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I successfully goldplated the applewatch!

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imaginex20 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but gold plating is an ion bonding of two metals, no clear coating required. But overtime, the gold plating can crack from corrosion if the surface is not taken care of.

I see a lot of car rims' chrome plating crack
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His gold plating comes out of spray bottles and is a repeated application process of chemicals and bonded minerals ...

it is closer to paint .. then it is to real metal electrolysis of gold karat or smithing that one would see in chrome bumpers of the 1950s.

His 'gold plating' is a few microns thick ... and auto parts cheap.

This not Jewelry craft.

:p:p:p
 
Alan Mac Farlan said:
His gold plating comes out of spray bottles and is a repeated application process of chemicals and bonded minerals ...

it is closer to paint .. then it is to real metal electrolysis of gold karat or smithing that one would see in chrome bumpers of the 1950s.

His 'gold plating' is a few microns thick ... and auto parts cheap.

This not Jewelry craft.

:p:p:p
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my gold plating is 35 microns thick. the same processes we use on our motorcycle parts and fender uses on their guitars.
 
They call $599 half off? I'm Charging $399 and I'm based in los angeles.

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dacreativeguy said:
Hope OP is smart enough to consult a lawyer before embarking on this. Aside from drawing interest from Apple, he'll also need to protect himself from liability of voiding warranties and other problems involved with people sending him their $500-$1000 watches.
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Yep, luckly we have a motorcycle shop and have already setup our legal infrastructure for something like this. My lawyer has given me the green light
 
RianFlynn said:
They call $599 half off? I'm Charging $399 and I'm based in los angeles.
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You also started this 'business' a matter of hours ago.

Have you thought about the actual cost of doing this?

Returns? Unhappy customers? Watches lost in the post? Warranty's voided? Accidental damage? Replacement service? Dealing with Apple? Chance of loss or misplacement? Managing and tracking multiple devices?

I mean, just take one look at this forum!

"My button is slightly too clicky, i'm taking it back to Apple!"
 
jabingla2810 said:
You also started this 'business' a matter of hours ago.

Have you thought about the actual cost of doing this?

Returns? Unhappy customers? Watches lost in the post? Warranty's voided? Accidental damage? Replacement service? Dealing with Apple? Chance of loss or misplacement? Managing and tracking multiple devices?

I mean, just take one look at this forum!

"My button is slightly too clicky, i'm taking it back to Apple!"
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Good post with substance!

Remember, you are dealing with Apple OCD customers.
 
jabingla2810 said:
You also started this 'business' a matter of hours ago.

Have you thought about the actual cost of doing this?

Returns? Unhappy customers? Watches lost in the post? Warranty's voided? Accidental damage? Replacement service? Dealing with Apple? Chance of loss or misplacement? Managing and tracking multiple devices?

I mean, just take one look at this forum!

"My button is slightly too clicky, i'm taking it back to Apple!"
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Great call. I'll reassess after a few orders come in #humble
 
just some thoughts... gold plating a watch is different than gold plating a motorcycle object. the watch is contacted to your skin. when you do cold plating process, i hope you dont use the typical woods nickel method that may cause an allergic reaction.
 
RianFlynn said:
Great call. I'll reassess after a few orders come in #humble
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I don't mean to burst your bubble.

You obviously know more about this process than I do, and I think the watches your have done look fantastic!

And if you can do it for $399, that's great, but there are definately a few things you should consider before you start accepting work! :)
 
I successfully goldplated the applewatch!

OP, nice job even though yellow gold is not my thing. I recommend you don't get into the business of accepting people's watches and gold plating them but rather gold plating watches that you own and reselling. Logistically, it will be much easier to control and while the immediate profit won't be there, long term it's a better business model. You won't have to deal with constant returns, shipping back and forth and all sorts of unusual situations. It's more sustainable once stock from Apple stabilizes.
 
Apart from think about the warranty (or trouble customers) stuff, may be also good to think about provide rose gold plating service. In my fiends circle, ladies are usually more willing to pay that extra few hundreds dollars for that colour.
 
I successfully goldplated the applewatch!

mbhforum said:
OP, nice job even though yellow gold is not my thing. I recommend you don't get into the business of accepting people's watches and gold plating them but rather gold plating watches that you own and reselling. Logistically, it will be much easier to control and while the immediate profit won't be there, long term it's a better business model. You won't have to deal with constant returns, shipping back and forth and all sorts of unusual situations. It's more sustainable once stock from Apple stabilizes.
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but then the seller is also responsible for the warranty by itself because the watch is modified. when you do only the plating, the customer knows that apple will not cover any damages (neither the plating company if they dont break anything).


h9826790 said:
Apart from think about the warranty (or trouble customers) stuff, may be also good to think about provide rose gold plating service. In my fiends circle, ladies are usually more willing to pay that extra few hundreds dollars for that colour.
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again, when marketing rose gold and before plating the watch, it is better to say it clear that it may cause allergic reaction.

i would just start with the pure gold and see how things go before starting to make all possible variation...
 
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I agree that a little caution is warranted, both on the part of the OP and for anyone considering getting this done. I mean, this entire enterprise was literally created yesterday based on one or two successfully plated watches. You haven't tried it with all of the model/strap combinations, or used it for more than a few days to see if any issues come up.
 
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As much as I like how it looks, that plating will wear off very quickly especially on a band that is always rubbing against something. There is a reason why you don't see much gold plated jewelry. :cool:
 
Since you've got gold plated down, I am getting a Space Black Stainless, would it be feasible to do a black Milanese Loop? That is my dream, but nobody around where I live thinks they can do it.
 
I think this should be tested with a band only plating service to start.

If not maybe the OP would consider adding a checkout option for band only. Would like a gold millanase on my space grey.
 
RianFlynn said:
my gold plating is 35 microns thick. the same processes we use on our motorcycle parts and fender uses on their guitars.
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Maybe I missed it, do you take the watch apart at all, or do you plate it fully assembled?
 
How is the milanese strap holding up? I'm asking as the milanese runs through a loop all the time and can scratch perhaps?

Thanks
 
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