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GOLD PLATING A KALASH

I WANT TO PLATE A KALASH WITH GOLD.(TEMPLE TOP DOME) WHAT PROCEDURE SHOULD I ADOPT FOR LONG DURABILITY--ABOUT 50 YEARS, I HAVE OPTIONS OF GOLD PLATING, GOLD LEAVES WORK. WHICH ONE IS BETTER. please ALSO EXPLAIN THE PROCEDURE. AS THERE ARE DIFFERENT OPINION FOR THE SAME ALSO WHAT SHOULD BE THE BASE MATERIAL OF DOME /KALASH.

RAJIV B AGARWAL
- LONAVALA, MAHARASHTRA INDIA
2002

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Gold leaf kits on eBay or Amazon (affil links) "Gold Leaf Techniques" by Kent H. Smith on AbeBooks or eBay or Amazon (affil links) 2002 Hi! If you have some spare time then please visit Golden Temple at Amritsar (Punjab, India) , where you can see for yourself how they apply gold leaf on the domes over there. Whole process starting from making gold foil and putting it on a red hot metal domes are done in public by the Kar Seva people. These gold leaves can surely last for 50 years provided you have proper security! Nippinder Singh - New Delhi, India I am not sure about the base material for Kalash. Some use panchalogam (Alloy of 5 metals), you need to consult the people who are experts in that. Gold leaf is better in thickness it may range btw 150-300 microns while plating depends on how much you want to build. There are people in Mumbai who do gold plating on large scale. But make sure you go for a nickel plating of at least 50 Micron (to prevent diffusion) before you do gold plating. Good luck .. . Karthik - Singapore 2002

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Dear Sir,

Nickel is not considered suitable for Kalash that is erected on top of a temple. I would prefer 20 microns of silver as an undercoat. As per my experience 20 microns of silver followed by 7 to 8 microns of gold have withstood ravages of one of the most polluted traffic intersection in Pune for more than 20 years.

Yashawant Deval
- Pune, Maharashtra, India
2002

The best dependable option is gold gilding. Gilding of Kalash can assure you for at least 50 years of durability.

Iqbal Warakhwala
- Dubai, UAE
2002

It is possible for the Kalasam to give life for 12 years, 25 years and 50 years through gold deposition process. Already several projects like Temple Kalasams, Vimanams, Mandapams . The gold plated kalasam surface is protected from outside against the atmospheric erosion and corrosion as wear resistance could be given to the surface. The inside of the base can also be protected. thus the life will band sheen will be better than the traditional gold raking (layers) method or leafing. The cost factor will be 30% of the traditional cost.

K S Narayanan
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
August 25, 2010

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Q. We wish to make a replica of the Golden Temple at Amritsar and want to know what would be the best metal to be used as a base for the dome and arches, which are to be gold plated.

DP Singh
- New Delhi, India
April 23, 2012