Would Pen plating be any good for repairing gold plated cases/straps?

[mikepilk]

Has anyone experience of pen plating gold?

I wondered if it would be any good in improving the appearance of small defects/wear in gold plated cases and straps?

[AndyGSi]

The problem with pen plating is the prep work so all depends where the wear is.

On a strap if it's a single link and you can just redo that then you're OK.

[nevenbekriev]

Pen plating gives verry thin layer and it will not help to repair the wear but only cosmetically. If the watch will stay in a box or collection, then OK, but if it will be used, then the brass (the base metal) will show up after 3 days. Then, the color of the pen goldplating may differ from the rest of the case or strap color.

[AndyGSi]

20 minutes ago, nevenbekriev said:

Pen plating gives verry thin layer and it will not help to repair the wear but only cosmetically. If the watch will stay in a box or collection, then OK, but if it will be used, then the brass (the base metal) will show up after 3 days. Then, the color of the pen goldplating may differ from the rest of the case or strap color.

The thickness of the plating and therefore durability is dependent on how long you spend on the plating.

https://www.goldn.co.uk/product/gold-pen-plating-solution/

[nevenbekriev]

Yes and no. You can't make it thicker than about 0.3 um before it starts pilling. Actually, the real gold plating is with verry poisonous cyanids containing solutions. This is only for color. At least, this is what i know about it.

[RichardHarris123]

Cyanide dissolves gold, it is used in mining low grade ore. The gold / Cyanide complex can the be added to water to make the plating solution.  

[mikepilk]

1 hour ago, nevenbekriev said:

Yes and no. You can't make it thicker than about 0.3 um before it starts pilling. 

That's what I suspected. Thought it might be a easy way to improve wear and pitting in gold plating.  Seems it isn't

[AndyGSi]

@mikepilk You may want to check out this website that shows plating of 3.0 to 3.6 microns as being achievable.

https://www.hunterproducts.com/store-pen/

[Waggy]

Is there any alternative to gold plating to get a gold like colour that won't tarnish?

I think I heard about some kind of  coating for brass, but maybe this is just for clocks??

Edited July 7, 2024 by Waggy

[RichardHarris123]

Unfortunately I don't think so. 

[agg221]

2 hours ago, Waggy said:

Is there any alternative to gold plating to get a gold like colour that won't tarnish?

I think I heard about some kind of  coating for brass, but maybe this is just for clocks??

Clocks can be lacquered to preserve the polish on the brass but the lacquer is not hard enough wearing to work on a watch, and you don't want brass against skin as it will end up green and nasty. Titanium nitride (TiN) is used to give a hard wearing gold colour. It was used on cheap watch cases in the 1980s (and probably still is) with just a flash of gold over the top to claim that they were 'gold plated'. It does last well but all plating is thin so wears through over time.

Alec