New to plating

i’ve never experimented with plating, and i have a series of
pendants i’m working on that are currently hand-fabricated bi-metal
pieces. the top piece is intricately sawed, the back piece is a
different metal (copper and gold on the back, silver on the top
usually, or vice versa). i believe these pieces would cast quite
nicely were it not for the inability to get the color contrast.
though i’ve done pieces like this in the past with oxidized silver in
the crevices, i’m wondering whether it would be possible to have them
plated, but only in the relief sections. since i’m not familiar with
the process, i have no idea if this is possible. any guidance would
be appreciated!

Hilary Park
www.hilarypark.com

Hilary,

Something as simple as fingernail polish can be used as a "stop-off"
for plating. ( I prefer something in a color, not clear) Anything
coated with the fingernail polish won’t plate, and is easily removed
later with acetone. There’s even that handy brush in every bottle! I
always feel a little awkward when I’m in the neighborhood drug store
buying a bargain shade of fingernail polish for a plating resist…

Jay Whaley

You can mask off the places you don’t want plated with fingernail
polish after electro cleaning the piece. I would suggest you get a
plating book from Rio Grande or Gesswein to see the process as it
should be done.

Cheers
Russ
The Jewelry CAD Institute.com

There's even that handy brush in every bottle! I always feel a
little awkward when I'm in the neighborhood drug store buying a
bargain shade of fingernail polish for a plating resist... 

I always got the greatest pleasure sending the twit shop foreman off
to buy the exact shade of chinese red polish I wanted. Funny thing
was my friend Vatche 2 benches away would also accept no other colour
either.

No conspiracy, we weren’t even being mean. Just a couple of old
bench jockeys really set in their ways. (and 1 twit in the cross
hairs :slight_smile:

jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand

funny:) i’m thinking of sacrificing that purple glittery polish that
for some reason sounded like the most brilliant of pedicure ideas one
day!

You can mask off jewelry for plating with magic marker.

If you are plating a lot of jewelry I have found MicroShield in a
gallon can works for this purpose.

You can remove it the same way with acetone and thin it out with
acetone. This works fantastic and lasts forever if properly kept.

Russ

You can mask off jewelry for plating with magic marker. 

Wow! I’m amazed. I’m thrilled that it’s so (in theory) simple.
Having tons of design ideas just thinking about it:) Thanks!