On 01/06/2019 15:38, newshound wrote:
On 31/05/2019 12:28, Bill wrote:
In message ,
harry writes
On Thursday, 30 May 2019 20:21:16 UTC+1, DerbyBornÂ* wrote:
I have a couple of silver plated brass goblets that need re-plating. We
don't really want them - do any people replate such items for their own
pleasure - or to sell?

Bin or Ebay?

https://www.google.com/search?q=silv...&rlz=1C1AVNG_e
nGB731GB753&oq=silverelectro-plating+kits&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.14864j0j
8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Those kits look terribly expensive.

I remember my Dad, who retired into being a chemistry teacher, doing
nickel and silver plating in the garden shed. I suppose I should have
taken more interest.

All I remember were small electric motors with glass rods as the
stirrers, tanks of chemicals and power supplies. I think the psu's
might have been old battery chargers. It all looked Heath Robinson and
cheap.

I seem to remember him replating several door knobs, but that was
probably just nickel plating.

IIRC silver plating is fairly easy, nickel plating significantly more
difficult.

You have it back to front. Nickel plating was relatively easy to do.
Precious metals commercially are done from a cyanide bath although other
less toxic complexes are available these days for hobbyists.

If you try to plate from a simple silver nitrate bath you get black
amorphous silver powder deposited as the base metal surface dissolves.

To get a good bright silver finish it is probably better to take them to
a specialist electroplater. Half the battle is getting the job
absolutely grease free before starting and using the right current density.

One of the issues with silver plate is that it tarnishes fairly quickly
in air, hence the need for regular polishing (and why you find it worn
off old items). I imagine you could use the same lacquer that is used to
protect solid brass items.

There are some sophisticated surface chemistry modifiers available that
put a very thin protective layer on silver which delays tarnishing. Also
today there is a lot less sulphur in the air than in the old days of
coal fires in most homes using sulphurous coal and winters smogs.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown