electroplating or electroforming

7/27/2019 Electroplating or Electroforming

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Electroplating 101

also: Electroforming

Once you get the hang of it,electroplatingis a very straight fwd and relatively simple process.At first i tried creating my ownplatingsolution by applying current across two copper poles

in a distilled vinegar bath. The solution turned green and it did plate my cathode (-), but the

layer of plated copper was always rough and would flake away or oxidize almost as soon as i

took it out of the bath. Finally i orderedCopper Sulfatesolution intended for electroplating,

together with brightener, which replenishes the solution when the plated layer starts to

become dull. See bellow for materials.

Materials and Tools

- glass container- copper sulfate (copper sulfate is poisonous. dont get it in your mouth! and look up how to
http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=767http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=767http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=767http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=767http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554


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dispose of it according to your local regulations!)

- brightener

- copper electrode (sheet copper or copper rod)

- aligator clips

- rectifier for regulating voltage/current

Wikipedia has a good explanation of how electroplating works:

>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplating

Step-by-step

Seal the object

Pick the object that you want toelectroplate. If it is made of a natural material like a wood or

even a seashell then you probably need to first coat it in a layer of something that will seal it

from the plating bath, since it will otherwise eat away at the surface of your object, dirtying

the solution and making it hard to achieve a nice clean layer of copper. Ive used nail varnishand other kinds of varnish to seal objects.

These are examples of how the plating bath can eat away at a seashell.

Coat the object inconductive paint

You want to applyconductive paintto the surface of your object everywhere you want the

copper plating to adhere to. I have not had luck with carbon paints, which is a shame becausethey are so cheap and nice to work with. But instead have had great results with a water based
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplatinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplatinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplatinghttp://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=554http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplating


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silver paintfrom Conductive Compounds, WB-101. A little bit of this paint goes a long way

and you only need a thin layer.

You may want to plate multiple surfaces on one object that are not necessarily connected.

You have a few options here. You can either paint everything so that it connects in one point,

and after plating disconnect them all again. You can add extra material on which you can

connect all parts and then cut this away after plating. You can also plate each partindividually.

When you coat ofconductive paintis dry you are ready to plate.

Prepare the plating bath

Pour copper sulfate in a glass container (the plating solution might eat away at plastic

containers) so that there is enough or more to fully submerge your object in it. Take the

copper anode (+) and bend it so that it fits in the container with your anode and the object. If

you bend or curve the copper, make sure not to create any sharp bends as these will break

over time and youll have to replace the copper.

When you electroplate you want to use a very low direct voltage, less than one volt, but be

able to supply as much current as your plating bath draws. For this it is good to have arectifier or another kind of regulating device that supplies direct current. You can use batteries

to plate, though i have not had success with this yet.

Plate

Connect the + of your power supply to the copper anode that should protrude above the

surface of the solution. Connect theof your power supply to the object you want to plate

and lower it into the plating bath. Make sure that painted parts of your object are not touching

the copper. And make sure there there are no bubbles forming on the surface of your object. If

bubbles form then your voltage is too high and your copper coat will be clumpy and brittle.

The electroplating process can take as less as a few minutes. the longer you leave it the

thicker the copper will be. Check the object regularly to see what is happening. Add a few
http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183http://web.media.mit.edu/~plusea/?p=183


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Immediately after you remove your object from the plating bath, rinse it with water to remove

all the copper sulfate solution and then pat dry. Your traces should be shiny and robust.

Flexible and solderable

If the object you plated to has a water repellent surface (or the sealer created a shiny repellent

surface) then your traces might start to come off. But this is something that you might havedone intentionally.

The traces should be flexible and not break immediately, they are pure copper and should act

similar to copper wire. You should be able to solder to them without problem.

Resources

Sherri Haab has extensive resources and downloadable PDF instructions on how to

electroform objects including leaves and other natural materials.

Sherri Haab >>http://www.sherrihaab-shop.com/craft-supplies/metal-etching/e3-etch.html

Other links to electroplating instructions:

>>http://www.andybrain.com/sciencelab/2008/01/27/how-to-electroplate-copper/

>>http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-and-Simple-Electroplating/
http://www.sherrihaab-shop.com/craft-supplies/metal-etching/e3-etch.htmlhttp://www.sherrihaab-shop.com/craft-supplies/metal-etching/e3-etch.htmlhttp://www.sherrihaab-shop.com/craft-supplies/metal-etching/e3-etch.htmlhttp://www.andybrain.com/sciencelab/2008/01/27/how-to-electroplate-copper/http://www.andybrain.com/sciencelab/2008/01/27/how-to-electroplate-copper/http://www.andybrain.com/sciencelab/2008/01/27/how-to-electroplate-copper/http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-and-Simple-Electroplating/http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-and-Simple-Electroplating/http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-and-Simple-Electroplating/http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-and-Simple-Electroplating/http://www.andybrain.com/sciencelab/2008/01/27/how-to-electroplate-copper/http://www.sherrihaab-shop.com/craft-supplies/metal-etching/e3-etch.html


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Examples of electroplated objects by Cassy Muronaka >>

http://cassymuronaka.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/easy-electroforming-with-e3-etch-2/
http://cassymuronaka.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/easy-electroforming-with-e3-etch-2/http://cassymuronaka.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/easy-electroforming-with-e3-etch-2/http://cassymuronaka.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/easy-electroforming-with-e3-etch-2/

electroplating or electroforming

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