Everything about gilding silver at home: what it is, pros and cons, TOP 3 methods

Hello!

Jewelry that has lost its former attractiveness does not have to be hidden in a box until better times, because you can restore the metal yourself and visually increase its value without going to a jewelry workshop.

If your missus has been sighing for a long time over her favorite earrings, which have become dull with time, now is the time to please her. Although numerous videos on how to gild silver at home can instill fear, in fact, getting a beautiful product without large material and time costs is very simple.

What is gold plating and why is it applied?

Gilding is a coating of high-grade gold that is applied to the surface of a selected item at home or by a professional jeweler in a workshop. The item being processed can be made of any metal, but in most cases silver is used for this.

Gilding is done:

• to give a golden hue and emphasize the individuality of the product;
• updating the appearance of items;
• durability of a metal item.

How the process works

Before gilding silver items at home, it is important to ensure your own safety, for which this is perfect:

• rubber shoes;
• gloves;
• glasses for eye protection;
• apron.

Regardless of the method used, restoring silver at home always consists of the following steps:

• metal surface preparation;
• spraying or other coating;
• final processing.

Gilding metal is not enough. I recommend creating a protective layer on gold-plated silver. Nitrocellulose varnish is suitable for this.

Radio components containing gold

Gold-bearing deposits are developed if the content of the precious element is at least 1 gram per ton of rock. In one chip there is from 1 to 5 percent yellow metal. The leads of the part, enclosed in a ceramic case, are coated with gold.

If it is made of plastic, the content of valuable raw materials is less - from 0.2 to 1 percent. In transistors, the precious element is about 2 percent. The substrate located under the conductor is made of gold.

But capacitors break all records. Their size is approximately equal to a three-liter jar. One such part contains approximately 8 grams of yellow metal. In addition, there is also 50 grams of silver. However, only capacitors used in military equipment - generators and radio signal transmission stations - are equipped with expensive filling.

Some gold can also be extracted from radio tubes. The precious element is deposited on a grid located near the cathode. The latter, when the lamp is operating, heats the grid. When exposed to heat, it begins to release electrons. This disrupts the operation of the product.

Therefore, the radio component needs to be coated with gold . Spraying from it is also found on the legs of objects of consecration, but this only applies to old samples, decades old.

Several microns of precious raw materials were previously applied to connectors of all types of semiconductors, such as diodes, optocouplers, thyristors, and zener diodes. Gold is rarely found in resistors. However, some of them, along with silver, also contain a little yellow metal.

These are the standards by which radio components were manufactured in the USSR in the 70s and 80s of the last century. Gold is also found in modern radio components . However, it is impractical to extract hundredths of a gram from an item for which tens, or even hundreds of thousands of rubles were paid. Let the old parts be used - that's another matter.

Most often, radio components containing gold are found in old-style computers, switching devices, and radio equipment. Electronic computing units of the SM and CE series should be of primary interest to applicants. One such machine contains from 0.2 to 10 kilograms of gold. Some military equipment can boast of the same thing.

Beginners will find it useful to list not only the general names of radio components equipped with gold “filling,” but also specific model designations. So:

Transistors KT201, KT203, KT3102, KT301, KT306, KT605. All of them are equipped with golden colored legs.

KT802, 808, 803, 809, 812, 908. We need samples produced before 1986. In later models gold was not used.

KT907,904, 606. Externally they have no gold elements and no yellow color. However, valuable raw materials are actually present.

But KT602, 604, 611, 814, 815, 816, 9909 have gold cases.

Relay RES9, 10, 15, 22, 34, RPS24, 32, 34, RKG15.

Microcircuits K142EH, K50, K56PY2, AOT101, K145, also known as the “white spider”.

Chips K133, 134, 178, 249, 564, 565, K140, 157, 217.

Diodes of the D226 series and similar ones.

Capacitors Km3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 52-1, 52-7, K53-1, 53-6, 53-7, 53-10, 53 -15, 53-16.

Resistors PTP1, 2, PLP2, 6, PP3-40, 3-41, 3-43, 3-44, 3-45, 3-47, KSP1, 4, KSU1, KSD1, KPU1, KPP1, SP5-1, 5 -2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-14,5-15, 5-16, 5-17, SP3-19, 3-44.

