Using lead to repair dents in copper before gold plating

Q. Dear fellow metal workers, I am in the process of prepping copper sinks that will be gold plated. However, some areas are inacessible to remove indentations caused in production. I am planning to fill the damage with lead solder, would this affect the plating process

Be aware that in time the copper and lead will migrate right through the gold and corrode on top. You need a diffusion barrier of palladium or nickel between the copper/lead and the gold. Also. to plate over lead you need to prepare the surface with a dip in fluoboric acid. Lead forms an insoluble salt with sulphates and chlorides, then later the plating peals off.

Lead will absolutely alter your subsequent plating, maybe to the point of making it a total failure. Why not brush plating with copper and dress back the surface to blend the repaired area. Acid copper solution will do a great job. Very fast and localized build-up, no corrosion to surrounding copper, little or no masking, no need to heat the part, no need to change your subsequent gold plating process, etc, etc. If dents are too deep (+1/32") silver brazing would be an option.
G. Marrufo-Mexico