Need help on gold plating antique jewelry make of lead or aluminum base metal

[fastfix50]

I'm using rectifier and trying to gold plate small antique charm and I think it was made of lead or aluminum base metal. Following are steps that I tried and I was failed:
1. clean the charm with distilled water, steam, and air dry.
2. Electroclean with stainless steel anode at 4 volts for 60 second, 140F.
3. clean with distilled water.
4. activate at room temperature for 15 second without current.
5. Nickel plating at 140F, 2 minutes, 4 volts.
6. Clean with distilled water.
7. activate at room temperature for 15 seconds without current.
8. Gold plating at 140F, 3 volts, 45 second.

Final result is very little gold bind the surface and not evenly. What did I do wrong or any susgestion/idea will be really appreciate. Thanks

[razzy26uk]

im no expert lol far from it but from what ive been reading on here does`nt aluminium need to be treated with zincate first ?
paul

[razzy26uk]

Zincate



You Can't Plate Aluminum

Without

Zincate Pre-Treatment For Aluminum

Using CASWELL Zincate Solution, aluminum can be pre-treated, and then plated in one of our plating kits. The problem:- Aluminum forms an oxide layer the minute it is exposed to air. This presents a problem when plating aluminum, as the oxide layer prevents the plate from sticking. By using the Zincate process as a pre-plate dip, we chemically remove the oxide layer and at the same time, apply a layer of zinc. The zinc protects the aluminum until it is ready to be plated. As the part is lowered into the plating tank, the zinc is etched away by the nickel solution and plating proceeds onto a clinically clean surface.

Predip aluminum parts before plating








The process:-

Bead blast the part to remove all heavy oxides and contaminants.

Buff & polish the part to the required shine.

Thoroughly degrease the part in either CASWELL SP Degreaser or a suitable solvent such as acetone or lacquer thinner.

Make up the zincate solution by adding 1 liter of concentrate to 3 liters of distilled water.

Heat the solution to 75°F Immerse the solution for 15 sec. to 2 minutes. Immersion time will depend on the alloy, zincate condition and temperature.

If the alloy reacts violently with the solution, then shorten the time immersed. If no reaction is visible, then immersion times can be extended.

A uniform gray appearance is usually a sign of a properly zincated surface, however there are cases where a dark, slightly streaked surface is acceptable. As the zincate solution is depleted, there will be a noticeable increase in the gassing. You can replenish the solution by adding about 10% of the Zincate Concentrate, or simply make up a new batch.

[lcaswell]

Aluminum needs a pre-treat with Zincate.

Lead needs a pre-treat with Pickle #4, then a strike with Flash Copper.

See Plating Kits Chrome Plating Kits Aluminum Anodizing Kits Electroplating Kits - Caswell Inc.