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In skilled hands, this can be used to 'scrape' away surface plating or coatings and leave virtually no mark.

If an item is plated with gold and you test the surface, a tester (any tester) will quite correctly tell you that you have just tested gold. You need to know what is underneath - what the item is actually made of.

The easiest way to remove the surface is to use a fine steel (or diamond-impregnated) file, choosing an inconspicuous place and filing firmly. A scraper, carefully used, causes virtually no damage. However, unlike a file, a scraper does require skill to use.