How to silver plate flatware

I have just started working with silver plated flatware. Some of the flatware is dull or pitted and some I might scratch. I just wanted to sell the best looking jewelry in the festival. I need to re-plate about 100 pieces a week.

Hi, John,
there are two ways to get silver plated onto this flatware: send it to a plating shop or do it yourself. You can probably get truly professional results with the first path if you wish.

If you decide to do it yourself,
there are two ways to get silver plated onto this flatware: immersion plating or true electroplating. Immersion plating is a technical term and doesn't necessarily mean immersing the flatware -- it can be a rub-on process. But the heart of it is that no electricity is required; rather the difference in electromotive potential between the silver in the solution and the exposed nickel-silver that the flatware is made of comprises a battery that drives the deposition. Once the flatware has a very very thin coating of silver on it, the reaction stops. So this is not for robust plating, but some people like it.

If you decide to electroplate it,
there are two ways to get silver plated onto this flatware: cyanide based silver plating solution, or non-cyanide. 90% or more of all silver plating is done in cyanide based plating solutions, as has been the case for a hundred years, because the process is robust and the color of the silver comes out right. But cyanide is a very powerful and fast acting poison that doesn't belong in a residential environment. I rather doubt that, post 9/11, you will be able to buy it. Non-cyanide silver plating solutions are available from the site's supporting advertisers EPI / Electrochemical Products Inc. [a finishing.com supporting advertiser] and Zinex, and others. But most non-cyanide silver plating is for electronic components where the exact color isn't critical. The color may be good enough for resale of old flatware though.

We have an FAQ "Silver Plating at Home". Good luck.

Regards,

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