Bright Gold Plating has been practiced for centuries and still remains as an important finish in manufacturing today. For decorative applications, gold plating will provide a finish, which will resist tarnishing due to the properties of gold. In applications when wear resistance is required we will protect a gold plated finish with a coating such as our e-coat. The photograph above displays an item, which has been polished, gold plated and protected with e-coat.

For practical purposes we will generally deposit a thin layer of pure gold over a layer of Bright Nickel Plating. We will then protect the finish with e-coat to give the performance that is necessary. This is generally more economical than trying to obtain the desired performance results with a thicker layer of gold. The color of the gold plated deposit can be varied to achieve a wide range of finishes. The photo displayed above is our standard color but we can match a wide variety of colors.

When an item is to be polished gold plated it is usually put through a mechanical surface preparation treatment of some kind. This can include a buffing ,polishing operation or a mass finishing operation such as tumbling with ceramic stone. Although it is not necessary to prepare the surface in this way it greatly adds to the appearance of the item to be polished gold plated. The item in the photograph above was polished prior to be plated.

Silver is the most reliable metal used for jewellery and cutlery since traditions. Silver is a White precious metal, which has good electrical and heat conductivity, with ductility and reflectivity, which is superior to most other materials.

Functional uses are for preventing galling or seizing of metal surfaces under high loads Such as on bearings. It is also used in the electrical and electronic industries because of its outstanding electrical conductivity. Silver is tarnished relatively faster than other metals. Silver is also used for domestic wear and high quality personal items.

Basically before Silver Plating, the products are properly buffed followed by Bright Copper Plating or Bright Nickel Plating. Spencer & Spencer recommends e coat after silver-plating for a long lasting decorative silver finish.

The above picture reflects eternal effects of silver plating followed by e coat. 

Copper is soft metal with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and is plated for use in industrial and decorative applications. Since it is easy deposited, copper is often used as an undercoat for other plated metals.

Bright polished and decorative Copper Plating with e-coat is a highly desirable finish, especially in the kitchen, bath and jewellery industry. Once protected with our clean e coat it offers excellent corrosion resistance. If left uncoated a polished and decorative copper finish will age very nicely to produce an aged copper finish. Polished and decorative copper platting can be applied to stainless steel, steel, brass, zinc die-cast and ABS Plastics.

The picture displays alluring features of a Bright Copper Plating with e-coat.

Nickel metal has high mechanical strength, is fairly hard and has magnetic properties.

Nickel deposits, either alone or in combination with other metals, meet the most varied requirements in decorative and functional areas. Bright nickel coating acts as a contributor to corrosion resistance, reflectivity and brightness, They are also used as an undercoat for Silver Plating and Gold Plating.

Bright Nickel Plating with a protective e-coat is a finish that has became very popular recently for a variety of reasons. This finish is grey white in color, which gives a softer tone than the bluish white color of Chrome Plating. Bright nickel plating is very similar in color to polished stainless steel and can be used to complement a variety of finishes. Bright nickel plating is a very stable finish and it’s performance can be greatly enhanced when it is protected with our e-coat. Another benefit of adding the e-coat to this finish is that the bright nickel plating will not fingerprint once it has been e-coated.

At times, when an item is to be polished nickel plated it is put through a mechanical surface preparation treatment of some kind. This can include a polishing and buffing operation or a mass finishing operation such as tumbling with ceramic stone. Although it is not necessary to prepare the surface in this way it greatly adds to the appearance of the item to be bright nickel-plated. The item in the photograph above was buffed prior to being plated.

Bright decorative chrome plating is a finish which Spencer & Spencer has been offering since its inception.

Commercial chrome plating is a term that Spencer & Spencer uses to describe work which is handled in bulk. Generally items, which we categorize as commercial chrome plating, are not polished, but are electroplated in the condition we receive them or mass tumbled or buffed prior to plating. The electroplating process for bright chrome plating and polished chrome plating is the same. The only difference between the two finishes is the manner in which the items are handled.

Even though many items are not polished or buffed prior to being chrome plated they will still have a lustrous finish if desired. Most items are nickel plated prior to commercial chrome plating. The lustrous finish is achieved with this layer of nickel. Bright Chrome Plating generally applies to industrial applications and can be achieved on many types of metal including brass, steel, stainless steel and zinc die-cast and on ABS plastics The above picture is a lustrous bright chrome plated product.

Bright Black Nickel Plating will produce a finish, which is bluish black in color. Black nickel is not a true nickel deposit but an electrolytic coloring process, which produces a black deposit upon the surface of the article. This finish is generally applied over a layer of bright nickel-plating to achieve mirror finish. The item shown in the photograph above is black nickel deposited over bright nickel. The Black nickel plating is also commercial know as Gunmetal and Anthracite plating.

Black nickel plating should be protected with a coating to insure its performance in service. At Spencer & Spencer , we recommend protecting this finish with e-coat. Once protected with our e-coat this finish will provide excellent performance.

When an item is to black nickel-plated it is usually put through a mechanical surface preparation treatment of some kind. This can include a polishing and buffing operation or a mass finishing operation such as tumbling with ceramic stone. Although it is not necessary to prepare the surface in this way it remarkably adds to the appearance of the item to be black nickel-plated. The item in the photograph above was polished prior to being plated and coated with e-coat.

Bright Tin Plating is a high speed process specially designed to produce a highly levelled, mirror bright or satin tin deposit on variety of base metals in vat and barrel systems.

Tin deposits have excellent solderable characteristics, which continue to remain unchanged after prolonged ageing. The brilliant finish of Tin deposits are resistant to tarnish-and finger prints.

Tin deposits offer high corrosion protection because they are non-porous, dense and possess excellent covering and leveling properties. The deposits are now being widely used as replacement for decorative coatings such as gold, silver, tin-nickel, solder and other tin coatings in the manufacture of such diverse items like jewellary, semi-conductor devices, electronic components, hardware, wire goods, zippers and cast iron appliances. In addition, it is used as an etch resist and solderable coating for printed circuit boards. 

Electro coat, or e-coat, or electrophoretic lacquering is a process that we use at Spencer & Spencer to provide a protective coating to most of our finishes. E-coat is a widely used coating technology that has provided superior levels of performance for over the years. Major advantages of an e-coat include complete coverage of complex parts with unsurpassed film uniformity and clarity.

During the e-coat process polyurethane lacquer is applied to the item at a certain film thickness which is regulated by the amount of current applied to the part. E-coat solids are self- limiting as they are deposited. Therefore the amount of e-coat applied slows down as the item becames electrically insulated by the applied coating. After e coat parts are heated in furnace at elevated temperature for approximately 60 minutes

E-coat systems are referred to as either anodic or cathodic systems. At Spencer & Spencer, we used cathodic systems since they offer substantially improved corrosion resistance than anodic systems. Whenever high coating performance is required, cathodic type e-coat systems are specified. In addition to it’s operational and performance benefits e-coat is an environmentally friendly process. After e-coat we can guarantee for long lasting effect of electroplating.