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Plating gold on iron, Consumet iron

We need to gold plate a soft magnetic iron, Consumet. We're set up to plate Pur-a-gold and bright BDT-200. There is opinion that we should copper flash the iron pre gold.

We did try a cyanide copper flash, then cyanide gold, then bright gold, and had adhesion problems, peeling to scotch tape.

Doing the "wrong thing", cyanide gold straight on the Consumet iron, then bright gold, we achieved excellent adhesion. No peeling to tape, even after soaks in liquid nitrogen/hot water for thermal shock.

Anyhow, I'd love to hear general comments on putting gold on iron, especially this soft Consumet that is used for magnetic cores.

Thanks,

ps-We're building small magnetic structures that are used in special radio receivers for radio astronomy, at www.nrao.edu, your National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

Gerry Petencin
electronics, astronomy instruments - Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
2004