Connectors SNP59-64V, SNP59-96R, GRPPM7-90Sh, RPPG2-48.

Switches TV1, P23G, Pg2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-10, P1T3-1V, PR2-10, PKN8, PT33-26, PP8-6, PPK2.

Pros and cons of gilding silver

Restoring silver at home will allow you to obtain an aesthetically attractive product without large material costs.

Advantages of using this technology:

• the opportunity to experiment with the appearance of jewelry. If desired, you can order additional engraving or a complex design from the jeweler, which is difficult to reproduce at home;
• silver objects are lighter than gold. Weight is important for both jewelry and cutlery. For example, a gilded silver pendant with stones will please its owner much longer than a gold one due to its light weight;
• affordable price. Silver is much cheaper than gold, and with high-quality work, gold-plated metal at home does not differ visually from gold;
• damaged coating, if necessary, can be easily restored at home. It is less expensive than purchasing a new item;
• variability of coating colors;
• When properly used, gilded silver is durable;
• Gold-plated silver is thicker and has better thermal conductivity, which is why it is used in elements for mechanical watches.

Before gilding silver at home, you should familiarize yourself with the disadvantages of such a procedure:

• Gold-plated items are difficult to care for. It is necessary to constantly ensure that jewelry comes into contact with skin and liquids less often. Dishes with such a coating are contraindicated to be washed in a dishwasher or with the use of chemicals. There are special solutions for cleaning gold plated utensils at home;
• high-grade gold, which is used for gilding, is very shiny, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to hide the true material from the experienced eyes of jewelry lovers and specialists;
• gilding does not prevent the oxidation of the metal, so spots may appear on the treated silver, especially if the operating conditions are not met.

Borax and soda for further processing and reduction of precious metal losses

Borax or sodium tetraborate is widely used in everyday life and is not a toxic element. Sometimes borax is used in gold extraction - it is easily available and cheap. With its help, you can extract much more precious metal than using methods such as amalgamation.

Since home gold mining involves small volumes of solar metal, it is very important to minimize losses. Adding borax to the precious metal flakes at the final stage of refining will simplify subsequent processing steps and also reduce volume loss.

Instead of borax, you can use soda, which has a lower melting point.

How long does it last

The durability of the coating is affected by how carefully the silver is stored and worn. If an item is purchased in a jewelry store and has quality certificates, it will delight the owner for more than 2 years. Earrings and brooches that have little contact with the body will retain their visual appeal longer than a chain or bracelet.

Factors that negatively affect the durability of gold-plated items:

• contact with water and chloride compounds contained in it;
• exposure to concentrated chemicals;
• improper care;
• constant friction against the skin, interaction with sweat.

Methods of gilding silver

The quality of the resulting coating depends on the chosen technique for creating gilding at home.

The most popular methods:

• chemical method;
• mechanical;
• electroplating

All of these options are suitable for doing at home and involve the use of a reaction of special chemical compounds.

Chemical method

This option of gilding involves applying gold chloride to silver or other material at home.

Stages:

• prepare aqua regia (a compound of concentrated acids);
• dissolve the gold product, divided into small fragments, in the resulting substance;
• evaporate the water until a dry residue is obtained;
• mix the resulting substance with calcium carbonate and a solution of potassium cyanide until a paste-like consistency is obtained;
• apply the mixture to the silver with a brush;
• After drying, rinse the item under running water and polish.

Mechanical method

This method is used very rarely, since achieving uniformity of the surface layer at home is not easy.

Features of mechanical gilding:

• To obtain the desired result, a special rubbing paste is used. The composition is prepared in a specialized store or at home;
• The mechanically applied coating has a very thin layer. It will not retain its attractive appearance for a long time, even if the item is gilded in compliance with all the rules and conditions;
• The composition of paste for gilding most often includes cream of tartar, crushed chalk and yellow blood salt. They are mixed with water until a homogeneous mass is obtained and rubbed into the surface of the object using a piece of natural wool;
• before gilding an item at home, it must be degreased with a special solution;
• The paste is applied to the product in an even layer. When rubbing, it is important to ensure that it does not get on exposed skin.

Due to the complexity of execution, the mechanical method is most often used if only a small area of ​​silver needs to be gilded. Other technologies involve completely immersing the object in the solution.

