Mirror-bright silver on any part.
Silver plating the Brashear way — from 3D-printed parts and trophies to jewelry, automotive trim, and electronics. Chemical silvering, silver electroplating, and decorative finishes, all in our Dubai workshop.
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What is the Brashear process?
The Brashear process is a method of silvering developed by astronomer John Brashear in the late 1800s to coat telescope mirrors with a bright, even film of metallic silver. Because it deposits silver chemically, it can coat surfaces that traditional plating can’t — including glass and, today, complex 3D-printed parts.
What makes it special is uniformity and adhesion: a smooth, mirror-bright layer that follows intricate geometry evenly, without the shadowed gaps you get trying to plate a complex part by line-of-sight methods. For durable, functional finishes we also offer silver electroplating — building a thicker silver layer over a nickel or copper strike.
For IJK Labs, this is for literally any kind of part. We silver plate 3D-printed plastic and resin, bare metal, existing trophies for refurbishment, and custom automotive, marine, and hobby parts. If you can hand it to us, we can almost certainly put silver on it.
Silver plating for any part
From decorative to technical — silver plating covers a huge range of parts and industries.
3D-Printed Parts
Silver over PLA, ABS, and SLA resin prints — a conductive base layer lets us plate parts traditional methods can't reach.
Trophies & Awards
New bespoke trophies or refurbishment of worn, tarnished silver awards back to a mirror finish.
Jewelry & Décor
Rings, pendants, buckles, tableware, and decorative objects finished in bright decorative silver.
Automotive & Marine
Interior trim, emblems, badges, and hardware — with a UV-resistant clear coat recommended for exterior parts.
Electronics & RF
Technical silver plating for connectors, contacts, waveguides, and reflectors — silver has the highest conductivity of any metal.
Optics & Reflectors
The Brashear process began as first-surface mirror silvering — we apply the same principle to reflective and decorative surfaces.
What we can plate
Metal, plastic, or resin — if it can be coated, we can silver it. Non-conductive parts get a conductive base layer first.
How silver plating works
Five steps from raw part to a sealed, mirror-bright silver finish.
Surface preparation
Smoothing, sanding, and priming — critical on 3D prints so layer lines don't telegraph through the finish.
Electro-cleaning
Degreasing and etching to strip oils and oxides and give the surface the 'tooth' plating needs to adhere.
Strike / conductive base
A nickel or copper flash on metal — or an electroless conductive base layer on plastic and resin — so the part is ready to plate.
Silver bath
Silver is deposited over the base to a bright, even, mirror-finish layer across complex geometry.
Finishing & anti-tarnish
Polishing to a mirror shine, then a protective clear coat to seal out the air and moisture that cause tarnish.
UV-resistant anti-tarnish clear coat
We’re adding an optional UV-cured clear coat that seals the silver against air and moisture — the two things that cause tarnish — for a bright finish that lasts far longer, even on parts exposed to sunlight. Ask us about it when you request a quote.
Related services
Silver plating pairs naturally with the rest of our digital fabrication pipeline.
Common questions
What is the Brashear process, and is it the same as silver electroplating?+
Can you silver plate plastic or 3D-printed (resin / ABS) parts?+
Will silver plating tarnish, and can that be prevented?+
How durable is the finish, and how thick is the silver layer?+
Can you re-plate or restore an old, worn, or tarnished trophy?+
What's the difference between silver plating and 'chrome' or 'vacuum silver' finishes?+
Can automotive trim, emblems, and hardware be silver plated?+
Want silver plating on your part?
Send us photos on WhatsApp and we'll advise on the finish, process, and price.
or call +971 52 841 8108