Before beginning a plating project, it is important to ensure that you plan to use the correct plating method to meet your objectives. Whilst the best method for your job will depend on a few factors, most of your decision-making when selecting a method will be determined by the particular surface (substrate), that you will be plating onto.
Here is a quick, handy checklist to help you to decide which plating method to choose.
| Plating Method | Surfaces That Can Be Plated |
|---|---|
| Electroforming | All non-conductive surfaces e.g. plastics, ceramics, wood, organic items |
| Tank Plating | All metal surfaces |
| Brush Plating | All metal surfaces except aluminium |
Please note that with electroplating, all metal items must have a bare metal surface. Any metal item which is painted, powder-coated, or consists of another non-metal finish must be taken back to bare metal before plating. If the surface is anodised, then some of our kits come with the chemical needed to remove this or it can be purchased separately, please see: G.S.P Anodise Stripper.
Further Information
Our plating kits cater to all of the above applications and we’ve written an article to help you decide which kit is best for you, see – How to Choose a Plating Kit for more information.
