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Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit – 1 Litre
You can purchase this kit as it is or if you wish, you can use it as a guide to put together your own bespoke kit. Click on the items in the list to see detailed product information.
With our Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit – 1 Litre you’ll be able to choose the shade of rose gold you want to plate and with the help of our Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator, plate to your required thickness. The price of this kit includes 1 Litre of our Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution.
Scaling up or down; you can scale the volume of this Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit – 1 Litre up or down by swapping in different volumes of our plating beakers. You can also switch easily between our different plating solutions, as the Spa Plating tank plating process is very similar across all of our tanks plating solutions.
If you want to scale down the volume of the 1 litre kit to a 500ml kit for example, these are the core items you will need to change;
Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit – 500ml
Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution – 500ml
Cleaner – 500ml
Stirring Bar – Medium
Plating Beaker – 500ml
Mesh electrode – 500ml
Stainless mesh electrode – 500ml
Beaker Lid – 500ml x 2
Rinse beakers x 6 – 500ml
Filter papers (5 Pack) – 500ml
Funnel – 500ml
These same core products can be scaled down further to 250ml or up to 2 litres.
The rest of the items on the kit list can stay.
Please note: The rose gold solution should only be agitated lightly to ensure an even temperature distribution. Turn off the agitation when plating.
These sterling silver rings have been rose gold tank plated using our Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit and Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution. Our Replenisher System enables you to control the shade of rose gold you require. If you want a richer, redder shade of rose gold you can add our Replenisher B to your new bath, if you want a paler deposit you can add our Replenisher A. For guidance on this, please click HERE to see the ‘Tech Specs’ on our Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution product page. This kit (or any of our other kits, equipment or solutions) is not suitable for plating on to aluminium or titanium and therefore can’t be used to plate iPhones and other similar products. If you are planning on tank plating on to copper and its alloys including brass and bronze you’ll need to brush plate a barrier layer of either palladium or nickel to protect your tank plating solution.
All tank plating solutions need the occasional filter to keep them in good working order and this kit includes one of filter kits to keep your solution working at its optimum level.
In between uses of your rose gold tank plating solution, it’s a good idea to cover your solution with cling film to stop particles of duct and hair getting in as this will over time shorten the life of your solution. It will also reduce the frequency of having to filter your solution.
makes an important contribution to the overall success of the plating process
has been thoroughly tested to ensure it performs its job at the highest level in the overall electroplating process
is either made in-house or has been carefully sourced from our trusted suppliers
These factors ensure consistent, top quality plating results for a fair price.
Our Rose Gold Plating Kit includes;
Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution 250ml
Features
Benefits
Formulated specifically for tank plating
Plates consistently bright up to 1 micron
Additive system based on online calculator
Helps maintain the bath and keep constant colour of rose gold plate
Different shades of rose gold possible
Allows you to plate shades from pale red to red
Plates bright and hard up to 1 micron
Wear rate much decreased and increased scratch resistance
MF Rectifier
Features
Benefits
Current can be set at start of tank plating process and will remain set at that level throughout
No need to check and adjust the setting once the plating process has started, leaving you confident that plating is taking place at a constant level.
Amp meter readable to 2 decimal places
Amp meter readable to 2 decimal places
Can be adjusted for use with brush plating
Allows you to use the brush plating process as a compliment to the tank plating process, which allows for greater flexibility.
Economy Rectifier
Features
Applications
Voltage controlled via a selector switch enabling a range from 3 up to 12 volts. Maximum current is 1.5 amps.
For this kit, used to power the electrocleaning stage to achieve a perfect, water-break free surface. Also can be used for small, one-off silver and gold brush plating plating jobs when used with our brush plating equipment.
Glass Plating Beaker
Comes in 250ml, 500ml and
1litre sizes. With the Mesh Electrodes inserted, the internal dimensions of each size beaker are as follows; 250ml; Height – 7cm, Diameter – 6cm 500ml; H – 10cm, D; 8cm 1Lt; H;13cm, D;8cmPlate different sized objects individually or in small batches, from rings to trophies.
Features
Benefits
Made of pyrex glass
Items being plated can be seen throughout plating process.
No staining from plating solution over time.
Mesh Electrode
Features
Benefits
Made from MMO (mixed metal oxides)
Unlike others made of stainless steel, will not contaminate rhodium plating solution
Cheaper alternative to platinized titanium
Hot Plate Stirrer
Features
Benefits
Fully variable heat control
Allows you to keep your rhodium tank plating plating solution at just the right temperature for optimum performance
Rhodium plating solution is agitated with a magnetic stirrer at the bottom of the beaker during plating.
Mechanical agitation is a safer alternative to air agitation, as it eradicates any risk of the aerosol effect of the rhodium tank plating solution. Mechanical agitation keeps the plating solution moving over the surface of the item being plated in a consistent way, again maximising the efficiency of the tank plating process. Mechanical agitation avoids unnecessary oxidisation of the metal plating solution that air agitation will cause.
Palladium Plated Test Strips (5 pack)
Features
Benefits /Applications
Each brass test strip has been palladium plated in house.
