Summary for top coats on gold plating Discussion
Top coats on gold plating are discussed in the context of brass hardware and bathroom accessories, where Hitesh asked what coating would help him offer a good product guarantee. Ted Mooney, P.E. said the industry standard is to build the finish with electroless nickel first for fill and corrosion resistance, then hard chrome, and then a PVD coating for color. He noted that ZrN is the most common PVD coating, while TiN is also used, along with alloys of the two and possibly carbon additions. According to Ted, this approach can produce a range of gold/brass-like colors while improving durability. The thread does not mention any alternative methods or disagreements, just this recommended coating stack.
Q. DEAR SIR, I AM INTO MANUFACTURING BRASS HARDWARE. WE DO JOBS LIKE MAKING HANDLES AND KNOBS IN India. ON THIS WE DO GOLD PLATING.NOW WE ARE COMING OUT WITH BATHROOM ACCESSORIES. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT COATING TO GIVE ON THESE PLATED SURFACE SO THAT ONE CAN GIVE A GOOD GUARANTEE ON THE PRODUCT.
I AWAIT YOUR REPLY. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE. HITESH.
hitesh gilder
– bombay, maharashra, India
2003
A. The standard in the industry is to start with electroless nickel for fill and corrosion resistance, followed by hard chrome, followed by a PVD coating for color. ZrN is the most common PVD coating, but TiN is used, as well as alloys of the two, maybe with some carbon added. This gives you a wide range of colors in the gold/brass range.
Jim Treglio – scwineryreview.com
PVD Consultant & Wine Lover
San Diego, California
2003
Dear Hitesh,
Try Clear Electrophoretic lacquer or clear lacquer with a Gold dye.
Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
2003
Well buffed brass components can be coated by Titanium Nitride (TiN) which is a very hard and inert material (& looks like brass/gold) by plasma PVD techniques. The TiN coated component does not tarnish and lasts longer. If required it can be coated with gold on TiN.
H.R. Prabhakara – Consultant
Bangalore Plasmatek – Bangalore Karnataka India
2003
Dear Hitesh,
You can go for PVD coating. This coating gives you options in different colours viz., gold, brown, brass colour etc. PVD coating gives the products a superior life as compared to the conventional coating.
Rahul Pandit
– Mumbai
2003
Q. Hi Rahul,
Just to confirm, do we use actual gold for gold coating in PVD or is the colour derived from alloys?
Regards
Ajay Lulla
– Mumbai, Maharashtra
December 25, 2014
A. Hi Ajay. Although gold can be applied by PVD processes (it’s often done in aerospace technology), I’m sure that Rahul was referring to Titanium Nitride, Zirconium Nitride, and similar hard PVD coatings that do not involve precious metals.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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December 2014