1. How long will the 24k gold plating last?
We provide limited lifetime warranty, our plating will not flake or peel. You can safely go into car wash but like your car paintwork proper care and maintenance of the gold is needed.With proper care, it will last the lifetime of the workpiece that has been plated.
2. What objects can be plated?
Almost all metallic conductive surface can be plated. In the case of car logos/emblems almost all are made of plastic treated with an underlying nickel coat and plated with chromium(chrome). Our process electrochemically strip off the chromium and then 24k gold-plate on the nickel. Gold does not adheres well to chromium but adheres well to nickel base. Note - There are some aluminium based logos/emblems which do not plate properly.
3. What type of process do you use?
Our mobile 24k gold-plating system uses "brush" or "selective" plating. Brush plating is based on the same principle of traditional "dip tank" electro-plating process. The only difference is the variation in the way the process is being delivered. In brush plating, an anode is dip into a 24k gold-plating solution and the workpiece is attached to a cathode to form a close electrical circuit. Gold is electro-chemically bonded on the item.
4. How thick can you plate or what is the thickness of your plating process?
Our process can plated up to 18 micron. Typically in jewelry application, the quoted thickness ranges from 3-8 micron. The thickness of the 24k gold depends on the number of passes or rub we go over the workpiece. However, please note that the durability of gold-plating depends not only on the thickness alone. Some criteriors are : proper preparation of the surface to be plated, thickness of coat, type of undercoat, type of material of original workpiece, technology (ie Goldeffects uses a High Frequency Pulse technology plating) and the quality of gold-solution.
5. Why do aluminum product not plate properly?
Aluminum form an oxide layer the moment it is exposed to air thus making it hard to plate. In most cases, an addition process(cladding involving high temperature) is needed to treat the aluminum before you can plate it. At this moment we are not familiar with such processes so we prefer to stick to what we are competent in and offer our customers a proven product(ie 24k gold-plate)which we can stand by it.
6. Is gold plating expensive ?
Yes and No. Yes because the raw material we used are 100% pure 24k gold. No, because compared to gold-plated parts and accessories, our emblems/logos plating is still much cheaper than buying a set of gold-plated emblems/logos. As an example, a set of gold-plated Honda front grill and 2 rear logos easily cost S$350 from the dealers. We can provide the gold plating service to plate the same set at less than S$200. In addition, there's no dismantling and re-attachment of the emblems/logos thus saving time and avoiding damaging your car paintwork.
7. What is brush plating?
Brush plating, first conceived in 1938, is a process whereby articles are electroplated using an electronically charged paint brush dipping into a concentrated plating solution thus alleviating the need for a plating tank.
8. How durable and reliable is gold effects "brush" technique compare to traditional "dip tank" technique?
Gold adhesion using Goldeffects brush technique is equal to, if not better than traditional "dip tank" technique. It is molecularly bonded to the surface and requires not cure time. "Brush" plating process has passed some of the stringent criterior for military applications(see attached specs).
9. Will the gold fade?
No, gold does not oxidise or fade. However, if the gold is deposited too thinly, there will be porosity in the gold which exposes the underlying nickel. As the nickel corrodes and undermines the gold, thousands of small pits will develop on the gold finish which gives the appearance of fading gold. Another reasons for "fading" (click for more info) is due to wear and tear whereby the surface of the gold is no longer as thick or smooth(see fading process earlier).
10. What is the quality of the gold finish?
The quality is at least equal to conventional "dip tank" plating of pure 24k gold.The hardness, corrosion resistance and brightness is also equal to tank plated gold.
11. Can the Gold Effects system plate any other metal besides gold?
Yes, Gold Effects systems can plate copper, nickel, brass, silver and chrome besides plating gold.
12. Are there any size restrictions to the item that is to be gold-plated?
There are no limitation to the size of the workpiece. As long as you can accommodate the physical size of the workpiece, you can gold-plate them. The Gold Effects system automatically adjust to the workpiece size.
13. How can the process be performed right of the car without harming the car paintwork?
The Goldeffects water based solutions has been specially formulated not to harm automotive paint. The solutions only react to conductive surfaces. The paint of the car is non-conductive and therefore is unaffected by the plating process.
14. How can emblems or grills on a car be electroplated when they are made of plastic?
Most items on the car are manufactured with a plastic base. It is then usually nickel plated and chromed at the factory. In order to gold-plate it, we strip off the chrome and reveal the conductive nickel based part. Nickel forms an excellent base for gold adhesion.
15. How long does it take to gold-plate a car's emblems?
The average car's emblems can be gold-plated in about 15-30 minutes. However, the plating time will depend on the make of car, the number of emblems or parts to be plated and the experience of the operator.
16. Why are there different shades of gold?
The different shades of gold are due to the "impurities" of the gold(ie adding of other metals or alloys etc). The addition of other metals/alloys change the shades of gold.
17.What objects can be plated?
Almost all metallic conductive surface can be plated. In the case of car logos/emblems almost all are made of ABS plastic treated with an underlying nickel coat and plated with chromium(chrome). Our process electrochemically strip off the chromium, plate a new underlying nickel coat and then 24k gold-plate on the nickel. Gold adheres very well to nickel base. Note - There are some aluminium based logos/emblems which do not plate properly.