The palladium plate provides a reliable colour base for testing the shades of coloured metals. Essential for establishing the desired shade of the different coloured golds we sell, for example rose, white and green.
Temperature Probe
Features
Benefits
Temperature of solutions can be monitored by pointing the probe at the tank, pulling the trigger with the temperature shown on the LED screen.
The temperature of your plating solution can be quickly and accurately monitored without you having to submerge a thermometer into the solution, avoiding contamination of your plating solution.
Plating Arm and Clamps
Features
Benefits
Made bespoke from solid stainless steel
Fully conductiveWill not corrode and contaminate gold tank plating solutionCan moved up or down the stand in any position to fit any size of plating beaker.
Has ball head join point at one end to accommodate crocodile clip
Ball head allows complete 360 degree movement of crocodile clip, so you can quickly and easily make fine adjustments to the position of you work in the plating solution.
Plating Stand
Features
Benefits
Made from stainless steel
Fully conductive – negative lead connects directly to work through stand, which cuts out need for another trailing wire.
Non-corrodible
Designed to be used with our Plating Arm and Clamp
Allows for complete flexibility – you can adjust height to of arms to accommodate small 250ml tanks up to and including 5 litre tanks
Electrical connection to work via negative lead, plugged into small socket at base of stand
Again avoids having to dangle work on negative lead directly into tank.Can be attached to the base of the Hot Plate Stirrer.
Gold Plated Jigging Wire
Features
Benefits
Gold plated
No risk of contamination of plating solution during plating
Easy to bend by hand
You’ll be able to easily shape jigs for complexly shaped items or a number of smaller items.
MPU
Features
Applications/Benefits
One stage cleaning and activating product
For cleaning and activating in one stage, can replace the ActiClean stage – saves time and money
Can be used during the plating process without having to re-electroclean and activate
Clearing burns or other marks produced during plating – all you have to do is rinse and carry on plating
Metaseal
Features
Applications/Benefits
Non-abrasive
Brings out the final lustre of your work and cuts out the hard work associated with final finishing
Special formulation
Seals in the shine and slows tarnishing
Cleaner
Features
Applications
Fast efficient electro-cleaner
Efficiently creates a water break free surface. Doesn’t attack paint, so safe to use on partially painted surfaces such as car badges. Cleans and reduces oxide layer before activation. Removes tarnish from silver and oxide coating from copper and brass, when used at 10-12 volts.
All tank plating solutions occasionally need filtering to remove particles that build up over time. Our filtering kit makes the process of keeping your tank plating solution in tip top condition easy to set up and mess free. Added to this, regular filtering can help you save money by extending the working life of your tank plating solution.
Our Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit and a fresh bath of our Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution will plate an 18 karat layer of rose gold plate. This guide takes you through the steps of using this kit by showing you how to prepare a test strip as a sample, or swatch of our 18 karat Rose Gold Tank Plating Solution. Once this is done, you will have established a standard shade of 18 karat rose gold that you can refer back to.
It is vital to do test strip because, as you plate your items, you will deplete your rose gold plating solution and will need to add more of our Rose Gold Tank Replenisher A and B to maintain this 18 karat shade of rose gold. By comparing your plated pieces to the initial test strip, you will be able to judge when the bath needs to be topped up with the replenishers.
This isn't the only way of telling if the rose gold bath needs replenishing, as using our Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator will also indicate what needs to be added to maintain an 18 karat shade as you plate your items.
Of course, once you have plated a number of items and become used to adding the replenisher A and B to maintain this shade of 18 karat rose gold, you can then experiment with achieving different shades of rose gold. Adding Replenisher A to an 18 karat bath increases the paleness of the deposit by increasing the amount of gold in the deposit. Conversely, adding Replenisher B to an 18 karat bath increases the redness of the deposit by increasing the amount of copper in the deposit.
Please note: The Rectifier shown in this project has now been discontinued and replaced by the MF Rectifier Mk II.
Working out the settings for your Rose Gold Tank Plating Kit with our Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator and instructions on maintaining the 18kt shade of rose gold of your plating bath
Before you start setting up your kit you will need to use our Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator to work out plating times and settings for the Tank Plating Rectifier. All of our Palladium Plated Test Strips are a standard surface area of 20 squared centimetres up to the scored line. Open the Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator and enter in 0.20 where it asks for the thickness in microns. Then for surface area put in 20 and volume of solution purchased, 1000ml. Press the ‘Calculate’ button and make a note of the settings. These are the settings that you will use to set up your MF Rectifier and to time the plating process. It will tell you how much of the Replenisher A and B you will need to add after you have plated, to return the bath to an 18 karat rose gold.
Clearly, it is impossible to measure out the very small amounts of replenisher that the calculator returns on one plate. What you will need to do is to keep a note of the suggested amounts of Replenisher A and B after each plate and when it has reached a measurable amount, add this to the bath.
1. Setting up your rose gold tank plating equipment
Below is a video showing you how to set up your tank plating equipment.Please remember to set the Tank Plating Rectifier to the setting recommended on our Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator and the Economy Rectifier, which is used to power the Cleaner bath, should be adjusted to 3 volts.
