Price range: £74.06 through £1,634.62 + VAT
Our Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution plates a 19 carat gold film with a yellow hue. You can customise your own shade (from a hint of gold to pale yellow with a hint of green) by varying the level of volts. Please see the ‘Tech Specs’ tab for details.
High plating rate: see Tech Specs tab above.
HS Code: 3824 99 70
Our Gold Brush Plating Kit is a great choice to get started with gold brush plating. It includes 50ml of this gold brush plating solution and is based around our MultiPlater. This power source is designed and made by us at Spa Plating and is really straightforward to use.
The following video shows how to use our gold brush plating kit and would be suitable for use with this solution.
Back to Product Description
Operating Conditions and Deposit Data
| Voltage Range | 2.6v-hint of gold, 4.00v-pale yellow gold with a green tint |
| Temperature | 14 – 25 °C |
| Gold Concentration | 6 g/l |
| Electrode | Platinum |
| Gold content in plate | 80% |
| Plating Rate at (3.5 volts, Platinum electrode) | 1.1 micron per minute (spot) @3.5 volts, Platinum Electrode |
| Hardness | 160 – 180 Hv |
| Density of deposit | 14 – 15 g/cm3 |
| Stress | Medium stress |
| Special storage requirements | Away from sunlight |
| Shelf life | 3 months |
| Health and Safety classification | Harmful |
| Special considerations | Contains potassium cyanide (0.2%) |
| Transport (UN number) | None: Not classified as dangerous for transport |
Notes:
Certain small items, for example Swabs, Nibs and Plating Pens can be sent by normal post within the UK
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.
Please click on the link below to download the SDS for this product:
https://goldn.co.uk/msds/pale_yellow_gold_brush_plating_solution.pdf
Fault |
Possible cause |
Diagnostic clue |
Corrective action |
No plating at all |
Open circuit | If you are using a MultiPlater, an open circuit is indicated by a continuous red light. A conventional power supply will show zero amps. | Check the workpiece connection, electrode and leads. If you are unsure whether the surface itself is electrically conductive, check it with the Conductivity Tester before continuing. |
| Connections reversed | The MultiPlater will still show a green light and a conventional power supply will still show amps. | Correct the polarity. The workpiece must be negative and the platinum electrode positive. | |
| Swab not fully wetted with plating solution | No current flows if the plating solution does not make contact between the electrode and the workpiece. | Make sure the swab is fully wetted with plating solution. | |
| Trying to plate directly onto a PVD coating | Little or no Pale Yellow Gold may deposit. In some cases irregular swirling or streaked marks can appear across the surface. The swab may also become dark or gold-coloured as tiny particles of the PVD coating detach and collect on it. | Do not brush plate directly onto the PVD coating. Remove the PVD coating completely, then prepare and plate the underlying surface. | |
| Trying to plate directly onto nickel or stainless steel | Electrical contact is present, but little or no Pale Yellow Gold plating takes place. | Do not plate Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution directly onto nickel or stainless steel. Use the appropriate adhesion/barrier process and a compatible intermediate layer before applying the Pale Yellow Gold. | |
| Platinum coating on the electrode completely worn away | If you are using a MultiPlater, a continuous red light will show. A conventional power supply will show zero amps even though the electrical connections are sound. | Replace the worn platinum electrode. | |
| Existing clear coat or E-coating on the surface | A continuous clear insulating coating prevents electrical contact with the underlying metal, so no gold plates. With a MultiPlater, the indicator remains red because no current is flowing. The coating can be difficult to see and the underlying surface may still look metallic. | Check the surface with the Conductivity Tester if necessary. Completely remove the clear coat or E-coating, then prepare the exposed metal using the appropriate process before plating. | |
Plating is slow |
Solution is becoming exhausted | The solution has been used repeatedly and the plating rate has gradually become slower. | Replace with fresh Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution. Do not attempt to adjust the metal concentrations. |
| Swab is not fully wetted/saturated with plating solution | Plating takes place, but more slowly than expected. | Make sure the swab is fully wetted and saturated with plating solution throughout the plating process. | |
| Swab is too small for the area being plated | The plating is progressing normally and there is good electrical contact, but it is taking a long time to build the required thickness over the whole area. | Use a larger swab where practical. | |
| Voltage too low | There is full electrical contact and plating is taking place normally, but the deposition rate is slower than expected. | Increase the voltage gradually. Bear in mind that voltage also affects the colour of the Pale Yellow Gold deposit. | |
| Swab is not being kept in consistent contact with the workpiece | Plating occurs when the swab is in good contact, but the overall build-up is slower because contact is weak or intermittent during the process. | Keep the fully wetted swab in consistent contact with the surface while moving it continuously over the area being plated. | |
