Gold plating
Thread Starter
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,492
Likes: 19
From: Illinois
asg13, 1st, you are 100% right!! It is all up to the individual, what they like, don't like, what to do and what not to do to thier ride. 2nd, what is that on your bike? Powder coat? It looks like a flat finish, is it? I see nothing wrong with your bike Dude, not at all!
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 315
Likes: 3
From: WV
asg13, 1st, you are 100% right!! It is all up to the individual, what they like, don't like, what to do and what not to do to thier ride. 2nd, what is that on your bike? Powder coat? It looks like a flat finish, is it? I see nothing wrong with your bike Dude, not at all!
I jsut wanted something different!
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,120
Likes: 4
Gold Plating
I have talked to a few guys on the side about this subject. I know it might sound crazy or extreme but it is what it is. I have been trying to figure out what will make my chrome, my bike really pop. Well, I found a place in Chicago that does decorative gold plating. I am seriousley thinking of taking my driving light visors, blinker visors, points cover, derby cover, inspection plate and the visor above my tach/speedo in to get gold plated. I have the guys name, number an address if anyone was ever interested in or crazy enough to ever want to consider such a thing. I pretty much have all the motor and tranny mods done, suspension done, chrome done, so what the heck, why not!!! It was when I had seen the thread on the yellow film tinting of the runnung lights that made my mind up for me. I think those combo's would look just smokin hot! There is a fine line between sainity and crazy so the price will determine just how much of it gets done. I have seen gold pinstriping, gold flake paint jobs so why not plating? Stay tuned, I have all winter to think about it and to get it done.
I would be very careful.......unless you've got alot of $$$$ to drop in plating. Gold is at ~$1,600 an ounce, if they are using actual gold as the plating metal they are only going to throw on a few microns in thickness vs chrome plating where they plate up to .003 inches, which means like everyone has said it won't last, thin deposits like that you could rub off by accident.......gold is not a hard metal.
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 401
Likes: 0
From: Sydney, Australia
I think the odd thing like derby cover and timing cover would look cool! You can already get HD live to ride ones that have a big gold eagle on them and they look good, so why not all gold
(when I say gold I mean the color not the metal, it'd probably be best to powder coat or something instead of gold plate)
Hey having said that, what IS the "gold" on HD derby cover with the eagle?
(when I say gold I mean the color not the metal, it'd probably be best to powder coat or something instead of gold plate)
Hey having said that, what IS the "gold" on HD derby cover with the eagle?
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: West Central Wisconsin
The following comments are based on many years of experience in printed circuit board manufacturing, an industry that performs gold plating on a daily basis. For those familiar with the processing, my expertise is dry side processing, not wet. As such, I am not proclaiming to be an expert on gold plating. I can, however, provide some information that can be considered creditable.
For anything larger than the size of a coin, it is not practical to even consider any type of "home plating kit". This is based on a number of factors: Equipment, process control, chemicals, and mostly the plating baths needed. Among other things, a gold bath must be: large enough to submerge the largest pieces, be constantly agitated to keep it from settling/plating out, be chemically balanced, and contain enough suspended gold (exceeding the amount you are depositing) to function correctly. I could list other factors, but it is sufficient to say it is not practical.
As for having someone plate parts for you, there are a couple of things to be cautious about.
As noted by others above, plated gold is easily worn and scratched. The solution to the wearing and scratching through is to plate thicker, but that drives up the cost extremely fast while increasing the likely hood of visible surface scratching due to the softness of the metal.
Also, you are reliant on the honesty of your plater as to how thick the gold is plated. A very small amount of gold goes a long way, but is not durable. And you will not be able to tell by looking at it, you would need special measuring equipment (such as XRF). As such, you can very easily be ripped off on this.
Another area of concern is the plating process used. In PCB manufacturing, the gold is plated over nickle. This prevents the copper base from melding with the gold overtime, something that I would suspect could happen with other soft metals such as aluminum.
-stef
For anything larger than the size of a coin, it is not practical to even consider any type of "home plating kit". This is based on a number of factors: Equipment, process control, chemicals, and mostly the plating baths needed. Among other things, a gold bath must be: large enough to submerge the largest pieces, be constantly agitated to keep it from settling/plating out, be chemically balanced, and contain enough suspended gold (exceeding the amount you are depositing) to function correctly. I could list other factors, but it is sufficient to say it is not practical.
As for having someone plate parts for you, there are a couple of things to be cautious about.
As noted by others above, plated gold is easily worn and scratched. The solution to the wearing and scratching through is to plate thicker, but that drives up the cost extremely fast while increasing the likely hood of visible surface scratching due to the softness of the metal.
Also, you are reliant on the honesty of your plater as to how thick the gold is plated. A very small amount of gold goes a long way, but is not durable. And you will not be able to tell by looking at it, you would need special measuring equipment (such as XRF). As such, you can very easily be ripped off on this.
Another area of concern is the plating process used. In PCB manufacturing, the gold is plated over nickle. This prevents the copper base from melding with the gold overtime, something that I would suspect could happen with other soft metals such as aluminum.
-stef
Thread Starter
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,492
Likes: 19
From: Illinois
Well, I got the XRF covered, I work in a lab. FTIR is also at hand. I'm in no hurry, old man winter is here. The thought of doing it may pass on me as quickly as it came! I do know what it looks like, I guess I can go get some stuff powder coated gold by a buddy of mine and see how that looks. Who knows, spring may roll around and I might roll out my scooter and have it all murdered out by then by then!
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A hard barrier metal is generally used between the base and finish plate to prevent metal migration, nickel is standard. This is done even with chrome plating. As mentioned above, the gold is very thin and soft. Probably not up to normal wear and tear on a bike, assuming you ride it. There are gold alloys that are harder. You could put clear coat over the top, that would improve things dramatically.
