Plating

Discover the best gold, chrome and nickel plating products and services for your business
By Kristina Seleshanko Plating involves placing a coat (or plate) consisting of a thin layer of material--usually metal--over an object. Plating is typically used for aesthetics, protection against corrosion and, in general, making an object last longer. You may plate any common metals, in addition to some other materials such as plastic.

Some of the most common types of plating are gold plating, chrome plating and nickel plating. Each has its own specific uses, as well as many service providers and distributors of equipment and supplies. When seeking information about plating services, consider the following:

1. Do you need your own plating machinery?

2. Do you need plating supplies, such as chemicals and safety equipment?

3. Do you require a professional plating company to do the work for you?

Find gold plating supplies and services

Gold plating is commonly used for jewelry, electronics, silverware, plumbing fixtures, guns, automobile accessories and personal mementos. Appropriate gold plating machines run from small, hobby-type equipment to larger, industrial models. An appropriate gold plating system and necessary supplies are readily available at most plating supply sources, and there are a wide variety of gold plating services available for your business needs, too.
Try:  Becker Industries has a good line of plating machines; for more product information, click on the gold plating machine that interests you. Warren's Gold Mine carries a line of gold plating supplies, including chemicals, safety equipment and a training tape. Metal Art Specialties does electroplating in a variety of gold finishes for jewelry, engineering products and specialty applications.

Search for chrome plating equipment and services

Chrome plating is widely used in the automobile industry, but it's also useful for many engineering projects and for the treatment of industrial equipment and guns. Machines and supplies for chrome plating are readily available, as are companies that offer industrial or decorative chrome plating services.
Try:  UsedPlatingEquipment.com offers pre-owned chrome plating equipment. Peacock Laboratories sells chemicals for achieving chrome plating. Chromplate provides decorative chrome plating services on many types of plastic and metal. Industrial Plating Company provides hard chrome plating suitable for machine parts and similar products.

Discover nickel plating kits and services

Nickel plating is often used in engineering and industrial equipment, but also for household items such as door knobs, fixtures and kitchen utensils. Another common use for nickel is as a coating in circuit board manufacturing. Kits for nickel plating are easy to find, as are professional nickel plating companies.
Try:  Caswell offers a nickel plating kit that's designed to teach you how to achieve the process and provides everything you need to do so. Electrochemical Products provides nickel plating chemicals. Professional Plating offers nickel plating for high performance parts. Electro-Coatings offers nickel plating services for industrial needs.

• Before entrusting your job to any plating service provider, be sure to see examples of their work. If you're going to send your job by mail, photographs of past work will do. Otherwise, examine samples in person.