We know that choosing a suitable kit can be tricky, especially with so many options to choose from. The best way to decide on which product to purchase is to think about the types of things you would like to plate, the substrate that you are plating onto, and the quantity of items that you will be plating.
Ruisite are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.
We offer a selection of high-quality kits that we have personally put together with different objectives and customers in mind. Our 5 Kit ranges offer different benefits and features and cater to all projects and budgets. From starter kits for light use on a limited range of metals, to larger production line kits that will plate all surfaces to a commercial standard, we have got it covered.
Here is a brief overview of the kit ranges that we offer, we recommend that you visit the individual range overviews and specific product pages for a more in-depth description of how the kits in each range may benefit you.
Electroplating ' relates to plating over metal surfaces.
Electroforming ' relates to plating over non-conductive surfaces such as plastic.
Tank plating ' a form of plating whereby the object to be plated is fully submerged in plating solution inside a tank. Tanks are fitted with specific anodes which work in conjunction with the plating solution.
Mini tanking ' a much smaller version of tank plating which is limited to coin/ring sized metal items only. Parts are plated in small pots or containers, generally using 50-100ml of plating solution.
Brush plating ' a form of electroplating whereby plating solution is brushed over a surface using a brush plating wand.
Pen plating ' a form of electroplating whereby plating solution is applied to an surface via a pen plating wand fitted with a plating nib. Pen plating is a similar concept to brush plating, but this technique only allows for the plating of very small areas. Great for detailed work or selective plating on small sections of an object.
Anodes - metal sheets or rods that are placed inside a plating tank. Metal sheets are used for full tank plating, rods are often used in smaller tanks such as when mini tanking. Anodes are electrodes that provide a positive electrical charge to the plating solution.
The Prodigy Range contains our flagship plating kits suitable for all functions, allowing you to plate an endless range of non-conductive surfaces such as plastic, and all metals in gold or other precious metal finishes. These kits are available with different tank sizes and can be used for all types of plating applications ' tank plating, brush plating and pen plating.
For those looking to generate income from plating, our G.S.P Prodigy Kits are designed with this in mind, allowing you to plate multiple items at the same time, saving you time and money. The set-up will enable you to take on practically any job and will allow you customise an almost limitless variety of everyday / household products to create something truly unique. If required, you will also receive comprehensive technical advice and support, which is tailored to your specific projects at no additional cost.
View the products in the G.S.P Prodigy Range.
The G.S.P Recruit Range kits are designed with expansion in mind. Perhaps you want to start off on small/medium sized jobs, but do not want to be limited by your equipment should you decide to branch out to larger and more technical tasks. Our Recruit BR1 / BR1 Deluxe kits allow you to brush plate with no size limit, pen plate to a high-standard, and provide the option to progress to tank plating. They are also capable of electroforming if the correct chemicals and accessories are added. Alternatively, if you are ready to dive in, you may wish to upgrade to our electroforming starter kit the G.S.P Recruit BR2 Brush Plating / Electroplating / Electroforming Kit.
If required, you will receive comprehensive technical advice and support with the purchase of all G.S.P Recruit kits, which is tailored to your specific projects at no additional cost.
View the products in the G.S.P Recruit Range.
Our G.S.P Troy range kits are suitable for brush plating items up to the size of a standard kettle, and mini tanking small objects. They come complete with our 2.25A Portable Plating Plug which allows for plating jobs to be completed on-site / at a customer's home if necessary. The equipment is lightweight, easy to use, and kits are available with different precious metal finishes.
If required, you will receive comprehensive technical advice and support with the purchase of all G.S.P Troy kits, which is tailored to your specific projects at no additional cost.
View the products in the G.S.P Troy Range.
The G.S.P Portal Range consists of our 2 budget kits with different purposes in mind ' decoration and restoration.
Our G.S.P Portal Zinc Plating Kit is a great choice if you are looking to protect screws, bolts and other functional features of motorcycles, bikes, cars and boats from corrosion due to age or weather conditions, allowing you to retain as many original parts as possible.
Our G.S.P Portal Gold and Silver Pen Plating kit is designed for pen plating small items in a controlled and careful manner. Examples of this would include integrated features on handbags such as eyelets, zippers, badges, or other small attachments. You may also wish to use it to plate coins, buckles, or to patch up worn plating on jewellery items such as rings.
View the products in the G.S.P Portal Range.
Although the kits in all our ranges are capable of plating jewellery, the kits in this range are geared towards two main purposes.
The G.S.P Home Jeweller Kits are designed for those who wish to plate rings / small pieces of jewellery on a small scale. These kits allow you to re-plate worn white gold or yellow gold rings in a brilliant white rhodium or platinum finish, in 3 quick and easy steps, with no prior experience.
If you would like to plate in an alternative finish such as rose gold, you will need only to purchase the additional solution. The G.S.P Home Jeweller cuts the cost of replating services at the jewellers dramatically and allows you to plate to the same standard.
View our Home Jeweller product information video to find out more.
Our G.S.P Belle Fleur Kit allows creative jewellers and crafters to electroform in copper on a small scale. It is popular with those wishing to incorporate natural elements within jewellery pieces - these may include leaves, stones, twigs, hand-made objects and crystals, to create unique designs.
View the products in the G.S.P Jewellery Range.
Please note: for plating larger items of jewellery or large quantities of jewellery, we recommend choosing a kit from our G.S.P Prodigy or G.S.P Recruit ranges.
All of our plating kits come with instruction manuals to help you get to grips with operating your equipment and performing the processes that will ensure great results. We also provide you with practice pieces and a written step by step tutorial with many of our kits, so that you can practice without fear of damaging the items that you would like to plate. Electroplating and electroforming is surprisingly easy and we are sure that you will be plating with confidence in a short amount of time.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit electroplating machine.
