Option 1 — Direct electroplated coating without an underlayer

If the decorative coating is removed and gold or silver appears immediately beneath it, with no intermediate layer of another colour, the decorative coating may have been applied directly to the base metal.

Examples include:

  • gold plating;
  • rhodium plating;
  • platinum plating;
  • other direct electroplated metallic finishes.

Such coatings can often be replaced.

However, local touch-up is rarely the correct solution.

There is no assurance that the original coating and the new coating will match in:

  • chemistry;
  • structure;
  • thickness;
  • colour;
  • brightness;
  • adhesion.

Local repair may leave a visible transition.

Recommended procedure

  1. Completely remove the existing coating.
  2. Perform all necessary repairs.
  3. Restore the geometry of the item.
  4. Follow Surface Preparation Before LUXI.
  5. Complete the standard Two-stage LUXI Polishing Workflow for Group 1 Materials.
  6. Clean the item using Cleaning After LUXI Polishing.
  7. Prepare the surface according to Preparation Before Electroplating.
  8. Apply a completely new electroplated finish.

Before proceeding, confirm that the alloy, solders, settings and overall construction of the item are compatible with the intended plating process.

Stop the process if

Stop the restoration and reconsider the job if:

  • the layer sequence cannot be identified;
  • the base metal remains uncertain;
  • multiple unexplained layers are discovered;
  • previous repairs complicate the structure;
  • the exposed alloy appears chemically unstable;
  • the construction is incompatible with the required process;
  • your workshop cannot reproduce the complete coating system;
  • the customer cannot accept changes to the original appearance;
  • a stable long-term result cannot be reasonably predicted.

Where LUXI fits into this workflow

LUXI is not used to identify coating systems.

It does not restore unknown coatings.

The LUXI process begins only after:

  • the previous coating has been completely removed;
  • repairs have been completed;
  • the base metal has been identified;
  • the restoration strategy has been chosen;
  • the surface has been properly prepared.

Continue with the standard Two-stage LUXI Polishing Workflow for Group 1 Materials.

The first stage develops the prepared metal surface.

The second stage produces the final polishing quality before cleaning and plating.

Do not move directly to LUXI Super Fine White or LUXI Orange while the surface still contains:

  • scratches;
  • preparation marks;
  • waviness;
  • cracks;
  • porosity;
  • raised repair defects;
  • geometry errors.

Return first to Surface Preparation Before LUXI.

Related LUXI products

The correct compound depends on:

  • the exposed base metal;
  • the geometry of the item;
  • the quality of the prepared surface.

Typical Group 1 workflows may include:

These products are intended for properly prepared exposed metal.

They are not methods for repairing unknown coating systems.

Next step

If the item has not yet been accepted, return to Second-hand Coated Item Risk Assessment.

If the coating has already been removed, continue with:

Key principle

Do not begin polishing an unknown coating.

Do not promise restoration before the coating system has been identified.

If the coating system cannot be confidently understood and reproduced, declining the work remains the most technically responsible decision.

This workflow applies only to the original LUXI Integrated Polishing System.

It should not be interpreted as general advice for all polishing compounds or all coating systems.