The plating thickness for decorative rhodium platings used by jewelry manufacturer can range from .05 microns to 1.5 microns. For most decorative applications, a thickness from .10 microns to .50 microns are utilized for maintaining long term "brightness". Industrial platings for specialized applications may utilize thicknesses up to 5.0 microns. However, rhodium finishes above 2.

No, as a rule the electroplating process does not hide surface imperfections. In fact, due to the diffusive reflection of incidental light rays, pre-existing cosmetic imperfections are even more noticeable on a brightly plated surface! For best results the item should be polished to the desired level of brightness prior to rhodium plating.

Yes... Rhodium is a thin coating placed on silver, white gold, and platinum jewelry to give it a high polish finish. Dust and contaminants in the environment interact with body oils, lotions, etc to form an abrasive mixture that begins to wear away at rhodium and plated jewelry. Removing these contaminants can significantly extend rhodium life.

Rhodium is a member of the platinum metals group; the other members include platinum, palladium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium.

Re-plating is renewing the surface of your item with the appropriate metal, silver, gold, pewter, brass, through an electromagnetic process.

There are many problems associated with tin plating. One of which is whiskering, like cadmium and zinc, thin needle-like crystals known as "whiskers" form within a period after plating that may vary from a few weeks to several years. A whisker may measure up to .0001" (2.5um) in diameter, and grow spontaneously to a length of 0.375" (10 mm). Conditions that tend to promote the growth of whiskers are compressive stresses and uniform temperatures for long periods of time.

Regarding plating: Plating is not only cosmetic but it protects you from the very slight chance of brass poisoning. Our metal JodyJazz mouthpieces are made from a solid bar of brass. Then there are three layers of plating starting with Copper then Silver or Nickel and then the Gold. We use heavy Gold in 24kts. Over the long run the top layer of Gold can start to wear off. You are still protected from brass poisoning by the other two layers, which will not wear off.

Rhodium was first isolated in 1803 by English chemist William Wollaston. Due to the distinctive red color of the dissolved rhodium compounds, Wollaston named the new metal Rhodium based on the Greek word rhodon meaning "rose".

Yes. We do white color plating such as Silver, Fake Rhodium or Rhodium plating as desired by you. We can also supply our products with bicolor plating. Our Silver plated bangles that match the White Gold color are very popular.

With the exception of zinc plated parts, all zinc die-castings are processed as follows: preclean, mill, copper strike, and copper plate. Preclean: A two step process to remove most synthetic, petroleum, vegetable, and animal based fluids used in die-casting and machining operations. Mill: A controlled removal of the outer layer of die-cast. This process can remove flash, surface die-cast blisters, and modify dimensions if necessary.

It is not possible to calculate the life of the plating as it depends on various factors such as usage, climatic conditions like humidity and wear and tear. As a result, we cannot guarantee the plating life for any period of time. However we do guarantee the thickness of the plating. Our normal plating thickness for the various items, is as stated in the quick reference chart below, but we can manufacture and plate to any thickness of gold you prefer, if you can guarantee large volumes.

We give a base coat of Copper and then a top coat of Gold, Silver or Rhodium as you specify. The plating is hard acid Gold plating and is durable as opposed to the usual alkaline plating. Our electroplating facility is ISO 9002 certified by KEMA of Netherlands and is state of the art. For our U.S. customers, we generally plate 14 Karat color, but we can also match any color sample provided by you, with a 100% color match guarantee when you provide us the sample.

The primary sources for rhodium are in Russia, South Africa, and Canada. The industrial extraction of rhodium is complicated by the fact that it occurs naturally with numerous other native ores. Mixed with other metals such as platinum, silver and nickel, the separation and refinement of rhodium ores are quite expensive. Only about 9-10 metric tons are produced annually worldwide. As of this writing, its trading range on the world spot metals market are quite volatile.

Fretting is a common problem with Tin Plating. This is surface damage created when there is relative motions and strong contacts between parts, usually during shipping and handling. The tin plating shows black or worn spots caused by rubbed or scratched by another part. This oxide does not effect the parts functionally. They are still solderable. A way to eliminate fretting is by changing the type of packaging. (Layer packing or plastic trays are recommended) - Metal Finishing Guidebook 1997

Gold plating contacts should be used when your product needs a longer shelf life. Also if the switch will not be actuated for a long period of time after installation we recommend the use of gold plating.

According to the EU Commission, plating and coatings are “homogeneous materials” as they differ in composition from the substrate material. Keep in mind that in chemical analysis, platings and coatings are commonly removed from substrates by chemical means, and are not “mechanically disjointed” from the substrate. This is not such a big problem technically, however, since there are quite a few chemical methods for removing plating and coatings from surfaces.