Rub-on silver plating

[Trubetzkoy]

Hi everybody,

Recently I procured an old English carving set with nickel silver handles for only a few dollar, so I decided to start a project trying to imitate some of the cutlery handle Bowies made in Sheffield in the 1800s, using the handle of the knife of the set and the (heavily modified) blade of an old CVA Bowie kit. At first I didn't realize that the handle was silver-plated, as I incorrectly assumed that, if that had been the case, there would've been some hallmark on the knife. Thus, I went ahead and sanded and repolished some of the more heavily scratched parts of the handle (having already glued it to the blade), only to realize my mistake after I was done.

In my mind, I had two options: either replate or remove all the remaining plating. Because of the intricacy of the handle, the latter wasn't really an option, but I also didn't want to resort to electroplating. Therefore, I started researching alternatives online and found out about some rub-on plating solutions. After reading some reviews and watching a couple YouTube videos, I decided to go with Nushine, who make the following claims about their silver plating solution:

• Contains pure silver. Works on Brass, Copper, Bronze and unpassivated Nickel
• Includes an anti-tarnish agent and leaves a brilliant shine
• Permanent results - no chips or flakes
• Easy and quick to use, no electrolysis required
• Water based, biodegradable, non-toxic, phosphates, nitrates and solvent free

First I tried the product on a piece of brass sheet I had. I cleaned the piece with acetone and rubbed on the solution with a piece of paper towel, and I gotta say I was immediately impressed. This simple process left an even silvery area on the surface (I used tape to see the difference clearly), which didn't come off after touching, rubbing, and even buffing:

I then repeated the process with the handle and guard of my Bowie, having taped the blade and thoroughly cleaning the parts to be plated on with acetone. After a few coats, and achieved the following result:

The result wasn't entirely perfect, since some of the parts around the areas where the original plating had been removed showed a (very) slight difference in texture (which I was able to reduce a bit by buffing with Flitz). However, all things considered, I'm very satisfied, and I think the solution would work even better on an even surface (as opposed to a partially unplated one). Below I'm including some additional pictures with no filters or effects, so you can get a better idea of the result:

Has anyone else tried this or other similar solutions? If so, feel free to share your experieince and any advice you may have. As for me, I'd definitely recommend trying it out, either for restorations or for completely new projects.

Cheers,
C.

Edit: Image links fixed, yet again.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Nice. Unfortunately, Cutlery handled Bowies were not silver plated.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Unfortunately, Cutlery handled Bowies were not silver plated.

So I've read, and they certainly didn't have 440C steel blades like this one. So it's not a faithful reproduction, for sure.

That said, I have seen (allegedly) antique Bowies in online auctions described as having silver-plated handles, such as this one. Maybe the descriptions in questions were incorrect; it's not always easy to tell from the pictures. In any case, as I mentioned in the OP, I only realized later on that the handle was silver-plated and didn't have any option but to replate, at least given my currently available equipment.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

(Edited) update: The plating does rub off when buffed enough and with enough use (not even a whole lot to be honest). Thus, if you're trying this product make sure to do all the necessary buffing before applying. And in the case of items that you'll be actually using, I'd recommend a protective clear coat on top, or just using traditional electroplating.