How durable would you think a 24k gold finish would be over steel cups? I don't know if RNT2 is the only one doing that, but that is a set I am considering. Can you really bang them around a bit without the gold finish getting messed up?

Thanks,
Bob

Well I have never used them but what I can tell you is that gold is a very soft metal. So I could see scratching, denting and chipping from an outside source (dropping, hitting, clashing) being a problem if you are rough with them. The steel itself would be durable but idk how well a gold finish would do.

Like I said I have not used them so this is only speculation from knowledge of minerals. Since it's gold on gold, I would imagine that this would help keep them in better shape than you using (for example) one gold, one steel and one titanium, where the metals would for sure damage eachother.

best,
Andy

Thanks for your interest Bob, let me break it down for you.

Using steel for the substrate has benefits: It's less expensive than copper, it's lighter than copper, it's harder than copper (resistant to dents), and when formed into a bell shape it creates a very high tone when rung. The downside is that unless you are working with stainless steel, steel will rust, so it requires a coating (plate or paint) to prevent oxidization. Also, because it is so hard, it is difficult to work with and difficult to polish.

Gold plating begins with mirror polishing the substrate because any electroplating is only going to look as good as the surface of the material being plated looks. It must be polished and blemish-free. Then the part is cleaned and readied for plating: it gets a muriatic acid bath and rinsed in a caustic cleaner.
The first actual electroplating process is a copper flash (or strike). This is very thin copper plating that preps the part for nickel plating.
The next step is nickel plating. This provides a tarnish resistant layer that prevents the steel from rusting or tarnishing THRU the gold (Gold will never tarnish - but the substrate can tarnish THRU the gold if it's not nickel plated first).
The next step is the gold electroplating. This completely electroplates the exterior surface with a layer of gold.
The final step is performed in-house - I "brush plate" the interior of the part (cups and bowls) so the insides are evenly plated with gold. I should mention that true gold (like my 24kt gold) is suspended in a cyanide solution, so this process is hazardous.

If a part is dented, gold plating, nickel plating and chrome plating will all go along for the ride. Because the nickel and gold are chemically bonded to the surface, it doesn't separate from the surface if the surface is dented.

Any surface or finish can be scratched. You can scratch chrome plated surfaces (like the exhaust pipe of your Harley). You certainly can scratch bare metals as well. Gold is no different. If you grind two plated parts together long enough, you will scratch their finish - no matter what they are plated with.

C_Biskit is right, gold is soft, but we are not working with SOLID gold parts, we are only working with gold PLATED parts - so density is not really an issue.

I've never seen one of my plated parts "chip" (like paint chips). I think that occurs when the substrate has rusted (like tail pipes on cars - not plated on the inside, plated on the outside, inside rusts thru and chrome chips off).

The greatest threat to a gold plated surface is metal polish. Metal polishes can strip off the gold and expose the nickel. However my gold plated parts never need polishing. All you need to do to maintain the finish is to wash them in warm soapy water - to remove fingerprints and body oils, which can build up on the surface and dull the shine. I always suggest drying them immediately with a soft cotton towel to prevent water spotting. If you dry them with a paper towel, you might scratch the finish - this is true for any finish, even bare metal. Paper is abrasive, that's why I only wrap products in plastic. Anybody that produces mirror polished metal parts will tell you not to wrap them in tissue paper because it will put fine scratches in the polished metal.

Finally, I offer a 30 day money back guarantee. If you ever purchase a set of cups or a trick that I make and find that it is not right for you, you can return it. No questions asked. Additionally, any plate job that has been damaged can be restored.

I hope this helps you understand the strength of gold plating, and particularly gold plating over steel. I also hope that this helps you appreciate how many times the part is "handled" to achieve a brilliant plate job.

Awesome - thank you Donnie and Andy. Greatly appreciated

Donnie, you are awesome.

Thanks Donnie. You've convinced me.I need to save up for the gold plated copper ones.

BJ