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ABOUT WOOD PEN PLATING
American Wood Pens uses metal components from several vendors, each of
which have their
own plating methods and types. To assist you in
choosing the
right plating, a wear rating from
1 to 5 (least durable to
most durable) is
presented
as a "guide" only.
Gold Plating is ultimately not durable when exposed to abrasion.
By its nature,
gold is very soft
and must be alloyed with another metal
to improve its durability.
No matter what, all gold plating
will
wear off over time. Rack plating is a better
method than tumble
plating and provides a much
more consistent and durable
coating.
We use only rack plated components.
-
24K Gold (wear
rating: 1) This is usually thinly plated with an epoxy
coating
to
increase
durability. American Wood Pens does not use 24K
gold
components.
-
10K Gold (wear rating: 3) This is a combination of
gold and nickel for a
more durable finish.
-
Upgrade Gold (wear rating: 3) 24K gold is
alloyed with small quantities
of cobalt or
palladium. It is
much more durable than 24K
gold.
-
Titanium Gold (wear rating: 4) Titanium is a
very durable finish which is
applied using
PVD (particle vapor
deposition). Titanium oxide is color
matched to the gold and
bonded
to the part followed by 24K gold which
is also bonded
(sputtered) onto the parts. The
parts are then re-plated in
an
additional step.
-
18K Swiss Rose Gold (wear rating: 3) This is a
very rare and unusual
plating that is an
alloy of gold and copper.
It is deposited in a very thick
layer for durability and a beautiful
sumptuous look.
-
Chrome (wear rating: 4) This is a very durable
plating.
-
Platinum (wear rating: 5) This is a very
durable and high value plating.
-
Rhodium (wear rating: 5) This is closely
related to platinum and part
of
the platinum
group metals. Rhodium is silvery white in color and is
commonly used in jewelry plating applications. Rhodium is hard
and durable.
-
Black Titanium (wear rating: 5) This is a
titanium oxide PVD
(particle
vapor deposition).
It is both
unbelievably hard and durable
as well as
extremely attractive.
-
Sterling Silver (wear rating: 4) We use a
restaurant grade 20 micron
plating,
compared
to others at 4 – 5
micron.
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