RHodium Plating

[eamon]

Hi guys,

Maybe someone can offer some advice on this subject, as I am unable to find the information online.

I recently melted some 9CT, 18CT yellow gold & Silver. About 25% gold mixture with 75% silver.

I forged out a band roughly 6mm wide and 1mm thick.

It looks kind of like silver with a yellow tint/ hue.

ANyway, I have a bottle of RH2M Rhodium Plating Division. I have done some copper etching with 6V batteries and Pickle which worked out ok using alligator clips.

Does anyone know, could I use the RH2M solution in the same manner. To rhodium plate the Ring? or do I need a lot of other equipment? If I was plating the white gold, what metal could I use as an anode for plating.... silver or does it need to be rhodium?



ANy help or tips/ advice would be much appreciated.

I have only started working with a very small amount of Gold this month, I had some scrap left over and decided to see how it would melt and combine with silver.

Thanks
Eamon

[Dennis]

An expensive experiment with no visible benefit. You can use small scraps of gold to more effect by adding gold detail to silver pieces. My album has some examples.
Rather than waste more of your money, I would suggest you drop it into your scrap pot. Cookson will assay scrap for any combination of gold and silver, once you have collected a worthwhile amount. Dennis

[eamon]

Thanks Dennis,

Lovely work in your albums. Thanks for the tip.

I should have said in my original post. A customer asked me to melt down her grandmother's ring to create a new ring. WHen I melted it the metal was so brittle I decided to add some scrap gold and silver into the mix to try and strengthen the metal. I have managed to create a new ring from the scrap, but it may contain a lot more silver than the original gold. Hence asking about rhodium plating.

All in all a learning experience, as it was really my first time melting down old jewellery to try and create something new.

[Dennis]

Ah well sorry to have been a bit sharp. If they will accept the rhodium colour, then fine, but members experiences have been that the rhodium wears through quite quickly in a patchy way. If given your explanation, they might prefer to wear it as it is. It might even hallmark as 14ct or 9ct white. The assay office would advise you. Dennis.

[eamon]

Have decided to work with the metal as it is, and not go down the Rhodium plating road. THe metal as I work is showing through some gold, which is kind of unusual coloration but I like it so far. Hoping the customer does too. Thanks for the tips in relation to scrap gold. Having a few ideas for Gold detail on rings.
Will post one or two photos when finished. Thanks again Dennis.
Eamon

[Dennis]

Thank you for you feedback. Dennis.