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Q&As since 1989
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Want trophy plating whiter than silver plating
Q. I'm looking for the whitest (or lightest) color metal for plating trophies. The trophies are cast in bronze and range in size from belt buckle size to figures that stand 24" high. My guess would be they might need to be plated with a different metal before the final plating.
1: Is there a metal that is lighter in color than silver? I think I've seen a picture of "white" tungsten that looks "whiter" than silver but I'm not sure of the plating procedure or cost. I like the look of silver but not excited about the fact they will tarnish.
2: Any suggestions for achieving a metal plating that fits the description I'm looking for? It would be nice if the procedure was close in cost to silver plating or cheaper.
Thank you
Artist - Colorado
February 12, 2019
February 18, 2019
A. Hi Scott, Many plating companies offer creative cost effective "silver" plating substitute's. If you dig in you'll find many Zinc and Tin alloys are being offered by suppliers as a silver substitute with a far grater corrosion/tarnish resistance. If your looking for a finish that is brighter then 999 silver plate that will not tarnish I'm afraid your going to have to pay more. The Platinum group metals being commonly used in plating that will achieve both the bright white finish and the strong resistance to corrosion would be Rhodium and Platinum. Palladium offers a great corrosion resistance but is a darker metal with a tone closer to Nickel then silver. Here is a link with some good comparisons. These are not all plated metals but can give you a better understanding as to how they stand up next to one another.
https://coreyegan.com/blogs/blog/white-metals-comparison
Chance Dunstan
Electroplating/Forming/Coating Manager
Placerville, California USA
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