| High resistance in an electrical connection | Plating is unusually slow despite otherwise normal conditions. A poor or partially oxidised connection may become noticeably warm or hot to the touch. | Switch off the power and check all electrical connections. Clean or replace any oxidised, loose or damaged contacts before continuing. | |
Plating is patchy or uneven |
Insufficient activation or incorrect preparation of the surface | Pale Yellow Gold plates readily on some areas but is reluctant to start, or fails to plate, on others. | Repeat the appropriate surface preparation and plating sequence. Remember that Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution should not be plated directly onto nickel or stainless steel, and copper or copper alloys require a suitable barrier layer. |
| Surface not properly cleaned | Plating is patchy or refuses to deposit in some areas. Oil, grease or other water-insoluble contamination remaining on the surface interferes with the plating process and may be transferred to the swab. | Improve the cleaning process, introducing a suitable degreasing stage where necessary. Wash a contaminated swab thoroughly with concentrated detergent and rinse very well with clean water before using it again. | |
| Trying to plate directly onto a PVD coating | Little or no gold may deposit. Irregular swirling or streaked marks may appear across the surface and particles of the PVD coating may collect on the swab. | Do not brush plate directly onto the PVD coating. Remove the PVD coating completely, then prepare and plate the underlying surface. | |
| Residual brighteners or other strongly adherent residues from previous tank plating | The surface has recently been tank plated, particularly with silver, and the subsequent Pale Yellow Gold deposits unevenly or refuses to plate properly in some areas. | Thoroughly remove residual plating additives before Pale Yellow Gold plating. Where practical, rub the surface with MPU before proceeding. | |
| Swab contaminated from a previous process | The swab is discoloured, indicating that it has retained foreign material from an earlier process. | Wash the swab thoroughly with concentrated detergent and rinse very well with clean water. Replace the swab if the contamination cannot be removed. | |
| Clear coat or E-coating only partially removed or intermittent | Gold plates on exposed conductive areas but not where the insulating coating remains, producing sharply defined or irregular patchy plating. | Use the Conductivity Tester to check suspect areas. Completely remove all remaining clear coat or E-coating, then prepare the exposed metal using the appropriate process before replating. | |
Deposit is dark/brown/burnt |
Voltage too high | The deposit becomes dark, brown or burnt, particularly on corners, points and other areas where the plating action is strongest. | Reduce the plating voltage. Where the required colour can be achieved at a lower voltage, use the lower voltage. |
| Brushing action too slow or incorrect | Dark or burnt areas develop during plating, particularly where the swab is moving most slowly relative to the workpiece. | Increase the speed of the brushing action and keep the swab moving continuously in a circular motion over the surface. Avoid allowing the swab to dwell on one area. | |
| Iron contamination | The deposit develops an abnormal grey-brown or dark appearance and a stainless steel electrode has been used instead of the specified platinum electrode. | Stop using the stainless steel electrode and discard the contaminated solution. Replace the electrode with a suitable platinum electrode. | |
Plating is dull |
Underlying surface is dull, porous or poorly finished | The Pale Yellow Gold deposit is sound but reproduces the dull, scratched or porous finish of the surface underneath. | Polish or mechanically finish the underlying surface to the required standard before repeating the surface preparation and plating process. |
| Gold coating is too thick | The deposit becomes progressively duller as the coating thickness increases. Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution is not self-brightening. | Avoid building an unnecessarily thick deposit. For thicker deposits, lightly polish with MPU or MPU Fine during the plating process as required, or after plating to obtain the required finish. | |
Plating is peeling or rubbing off |
Existing plating or coating is poorly adhered | The Pale Yellow Gold peels or rubs off together with the plating or coating underneath it. There may already be signs of blistering, flaking or delamination before gold plating. | Remove all loose or poorly adhered plating back to a sound surface before replating. A new gold layer cannot improve the adhesion of an unstable coating underneath it. |
| Plating directly onto copper or copper alloys without a suitable barrier layer | Pale Yellow Gold may initially deposit, but adhesion is poor and the coating subsequently rubs off or peels. | Apply a suitable barrier layer before Pale Yellow Gold. Palladium is particularly suitable. | |
| Trying to plate directly onto nickel | The Pale Yellow Gold fails to adhere properly and may rub off or peel. | Do not plate Pale Yellow Gold directly onto nickel. Apply a compatible intermediate/barrier layer, such as palladium, before plating. | |
| Inadequate surface preparation or activation | The Pale Yellow Gold plates but adhesion is poor, despite being applied over a suitable underlying layer. | Remove the poorly adhered deposit and repeat the surface preparation carefully before replating. Do not allow an activated surface to dry before proceeding to the next process. | |
Deposit colour is wrong |
