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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Materials that can be 14K plated

I am a fine art sculptor who creates small decorative objects in stone, clay, cement. Can I plate any of these materials?

MJ King
Artist/Designer - NYC, New York
January 26, 2010

January 26, 2010

Hi, MJ. With proper pretreatment, anything at all can be gold plated. Our FAQ: Plating Organic Materials will introduce some of these pretreatment methods. The issue is usually whether you can get sufficient adhesion for the situation. If these pieces of art will be outdoors in the rain and blazing sun, adhesion could be an issue. For these types of substrates I would probably start with a conductive paint or, only if you can get full coverage, a two-part silvering solution.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

Thanks for the follow-up answer to my question.

MJ King
January 29, 2010

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