Galvanic method

Electroplating allows you to gild metal and create a durable coating. By changing the proportions of the constituent substances, even at home you can get gilding of different shades.

Procedure:

• clean, degrease and polish the silver product;
• prepare electrolytes based on water, sodium phosphate, potassium cyanide, gold chloride and sodium sulfide;
• heat the solution to a temperature of 60 °C and lower the object into it;
• install anode.

Gilding silver in this way at home takes an average of 14 hours. Upon completion of all stages, the item should be dried on sawdust and polished.

Where to deliver the received material and at what price?

The gold ingot (barrel) obtained as a result of purification most often has insignificant weight. However, even in such quantities it is of interest to buyers.

Advertisements for buying gold can be easily found on the Internet or in local newspapers.
Often, solid metal is purchased by the same companies that buy radio components.

(for example, aluminum or brass) may also be interested in gold

If the buyer is in the same city as the seller, the transaction is completed upon visiting the specified address.

The buyer himself weighs the metal and checks its quality, after which he sets a price. Of course, if possible, it is advisable to check all offers on the market in order to choose the most profitable one. The bullion can be sent to another city by mail, cash on delivery.

Some pawnshops are also ready to accept goods of this kind. To find out at what price the establishment will be willing to purchase gold, contact a pawnshop employee. Another option is to submit an ad yourself . In this case, you just have to wait for a call from a potential buyer.

If you engage in refining on an industrial scale, you should rely on existing laws.

To legally engage in the circulation of precious metals, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur or create an LLC.

When selling gold, focus on its purity and market value.

The price per gram of 999 fine precious metal is set by the Central Bank of Russia . Since 2004, its prices have been continuously rising. The most significant jump was observed in 2016, when the cost exceeded 3 thousand rubles per gram.

Preparing a composition for gilding at home

You can prepare the solution for gilding yourself.

To do this, mix:

• water (1500 ml);
• gold chloride (10 g);
• potassium cyanide (30 g);
• salt (20 g);
• soda (20 g).

To obtain a thinner layer of gold plating you will need:

• water (2 l);
• gold chloride (15 g);
• yellow blood salt (65 g);
• carbonic potassium salt (65 g);
• table salt (65 g).

All components must be well dissolved, otherwise the gilding layer will be uneven, and even thorough polishing will not help. When the product is immersed in liquid, it is necessary to lower a zinc stick into the container (zinc contact method).

Costs of separating gold from radio components

One liter of reagents costs approximately 300 rubles. 1 gram of isolated gold is valued at approximately 2500-3000 rubles. To get about 3 grams of yellow metal from KT605 transistors, for example, you will need 100 parts. Each of them contains 27 micrograms of valuable raw materials.

You can buy transistors for 15-20 rubles apiece. Spend about 2000 rubles, you will receive approximately 8000-9000 thousand. It is necessary to calculate the profitability of an enterprise. “Recycling” of some radio components is unprofitable.

Rules for using gold-plated products

The durability of gold-plated items depends on their proper use and storage conditions.

Recommendations for use, following which you can enjoy the beauty of gold-plated products for many years:

• Are you going to take a bath or shower? Be sure to remove earrings and other gold-plated jewelry. It is important to prevent them from coming into contact with soapy water;
• store items in closed boxes, caskets, avoiding exposure to sunlight and moisture. To prevent jewelry from being scratched, you need to place each item in a soft fabric bag or place it in separate chests;
• gilding a product with a thick layer of metal is not enough; it is important to clean it properly;
• Do not store gold-plated jewelry in the kitchen, bathroom or other rooms in high humidity conditions.

Cleaning

To clean a gold-plated item at home without damaging the coating, you will need:

• suede cloth;
• vinegar;
• ethanol.

Suede is useful for polishing silver. It is used immediately after cleaning to give things shine. If a piece of jewelry that has been successfully gilded is worn every day, you should wipe it with a cloth every evening before placing it in the box.

Small stains can be removed with ethyl alcohol. Silver is treated with a cotton pad soaked in the substance. An aqueous solution of vinegar will help remove significant stains; just place a silver item in it for a quarter of an hour.

Under no circumstances do I recommend immersing silver in a soap or soda solution: in such conditions, the decorative coating will be irrevocably damaged.