Pen Plating System

[Osprey Guy]

I'm posting this here because I know that many (if not most) of you jewlery-maker-type guys don't often check out many of the other KNet forums.

I often talk about how lucky I am to have, less than 10 minutes from my house, a wonderful, local, jewelry supply shop. Since discovering it 4 years ago I hang out there quite a bit. Over the years I've become good friends with the owner...I usually stop in to visit with him at least once a week.

Seems like everytime I'm in the store I see some sort of nifty new "goodie" that I hadn't noticed before... So I tend to buy a lot of stuff from him on the spur-of-the-moment. A few months ago I noticed a blue box sitting up on a top shelf in the corner. I reached up and took it down...It was a "Digital Pen Plating System."



I remembered reading something about these a few years back...I'm pretty sure it was mentioned once or twice right here in this forum. I didn't know anything about the system, and the owner, who's not a jeweler, couldn't tell me much about it either. But I assumed from the name/description, that perhaps it'd be something new and different to use for decorating knife bolsters, etc. So on a whim I bought it...along with 2 jars of plating solutions....1 oz of 14 kt gold solution, and 1 oz of rhodium solution (pricey stuff!). As always, the owner (my friend), gave me a terrific discount on everything.







Well, I brought everything home....and the plating system, and the solutions, sat in the small shopping bag, untouched......for several months.

Then 2 weeks ago, I drove down to the Blade show with (the great) Donald Bell, and on the way back we stopped off in Tennesse to spend the day at Scott Pilkington's place, for the annual "engraver-in"... Toward the end of that day, we were standing around and I happened to mention to Donald and Mike Cirelli ( an engraver/jeweler who came down from Pittsburg for the get-together) that I had purchased the Plating Pen System. In short order they both explained that the pen is mostly used on gold, brass, coppper....but not on steel! They said that I could use it on steel, but I would first need to do something called a "nickel strike"... And even then I would not be able to "draw" with the plating pens, as I had originally thought.

By now it was plainly obvious that I would never get any use out of the system. So...It's now for sale...along with the 1 oz solutions of gold and rhodium. If you know how to use one of these, and/or are interested in an incredible deal....I've got it listed in the KNet "For Sale" forums:
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=43031


Dennis Greenbaum

[J. Barraclough]

Hi Dennis.
It was good meeting you at Scott's and then sitting around the motel pool with you, Mike C. and his family.
I have and use a pen plating system.
Just a word of warning to you and others.
The plating solutions have to be shipped with hazardous material packing and that is costly.
I don't know what size container that it applies to but be sure not to get jammed up in these regulations.
Just my thoughts.
John.

[Osprey Guy]

Hey John-

I too enjoyed our time together (albeit rather brief)...

According to my research...while the larger bottles of plating solution concentrates are indeed required to ship Hazmat, the smaller, 1 oz jars of plating solutions that have been specifically formulated for use with plating pens, are not subject to Hazmat shipping fees. Because of the small quantities involved (1 0z/20 ml, which is therefore under 30 ml) they meet the requirements of the "Small Quantity Exception" (49CFR 173.4) of the Dept of Transportation regulations.

Regardless, to avoid any possible leak of material, I intend to ship these doubled packaged in plastic wrap and zip baggies, and then secured in cavities that I've cut out of styrofoam packaging.

Thanks for your concern.

Dennis

[J. Barraclough]

Hi Dennis.
Thanks for that good information that the smaller containers are OK to ship without falling foul of Haxmat regulations. I wasn't sure. You're on top of the game.
Your little set of pens looks like a good deal for someone.
Best regards, John.