2. Bringing the Rose Gold Plating Solution up to temperature
For the purposes of making a test strip we recommend the operating temperature of your rose gold solution should be 60 degrees centigrade. While the solution is coming up to temperature the stirring mechanism of the Hot Plate Stirrer will need to be turned on. Place the Mini Stirring Bar in the rose gold beaker so that the solution is agitated throughout the heating process, to ensure even heat distribution. Monitor the temperature of your solution with your Temperature Gauge.
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3. Turning off the Stirrer
Once the solution is up to temperature, turn off the Stirrer.
4. Peeling off the plastic
To plate the test strip you’ll first need to peel off the clear strip of blue plastic. You will now clearly see the scored line that you’ll immerse the strip up to in the plating bath.
5. Cleaning the test strip with MPU Fine
Clean the palladium plated surface with a small amount of our MPU Fine.
6. Electrocleaning the test strip
To ensure you have a completely water break free surface, place the test strip in the bath of Cleaner. Leave it in the Cleaner for about a minute.
7. Rinsing the test strip
Once the test strip has been cleaned, rinse off the Cleaner by using our Rinse Bottle over the bath of Cleaner. This will contain traces of Cleaner in the Cleaner bath and stop cross contamination of your rose gold solution. Pass the test strip through the two rinse baths.
8. Plating the test strip in the Rose Gold Plating Solution
Position the test strip in the rose gold bath so that the strip is submerged up to the scored line. Switch on the Tank Plating Rectifier to start the plating.
9. Turning on the Tank Plating Rectifier
Switch on the MF Rectifier Mk II to start the rose gold plating.
9. Setting the time
Start the Plating Timer.
10. Rinsing the test strip
Once the plating time is up, switch off the rectifier and remove the test strip from the crocodile clips. Again, use the Rinse Bottle to rinse off any solution back into the plating beaker to contain as much as the contents of the bath in the plating beaker as possible.
11. Final rinse
Pass the test strip through the final rinse bath.
12. Final finishing
Finish your 18kt rose gold test strip with MetaSeal.
This test strip now provides a record of how the plate looks for 18kt rose gold and will provide an essential reference point for subsequent plating results.
Rose Gold Tank Plating Calculator
Operating Conditions and Deposit Data
Plating Factor (PF)
0.005 A/cm2 (see notes below)
Plating rate
~0.14 micron per minute at 0.01A/cm2
Temperature
50 – 65 °C
pH
9.2 – 9.8
Gold concentration
2 grams per litre
Agitation
None
Electrode
Mesh
Gold content in plate
75% at 60°C (see notes below on variation with temperature)
Copper content in plate
25% at 60°C (see notes below on variation with temperature)
Cathode efficiency
~25% at Plating Factor = 0.01A/cm2
Hardness
380 – 390 Hv
Density of deposit
14.4 g/cm3
Stress
4.4 kg/mm2
Special storage requirements
None
Shelf life
1 – 2 years
Health and Safety classification
Harmful
Special considerations
Contains potassium cyanide (0.35%)
Transport (UN number)
None: Not classified as dangerous for transport
Notes:
Recommended plating thickness between 0.2 and 0.5 micron.
Temperature: Increasing from 50° to 65°C decreases the percentage of gold by
approximately 5%.
Increasing the temperature from 50°C to 60°C almost doubles the plating rate
Reducing the plating factor (PF) from 0.01 to 0.005 has very little effect on composition
but reduces the plating rate by almost half.
Adjusting the pH within the range 10.5 – 11.5 has little effect on the composition or
plating rate.
Plating will start to dull at around 0.2 – 0.3 micron. We recommend light polishing to bring up the full
lustre on deposits up to 1 micron in thickness or more heavy polishing/burnishing on deposits greater
than 1 micron. Barrel burnishing with stainless steel shot is especially effective on rose gold vermeil coatings
(over 3.25 microns).
The plating calculator for this solution is an excellent way of estimating the initial maintenance
additions; however, it becomes less effective as the bath ages and we recommend that
the user makes adjustments based on their own standards.
We recommend storing solution in a bottle if solution is going to be stored for a prolonged period of time.
Recommendations for adjusting the composition (changing the colour) of the deposit by adding replenishers.
Adding Replenisher A to a new bath increases the paleness of the deposit by increasing the amount of gold
in the deposit. On a fresh bath, Adding 12.5 ml of Replenisher A to 1 litre of new solution will increase the amount of
gold by approximately 2.5%.
Adding Replenisher B to a new bath increases the redness of the deposit by increasing the amount of
copper in the deposit.
General guide;
Certain small items, for example Swabs, Nibs and Plating Pens can be sent by normal post within the UK
The courier option for UK deliveries is FedEx
Free UK mainland delivery available on orders over £200
International orders usually 3-5 working days.
For all price quotations for deliveries, please add your items to our shopping cart. You will be able to see the shipping costs by clicking on the ‘Calculate shipping’ button in the cart and before checking out.
You can access our MSDS by scanning the QR code which is on our product bottles.
Here is a video to show you how;
