silver plated wires.This colour should not come out after it is applied on the wires. Is there any colour electroplating salts which can be directly added to silver bath where we can get that colour shade..for e.g if pink colour is added in silver bath and the tin plated wire is passed through it...that colour should come on that tin plated copper wire along with silver.We are very keen to obtain such kind of technology. Thanking you. Regards.

Dhiren Patel
- Ahmedabad

Hi, Dhiren. You could look into tinted electrophoretic lacquers to be deposited on top of the tin plating, but I don't know if the color and durability will prove sufficient or not.

I am not personally aware of any alloying metals being used in a silver bath to give different colors, but it sounds like a promising idea to deposit copper with the silver to give a light orange shade.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 12, 2010

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June 2, 2010

Dear Dhiren,
You can use white bronze; white bronze looks very near to silver not same but you can try it out.
thanks

Sunil Goel
- Mumbai, India

Hi. Can we do golden lacquer polish on white bronze electroplated stuff?

Aamir Kanorwala
- Mumbai, India
September 19, 2011

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Hi, Aamir.

I don't have any reason to think it wouldn't work.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 19, 2011