Palladium Electroplating

Technology Without Limits (TWL) and Dr. Claudio Telatin are proud to announce a breakthrough Palladium Plating Solution that solves the long standing issue of a grey color which has been unacceptable in the world's jewelry marketplace.  This new formulation solves that issue and plates a very white color that compares very favorably to Rhodium at a much lower price.

Why Plate with Palladium instead of Rhodium?

Cost - Rhodium is close to $5,000 / ounce.  Palladium is around $250 / ounce.

Plating Thickness - TWL Palladium can be plated at a high thickness, up to 3 microns.  Rhodium can only be plated up to 0.4 microns thickness.  The color of rhodium greatly deteriorates as the thickness of the plating is increased.

Color - TWL palladium uses other alloys in the palladium formula which improves the color of the deposit. The final plating deposit result is 95% palladium and only about 5% alloy.  The color is very close to the color of Rhodium.

Life of the final plated product - Rhodium plates very inefficiently in regards to grain structure therefore leaving very small porosity holes which latter result in color change and oxidation bleed through. This is not the case with Palladium which has a much higher efficiency  and can produce a highly resistant deposit even at low thickness resulting in a longer esthetic life of the final finish of the jewelry item.

Works Great on Silver Jewelry - Palladium give you a tarnish free finish on silver jewelry without a nickel pre-plate.  Many manufacturers use Nickel before Rhodium when plating on silver.  When using Rhodium alone on silver, you can have oxidation bleed through.

Palladium can also be used as a pre-plate for Rhodium - This can enable the manufacturer to provide a longer lasting high quality product with a substantially lower cost by applying a protective layer of palladium followed by a low decorative finish of rhodium. 

This formula is available for Large baths or in  Ready To Use Quart and Pint bottles.

We also have Palladium plating startup kit everything you need to get started using Palladium and saving money!

  Click on the shopping cart to order to place an order.

Learn more about Technology Without Limits (TWL) Products and Services

Learn more about Palladium from the Palladium Alliance International

Palladium Plating FAQ

There are many different type of palladium plating solutions in the market place. The following information will help you to understand the differences between the various palladium-plating products, and choose the correct palladium for your needs.

 Q: What is palladium plating used for?

A: Palladium plating is used as a decorative final white finish on brass, silver, palladium, gold, or white gold.  Palladium plating is used as an undercoat before rhodium plating to increase the protection from color change, through the rhodium plating porosity. By using palladium as the protection coating, the amount of rhodium required for a high quality white plated finish could be reduced by 50%.

 Q: Will palladium tarnish?

A: No. Palladium is in the same noble family as rhodium and platinum and it plates in a more compact way than rhodium, resulting in a higher level of oxidation resistance. 

Q: Is palladium a hard scratch resistant plated finish?

A: Yes. PD2 has cobalt in the formula to increase the hardness and resistance to wear.

 Q: Is palladium white like rhodium?

A: Rhodium is the whitest plating metals excluding silver. PD2 palladium is the closest palladium plating solution to rhodium in the world market place. Good surface preparation such as polishing will enhance the final palladium plating result.

  Q: Does palladium plating require electro cleaning and activation rinse?

A: Yes. Electro cleaning will help remove any surface oils or other residuals from polish, ultrasonic, and tubing. Activation will neutralize the electro cleaner soap while activating the surface of the item for good adhesion of the palladium plating. These steps will help protect your expensive precious metals plating solution from contamination.

 Q: Will activated carbon treatment remove soap & polish from palladium plating solution?

A: Yes. Soaps, polish and other organic contamination can be removed by carbon treatment filtration. PDC-KIT has all the required materials to purify your palladium.

 Q: Does the palladium metal content affect the palladium plating result?

A: Yes. Palladium content of 2 grams/liter can achieve a maximum plating thickness of 0.2 micron in 1 minute of plating time. Plating times over 1 minute will result in a color change and potential porosity. Palladium content of 5 grams/liter can achieve a maximum plating thickness of 1 micron in 5 minute of plating time. Plating thickness is in direct proportion to the metal content in the plating bath. For higher protection and longer product life, 5gram/liter palladium plated at a higher thickness will last much longer than a 2g/liter palladium plate. The 5gram/liter palladium can achieve thicknesses of 1-3 micron without affecting the color or reflectivity and the bath will last much longer.

 Q: Is the equipment the same for palladium as rhodium?

A: Yes. We recommend using new & separate components for palladium & rhodium so you do not contaminate either plating solution.

 Q: Can I plate palladium directly over brass, silver, palladium, gold, or, white gold?

A: Yes palladium can be applied directly over all conductive metals. Rhodium is sulfuric acid base and therefore attacks the surface of less noble metals. 

Q: Is palladium easy to use and maintain?

A: Yes. PD2 requires no PH adjustment. Palladium requires all the same pre-plating steps as rhodium. Temperature and voltage are lower than rhodium and requires the same maintenance steps as rhodium.

 Q: Do I have to heat the palladium plating solution?

A: No. PD2 will plate a complete equal barrier of protection at room temperature, but will plate a whiter color when it is heated to 100-115°F 

Q: Will ultrasonic plating improve the color and plating structure?

A: Yes. The use of ultrasonic waves improves the color, structure, hardness and speed of the palladium plating deposit. Insert ¾ of the glass beaker into an ultrasonic during the plating process. The force of the ultrasonic waves is about 1 ton per millimeter. This ultrasonic force will push the palladium deposit into a more compact formation resulting in a harder finish with, higher reflectivity and whiter color.

 Q: Can palladium be pen plated?