Gilding or Gold Plating

Gold plating or gilding is also one of the eldest electroplating processes. A double cyanide type bath is used, but to reduce the capital investment this is usually extremely dilute. The consequent limitation on the maximum permissible current density and on the rate of plating is not important since the usual deposit is very thin, and is indeed often limited to that which gives the required color. For this reason of color other addition are often made to the bath.

Gold does not dissolve very freely as an anode; the cost of providing gold anodes is also considerable, so gold plating bath are often used with insoluble anodes of stainless steel, platinum or graphite until exhausted. Gilding is usually applied to embellish trinkets and cheap jewelery which will be subject only to mild conditions. Recently, however, much thicker and more carefully controlled deposits have been used in the electronics industry, mostly from pretented or proprietery solutions.

The process itself of gold plaiting is vary, some traditional practitioner used simple solution that is not too dangerous to the lung like cyanide solution that have poisonous character to human health. People must concern on their health before they will practice of this kind of electroplating. Many chemicals for many type of electroplating exert some dangerous gases while electroplating process is running.

Gilding or Gold Plating: