Silver Electroforming Solution – Public Page

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Spa Plating’s Silver Electroforming Solution plates a ductile matte-satin layer of silver that can plate to a thickness in excess of 1,000 microns. It can be easily burnished or polished.

Our Silver Electroforming Calculator will help you silver electroform to your desired thicknesses and also guide you in maintaining your solution in good working order with the correct additions.

Note:
We have been able to keep the cyanide content of this solution to a minimum and it is rated as a category III toxic substance which is at the lower end of the toxic spectrum.
We can only sell this product to business that are VAT registered.

Recommended 500ml volume plating beaker kit list

500 ml silver electroforming solution

MF Rectifier Mrk ll

Red Lead Short 9).25metre)

Black Lead (1.5 metre)

Copper Crocodile Clip x 2

Plating Beaker – 500ml

Beaker Ring for Plating in a Beaker – 500ml

Platinum Rod Electrode for Beaker Plating x 2 For 500ml  Beaker (6mm Diameter x 100mm Length)

Anode Bag x 2 – 500ml

Jig Holder for Plating Beaker – 500ml

Magnetic Stirrer – Medium

Stirring Bar – Medium

Conductive Paint

Gold Plated Jigging Wire

Rinse Bottle

Assorted Nitrile Gloves

Safety Glasses

This jade pendant has been selectively silver electroformed with our silver electroforming solution and equipment. Instructions for this can be seen below.

The process for silver electroforming the jade pendant is as follows;
1. Make sure the surface is completely free of dirt and grease.
2. Apply our Conductive Paint to the areas where you want to build a layer of silver.

3. Suspend the item in our silver electroforming solution, making sure there is electrical contact between the jigging wire and the conductive paint on your items.

4. Once your item is silver electroformed, it can be burnished to the shine you require.

Our silver electroforming solution is ideal for creating mounts for pebbles and crystals.

This is an example of our silver electroforming process being exploited for its mechanical/joining possibilities.

Two strips of fine silver were woven together to create the structure and then it was electroformed in the plating beaker.

The deposited layer of silver fused the surfaces that were touching together, creating a solid, rigid form.

This has a number of advantages. These kinds of complex shapes can be difficult and time consuming to solder. Also, firing vitreous enamel on to such structures would be easier as there wouldn’t be any solder seams to worry about.

Back to Product Description

Operating Conditions and Deposit Data

Plating Factor 0.005 – 0.01A/cm2
Plating rate (low speed) 0.33 micron per minute at plating factor: 0.005 A/cm2 (see
notes)
Plating rate (medium speed) 0.5 micron per minute at plating factor: 0.0075 A/cm2 (see
notes)
Plating rate (high speed) 0.66 micron per minute at plating factor: 0.01 A/cm2 (see notes)
Maximum plate thickness Over 1000 microns (1mm)
Temperature 18 – 30 °C
pH 9.5 – 13
Silver concentration 36 grams per litre
Free cyanide concentration 40 grams per litre as KCN (see notes)
Agitation Light to moderate
Electrode Pure silver (see notes)
Silver content in plate 99.9% (balance carbon)
Finish Matt, satin, semi-bright (see notes)
Reflectivity of deposit High: L*96 (CIELab)
Cathode efficiency 100%
Hardness 251 MPa (Vickers)
Density of deposit 10.5 g/cm3
Stress Very low
Special storage requirements Keep hermetically sealed when not in use
Shelf life 3 – 6 months (see notes)
Health and Safety classification Toxic category III
Special considerations Contains potassium cyanide (4%) (see notes)
Transport (UN number) UN1935

 

Notes:

  • Three different speeds are available; low, medium and high. Greater
    levelling is obtained at a lower plating speed, whereas brighter but
    less levelled deposits are obtained at a higher plating speed.
  • Anodes should be bagged to avoid particulate matter entering the
    solution and causing roughness.
  • This is a low-cyanide type silver plating solution. When not in use the
    plating solution should be hermetically sealed to minimise ingress of
    oxygen that can rapidly deplete it. If using a plating beaker, sealing can
    be achieved by covering with PVC cling film and securing with an elastic band.
  • Maximum levelling (smoothness) is achieved at lower cyanide levels and
    low plating speed (at or below 0.005 A/cm2).
  • Free cyanide (as KCN) depletes when kept in an open container at
    approximately 10g/l per month and in a hermetically sealed container at
    approximately 2g/l per month.
  • If you wish to use this solution outside its shelf life, you will need
    to add potassium cyanide in order to raise the free cyanide level.
    There are a number of sources that sell this compound throughout the UK.
  • We have succeeded in keeping the cyanide content of this solution to a
    minimum and as such is rated as a category III toxic substance,
    which is on at the lower end of the toxic spectrum.
    We can only sell this product to business customers with registered business
    addresses.
  • The silver coating is easily burnished (either in a barrel polisher or by hand) to
    a mirror-bright finish.

 

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.

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