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How to Rhodium Plate Sterling Silver
Steve Miller from our Tools Team demonstrates how to apply a rhodium plating to sterling silver. Some of the items include: Rhodium Plating Kit Clean Earth Activator Rhodium Bath Plating Solution Electrocleaner Nickel plating solution Nickle Plating Anode Palladium Plating Bath Platinized Titanium Anode
Products in How to Rhodium Plate Sterling Silver Video
Video Transcript
We talked the last time about plating your white gold jewelry, but I know that silver is becoming a popular item for most store owners. Today I'd like to show you how to plate silver. Luckily the process is just as simple. It only requires one added step.
The most important step to plating is starting with a clean piece of jewelry. This is true whether you're plating gold or silver. Do this by polishing the ring, cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner, rinse in distilled water, and then steam cleaning. To begin the actual plating process, you will need to mix the chemical baths. These are the same baths using gold plating. Place 2 teaspoons of electrocleaner in a beaker three-quarters of the way filled with distilled water. Now place two teaspoons of the activator powder in another beaker that is three-quarters of the way filled with distilled water. Now mix the actual rhodium solution by pouring the two containers of rhodium into an empty bottle and fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water. Pour the rhodium solution into a beaker with a platinized titanium anode. The only additional bath needed is a beaker filled with nickel and a nickel anode.
Now that the jewelry is clean and the baths are ready, you can begin plating. Set the rectifier to six volts and heat the electric cleaner and rhodium solutions to 100 degrees. Place the positive lead of the rectifier on the stainless steel anode and the negative lead to a hook gold wire. Suspend the jewelry piece from this gold wire. Lower the piece into the electrocleaner for two minutes, then remove and rinse in distilled water. Next, lower the ring into the activator which should be at room temperature with no volts for 30 seconds. Then remove and rinse in distilled water. Now heat the nickel solution to 100 degrees, attach the positive lead wire to the nickel anode, and set it to three volts. Lower the piece into the nickel solution for 45 seconds then remove and rinse in distilled water. If you are allergic to nickel, you can use a palladium solution with a platinized titanium anode at three volts as well. Just heat the palladium solution to 125 degrees first, then remove and rinse in distilled water. Finally lower the piece into the rhodium at three volts for 30 seconds.
Once removed from the solution your jewelry has been rhodium plated to a silver finish. It's as easy as that. Now you can have a plated piece of silver jewelry that looks great.
The most important step to plating is starting with a clean piece of jewelry. This is true whether you're plating gold or silver. Do this by polishing the ring, cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner, rinse in distilled water, and then steam cleaning. To begin the actual plating process, you will need to mix the chemical baths. These are the same baths using gold plating. Place 2 teaspoons of electrocleaner in a beaker three-quarters of the way filled with distilled water. Now place two teaspoons of the activator powder in another beaker that is three-quarters of the way filled with distilled water. Now mix the actual rhodium solution by pouring the two containers of rhodium into an empty bottle and fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water. Pour the rhodium solution into a beaker with a platinized titanium anode. The only additional bath needed is a beaker filled with nickel and a nickel anode.
Now that the jewelry is clean and the baths are ready, you can begin plating. Set the rectifier to six volts and heat the electric cleaner and rhodium solutions to 100 degrees. Place the positive lead of the rectifier on the stainless steel anode and the negative lead to a hook gold wire. Suspend the jewelry piece from this gold wire. Lower the piece into the electrocleaner for two minutes, then remove and rinse in distilled water. Next, lower the ring into the activator which should be at room temperature with no volts for 30 seconds. Then remove and rinse in distilled water. Now heat the nickel solution to 100 degrees, attach the positive lead wire to the nickel anode, and set it to three volts. Lower the piece into the nickel solution for 45 seconds then remove and rinse in distilled water. If you are allergic to nickel, you can use a palladium solution with a platinized titanium anode at three volts as well. Just heat the palladium solution to 125 degrees first, then remove and rinse in distilled water. Finally lower the piece into the rhodium at three volts for 30 seconds.
Once removed from the solution your jewelry has been rhodium plated to a silver finish. It's as easy as that. Now you can have a plated piece of silver jewelry that looks great.
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