Voltage too low | The deposit has only a slight hint of gold and is paler than required. | Increase the voltage gradually until the required colour is obtained. The colour becomes progressively more yellow as the voltage is increased. |
| Voltage too high | The deposit is more strongly coloured than required and may develop a slight green tint at the upper end of the operating range. | Reduce the voltage gradually until the required colour is obtained. Where the required colour can be achieved at a lower voltage, use the lower voltage. | |
| Solution has become exhausted | The solution has been used extensively and the deposit colour has progressively changed. As gold, silver and copper are removed from the solution during plating, their relative proportions can move away from the balance required to produce the normal Pale Yellow Gold colour. Changing the voltage no longer produces the expected colour. | Replace the exhausted solution with fresh Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution. Do not attempt to adjust the metal concentrations. | |
Poor coverage |
Swab not fully wetted with plating solution | Pale Yellow Gold plates where good solution contact is made but fails or becomes weak elsewhere. The swab may look wet externally while not being fully saturated around the electrode. | Fully saturate the swab with Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution and keep it adequately wetted throughout plating. |
| Intermittent electrical contact | Plating repeatedly starts and stops as the swab moves across the work. With a MultiPlater, the warning beep sounds and the indicator flashes between green and red as electrical contact is lost and restored. | Check the workpiece connection and maintain continuous contact between the wetted swab and the workpiece while plating. If there is any doubt about the conductivity of the surface, check it with the Conductivity Tester. | |
| Surface is not uniformly conductive | Some areas plate normally while other areas consistently fail to plate even though swab contact is good. An insulating coating, oxide or other non-conductive material may remain on part of the surface. | Check the affected areas with the Conductivity Tester. Remove the insulating coating or contamination and prepare the exposed metal using the appropriate process before plating. | |
| Swab too small for the area being plated | Individual areas plate normally, but obtaining uniform coverage over the complete area is difficult or excessively slow. | Use a larger swab appropriate to the area being plated. | |
Scratchy plating |
Particulate contamination of the swab | Fine scratches appear as the swab passes over the surface, particularly where retained particles are harder than the metal being plated. | Replace the swab. Do not continue plating with a swab containing particulate contamination. |
| Swab stored alongside abrasives | Scratching starts immediately with an otherwise apparently clean swab. | Replace the swab and store plating swabs separately from abrasives, polishing compounds and other sources of particulate contamination. | |
| Old silver-plating swab contains metallic silver particles | An old silver swab has darkened or been exposed to light before being thoroughly washed, allowing retained silver compounds to be photoreduced to metallic silver particles. | Replace the swab. Do not try to recover a swab once metallic silver particles are trapped in it. | |
Incorrect plating thickness |
Incorrect plating area estimated or calculated | The actual area being plated differs from the area used to estimate the required plating time. It is particularly easy to underestimate irregular shapes, edges, recesses or multiple surfaces. | Estimate the total area being plated as accurately as possible. If you are unsure how to estimate the surface area of your workpiece, ask our Technical Assistant for help. |
| Thickness estimated from appearance | The gold appears to have fully covered the surface, but subsequent thickness measurement shows that the deposit is thinner or thicker than required. Appearance alone is not a reliable indication of gold thickness once complete coverage has been obtained. | Where a specified thickness is important, verify the result by XRF or deposited weight and use the measured result to establish the actual plating performance under your working conditions. |
Note: For very thin deposits, the underlying silver may influence the final colour, so sufficient Pale Yellow Gold should be applied to develop the required shade.
Note: Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution should not be plated directly on to nickel or nickel alloys.
Note: Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution should not be plated directly on to stainless steel.
Note: Do not apply Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution directly on to copper, brass or other copper alloys. A suitable barrier layer is required for good adhesion and also prevents copper migration into the gold deposit.
Important: Pale Yellow Gold Brush Plating Solution should not be applied directly to steel or iron. The silver, and possibly copper, in the alloy solution can form a thin, loosely-adherent immersion deposit on the surface, resulting in poor adhesion of the subsequent gold deposit. Apply a thin layer of Gold Flash first.
Gold plated directly on to steel provides very little protection against galvanic corrosion of the underlying steel or iron. Gold coatings are porous, particularly at the relatively low thicknesses normally applied by brush plating. Where corrosion resistance is important, use the alternative process below.
Degrease the surface first, then use one of the following surface preparation methods:
