Gold Plating

[Kristal]

I read in another post Peterduck's idea for gold-plating bronze items to solve the perpetual verdigris problem. I'm rather taken by the idea, and have found an electroplating company in London who can carry out the work and do such clever things as "antique finishing" to make them look less perfect than they otherwise might after the process is carried out. Seeing as Crystal needs replacement glass in her portlights, I might well take them all out and get them done during this summer's maintenance work (at the moment, coming out summer and staying in winter looks like the only affordable plan).

So can I have a few opinions on this particular point, please, as I have no idea about such things. For instance, does anyone know if it's possible to only plate sections of an item, for budget reasons? And if I've freed up a bit of money by that method, is there anything to stop me also plating her cleats, main horse (is it still called a horse on a yacht?) fairleads and winches?

Cheers,

/<

 

[twisterkai]

If saving money is the order of the day, why bother going to the expense/hassle of gold electro plating? I would imagine that the only guarranty you'd get is that it's likely to come off pdq. Just accept that 'perpetual verdigris' is what happens with bronze fittings. I'd be inclined to spend a few quid experimenting on different 'wax' finishes to protect the bronze and keep it shiny for a bit longer.

There really aren't any short cuts to keeping a boat looking good, just good old fashioned elbow grease!

 

[Kristal]

Short Cuts

I dunno... Coelan seems like a pretty smart (if expensive) short cut to me. Then again, seeing as part of my plan is to have Crystal out of the water within walking distance of my house for a few months, and hopefully moored there too after a while, I suppose I could just polish regularly...

 

[LittleShip]

You will probably find that it isn’t much more expensive than chrome plating, most of the work is in the preparation.

Photos if you do it please!

Tom

 

[Kristal]

Will do, Tom, and Happy Birthday...

 

[Sultans_Kapitein]

Yes, gold plating is very soft and will buff off quite quickly as it is a very thin covering. Obviously you can get 'thick' coverage but that won't be done by most companies and it will 'cost a packet'. To answer another part of your orginal question, you asked if iti is possible to plate part of a fitment, The answer is yes, if the people doing it are any good at their job!

 

[Peterduck]

Yes, Mal, gold is very soft, and the coating very thin, but why do you think that it needs buffing? The whole point of this exercise is to remove the need for constant attention. Where the gold is deposited depends on the placement of the anode and the workpiece [or cathode]. The gold will preferentially deposit on the surfaces which the anode can "see" [ie, are in line-of-sight of the anode. Frequently the inside of circular items may miss out completely if the anode is outside the workpiece. For the object to be completely covered may require several treatments with the two pieces in different relative positions. If an item is to receive wear, such as a cleat, then the gold would wear off quickly, but by the same token, verdigris would only form in those patches during periods of non-use. While gold may be appropriate for an open clinker dinghy, [which is where this story started] it may have to much more judiciously used on a cruising yacht. I would suggest trying it on some minor component first to evaluate its effectiveness before going ahead with wholesale treatment of everything on the boat.
Peter.

 

[bobgosling]

Wouldn't Gold ( which is comparatively soft ) wear off quite quickly if the item is subject to any chafe ? I would particularly expect a metal ring sliding along a sheet horse to rub your gold off fairly soon.

 

[huldah]

An expert on plating told me that all plating is porus, because of the gas bubbles formed during plating. So seawater may still penetrate. Could try sealing the gold plating with Marine Awatrol, and polish while still wet. Works well on old, faded, car finishes.

The car trade extended the life of their chrome plating, by using a process that produced a micro cracked finish. I believe it prevented cathodic corrosion.

Philip