gold plating pine cones,leaves

Hi all, i have been searching for days and have been unable to find
any help on how to gold dip/gold plate miniature pine cones (for use
in jewelry) can anyone send me in the right direction? books,
tutorials, anything?
thank you!
Linda

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:39:02 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry
wrote:

Hi all, i have been searching for days and have been unable to find
any help on how to gold dip/gold plate miniature pine cones (for use
in jewelry) can anyone send me in the right direction? books,
tutorials, anything?
thank you!
Linda

"gold dip" is a marketing phrase that sounds nice to the public, but has little
relationship to the reality of the processes.

These are done by a variation on electroplating called electroforming, which
puts on a substantially thicker layer of metal than traditional electroplating.
Usually, most of the metal applied is copper, over which a thin gold
electroplate is then applied. The objects to be plated have to be first coated
with an electrically conductive paint, as well as sealed from absorbing liquid
in the case of porous organic materials. Then, normal plating and
electroforming methods are used. Pine cones are difficult, since plating
methods tend not to get down into the deep recesses very well.

The other way such things are done are just by using the pine cones (etc) the
same as a wax model, and buring them out and casting them in solid metal using
the lost wax casting method. For higher production, molds can be made of an
original, and then wax injected into the molds. Castings from wax models tend
to be cleaner than those from burned out natural objects, since you don't then
have to contend with ash in the mold.

Most of the leaves I've seen are electroformed, since their flat thin shape
lends itself to this, while most of the little pine cones I've seen were solid
castings, not coatings on the original pine cone.

Search for electroforming as a search term, and you should be able to find
sources of materials. Rio Grande carries, or used to, some of the copper
electroforming supplies you might need, as well as the usual gold/silver/etc
electroplating stuff.

Peter

Peter, thats EXACTLY what I needed to know! thank you so much. I
received one as a gift 20yrs ago and have always wanted to do it
myself. I am looking into equipment, supplies and the like
thanks again, I'm psyched now!
Linda
design27.com

wrote in message
...
Peter, thats EXACTLY what I needed to know! thank you so much. I
received one as a gift 20yrs ago and have always wanted to do it
myself. I am looking into equipment, supplies and the like
thanks again, I'm psyched now!
Linda
design27.com


What could it have been?

Just as an aside while on the subject of plating, just reminiscing, here's a
story from the past.

I recall buying some 'magic' plating solution that really did work. It was
way back in the early '60s on a holiday trip to London. We visited a well
renowned (then at least - perhaps still?) market street named Petticoat
Lane. At around the age of ten, being brought up in the quiet countryside
this was an amazing experience - it seemed you could buy just about anything
here - and more! Stalls/barrows lined the streets both sides and thronged
with browsers and buyers - a wonderland to be sure.

Anyway we came upon this stall that was selling amongst a huge array of
other things 'Magic silver plating solution' or similarly named. A little
bottle about two or three inches tall and one and a half inches diameter.
The stopper was a cork. The solution in the bottle seemed to separate
fairly easily leaving around a quarter of an inch of medium/light brown
(almost light copper colour) residue in the bottom and a clear liquid taking
up the remainder of the bottle - it wasn't too expensive and I was hooked!


You simply gave the bottle a good shake, placed a penny or something
metallic in (say) a saucer and poured the 'magic' liquid over the penny
until covered. I don't recall how long it had to remain there but it was
only a few minutes or so, and I don't recall if it began to change colour
whilst in the bath. However when you took it out and dried it and then gave
it a good rub between some soft cloth it immediately became bright silver -
almost chrome plate appearance -- indeed it was magic.

We would pour the unused liquid back into the bottle and cork it for another
day.

If I haven't bored you yet then there's a little anecdote attached to this
stuff -- quite possibly not unique.

It those days in our small town it was customary that at break times in
high-school we were allowed 'up the street' to buy a snack or more likely a
fly cigarette! We had been taking the 'silvered' pennies into school to
show around to our mates. Everybody wanted one and we were happy to oblige.
It was one day 'up the street' at break time that one of our more
entrepreneurial mates decided to capitalise on the effect. He decided to
spend it in the baker's and bought half a dozen cream buns using his shiny
(half crown!!!). I wasn't there at the time but as I recall he got out of
the shop and managed to devour only part of the first bun out of the bag
before the shopkeeper caught up with him -- you could drag a kid by the ear
to the headmaster in those days!

I don't think anything much happened about it apart from a stern lecture and
'six of the best' to the culprit. The rest of us were given a lecture in
the possible dangers of even contemplating such activities.

That was it - it was only used for good after that episode.

Bet to digress. If any of you readers recognise the description of this
magic fluid I would be very interested to learn just what it was that was in
the bottle and how it managed to apply such a splendid plating (colouring)
in such a short time just by steeping in it. It was remarkably resilient as
I recall.

Anybody?

Thanks for reading,
Neil

Neil wrote:

Bet to digress. If any of you readers recognise the description of this
magic fluid I would be very interested to learn just what it was that was in
the bottle and how it managed to apply such a splendid plating (colouring)
in such a short time just by steeping in it. It was remarkably resilient as
I recall.

Anybody?


I remember that stuff, it was great fun plating every metal object in
sight . It looks like it's still available:

http://tinyurl.com/2chxfv

Re "Silver" plating coins.

Probably an acid solution of a mercury salt. Highly poisonous and quite
irresponsible to sell to anyone without chemical or medical knowledge,
especially a child, but very effective in coating a coin with a thin
bright coating of mecury metal.
I think it was illegal even then - defacing British coinage was once an
arrestible offence.

G.H.Ireland

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On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:19:22 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Mr G H Ireland
wrote:


Probably an acid solution of a mercury salt. Highly poisonous and quite
irresponsible to sell to anyone without chemical or medical knowledge,

The version I recall, sold for electronics use but doing the same thing, wasn't
mercury salts, but rather tin. At least, tin was the metal deposited, and the
coating was nice and bright, as I recall...

PWR

"Mr G H Ireland" wrote in message
...
Re "Silver" plating coins.

Probably an acid solution of a mercury salt. Highly poisonous and quite
irresponsible to sell to anyone without chemical or medical knowledge,
especially a child, but very effective in coating a coin with a thin
bright coating of mecury metal.
I think it was illegal even then - defacing British coinage was once an
arrestible offence.


Yes I suppose it would have been classed as defacing the coin of the realm,
but I don't think we knew about then and we couldn't afford to do too much
damage. Come to think about though it we used to make RAF Spitfire lapel
badges from ha'pennies (well, we thought they were a reasonable likeness
Bent double and squashed flat in a vice, then the radiused edges bent
outward to form two flaps. Finally the parts of the flaps cut away to leave
the main and tail wings. Oh yes, I'd almost forgot, we would embed one side
of a small safety pin within the centre seam. Sounds a pretty coarse job -
and it probably was!

"Peter W.. Rowe," wrote in message
news
On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:19:22 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry Mr G H Ireland
wrote:


Probably an acid solution of a mercury salt. Highly poisonous and quite
irresponsible to sell to anyone without chemical or medical knowledge,

The version I recall, sold for electronics use but doing the same thing,
wasn't
mercury salts, but rather tin. At least, tin was the metal deposited, and
the
coating was nice and bright, as I recall...


I think I still have one lying in a box of long forgotten coins collection.
Is there any simple test I could do to determine if it was tin or mercury?