If however, you require assistance with any job, have any questions or wish to run ideas past us before beginning a project, we offer our 5 Point Support Package free of charge with many of our kits.
We want you to be successful and trust in our products the way that we do, we pride ourselves on our customer service and offer an unrivalled customer experience.
We hope that this short guide to our products has helped you to decide which type of kit is best for you. If you are still unsure, simply give us a call and we will happily talk you through the options and guide you to the right product.
If you require a set-up which is not covered by a product in one of our ranges, such as a plating kit with tank sizes larger than 10 litres, or plating machines which are more powerful than 10 amps, we can most certainly offer a bespoke package that is suitable, please enquire with us for more details.
After 40+ years of making jewellery (and avoiding electroplating) I have an order for a bunch of silver pins that require a gold border and script.
I am not a fan of electroplated pieces at all but this is a requirement.
The piece is a bit complicated in that the centre must remain silver and there is an enamel inlay with gold plated lettering and border. (dimensions are 1 inch x 3/4 inch of cast sterling)
Couple questions to you who may be willing to make a suggestion.
1 Would a pen plating setup create a decent thickness of gold for a pin like this?
2 For a full bath setup (I have been researching) do you have any recommendations ?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Cheers
TerryV
Thank you ' Appreciate your suggestion ' I am actually looking into a local company to get a quote. I am in Canada and the border/customs is nightmarish now. Even ordering from Stuller has become dreadful. Packages hit customs in Montreal'sit often for a month, then without even looking at the invoice that I have paid taxes, access maximum and when I finally get the package have to pay through the nose ' Thank you very much for your reply! I realize that plating is not something most of us go to. Personally I love the look of natural metal , not covering it up and hiding it. (But jobs are very scarce these days so one does what one must) cheers' TerryV
If you decide to try it yourself, it's my understanding that gold plating over silver,
without first plating it with a nickel plating, will allow the silver to oxidize fairly rapidly. The gold plating is too porous to prevent the oxidation. Plating first with the nickel seals the silver and puts a hard layer on, so it won't oxidize when you use the gold plating. I found this out many years ago when I was putting together a sample line of CZ and silver rings that I needed to be gold color. I end up having to nickel plate them all before using gold plating.
I just looked at them, and they look ok, all things considered, for being close to 30 years old. As Jo Haemer mentioned in another thread, 'Electro plating is only molecules thick and will wear away.'
On the areas that will remain silver, you'd have to mask them, to protect them form being plated. For this, I used a bright red finger nail polish.
I've only used a pen plating set on rare occasions, and it might work for the lettering. Not sure what effect the oxidation would be without the nickel under the gold.
My experience was a long time ago and there might be newer, better ways to accomplish what you are trying to achieve. But, what ever approach you try, it probably will be labor intensive, so take that into account when you estimate your costs, just saying.
Tjones
Goldsmith
Some of you work over the years
Yes indeed ' There is likely a reason I have avoided using this process in any of my work since beginning in the late 's.
I have never been a fan of the commercial trickery stuff ' or bringing cyanide into my studio.
I can certainly see now that my quest is to job this stage out to someone who knows the techniques and is willing to take it on.
Now I am waiting for some vintage dies (I haven't seen them yet) that I believe are steel to make pins in a hydraulic press. Another road I have not travelled ' Years ago I would have been excited to take out a loan to buy new equipment but in today's shaky marketplace //// Maybe not!
Thanks again to everyone
TerryV
No, pen plating isn't thick enough. Silver requires a 'strike coat' of either Nickle or Palladium before the gold. Palladium is preferred due to Nickle allergies. Also a sufficient coat of Palladium prevents copper migration to the surface where you get tarnishing. We do 2 minutes in the Palladium to achieve this.
Setting up plating is not terribly difficult. Check with your supplier to see if they have jewelers who can answer your questions and help you. For example both Rio Grande and Stuller have this available. I found that very helpful when I started with plating.
Equipment has to include a rectifier which converts the AC from the outlet to the DC that plating requires. Small scale can be done in glass beakers or glass dishes. You can get an all in one set-up with multiple tanks and rectifier included. The budget can vary broadly. You might find plating machines in the thousands of dollars or buy the things needed for significantly less. I set up 2 lines that run production and the equipment can be minimal. We opted for NOT using plating machines because it's easier to swap out equipment on an open line. Here's your sequence:
Electro Cleaner (degreaser)>Rinse>Acid Dip (neutralizer)>Rinse>Palladium>Rinse>Gold>Final Rinse and steam or dry
All water MUST be distilled or deionized. You need at least one Rinse tank between baths (two is even better). Electro Cleaner, Palladium and Gold all need heat. There are non-cyanide based Gold solutions available. You would need anodes, which are the pieces of metal connecting the current to the liquid. Electro Cleaner uses stainless steel (some people use a stainless steel container so that becomes the anode, Palladium uses platinized titanium, most Gold can use either.
It is possible to be very safe and environmentally friendly in plating. I've set up several small production plating lines at our company and this is a must for a business. Best if you have an area that is dedicated to plating, it's easier to keep from contaminating other things and easier set-up.
And after all that, it may be that sending your plating out is more economical and easier for you. There does have to be testing per your situation. Plating is easy once things are set up. I can train someone in an hour and they can run the plating line as long as someone can answer their questions, etc' If you REALLY want to learn plating, that is a steeper learning curve. There are very few resources (books) geared toward the contemporary small shop. Specific information is more easily acquired from other jewelers or suppliers.
Good Luck,
Ruthanne
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