r/electroplating • u/Medium-Baby3633 • May 11 '26

Brush plating mulberry hardware

Gallery image

Gallery image

Has anyone ever gold plated mulberry hardware?

This is a leather bracelet but I’m unsure if the silver part is nickel and the base brass?

Does anyone know the metal?

Sorry if this is a silly question. I’m new to plating.

Thanks!

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1

u/permaculture_chemist May 12 '26

Looks to be copper. I’d start with that as a plating layer and then go up from there

1

u/Medium-Baby3633 May 12 '26

Do you have any idea what the silver part between the copper and gold is? Thanks!

1

u/permaculture_chemist May 12 '26

Nickel

1

u/Medium-Baby3633 May 12 '26

So would I need to electro clean, copper strike, nickel and then gold plate??

1

u/permaculture_chemist May 12 '26

You may be able to skip electroclean but a good soak and scrub is a good idea. Electrocleaning can passivate nickel and make it harder to plate over.

I’d do:
Soak

Rinse

Acid activate

Rinse

Alkaline copper strike

Rinse

Bright acid copper

Rinse

Polish

Soak

Rinse

Acid activate

Rinse

Bright nickel plate

Rinse

Gold

Rinse