Posted by Gary Dodge on October 12, 2002 at 17:59:40:
In Reply to: Silver color lead posted by Bobbie Butler on October 12, 2002 at 09:07:41:
Hi Bobbie,
Most of what you've seen is likely to be electroplated work.
Commercial operations that produce a lot of gift items or windows for Anderson or the like have access to large electroplating tanks where finished work is plated in either nickel for the silver look or brass and even sometimes real gold.
For the average hobbyist the best you can do is to work in an "alloy came" which is both stiffer and shinier than lead and polishes up rather well or for the gold color, use brass crowned lead came. It is regular lead came with a thin jacket of brass around it. It is somewhat easier to deal with than brass came, but polishes up to a brilliant shine if you want it to. You'll have to paint the joints to match with some gold paint or a gold marker.
To keep the shine without constantly having to polish it you need to lacquer the cames.
: I've seen and heard about Silver and gold color lead. some call it silver plated lead. Can you advise how to achive this bright and shiney silver color lead or is it manufactured and has to be purchased.
: Happy soldering,
: Bobbie