Electroforming Tutorial: The Basics to get you started!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 พ.ค. 2023
- The Art of Copper Electroforming! I hope this video helps answer your questions and please drop any additional questions below in the comments!
Here is everything I personally use to Electroform!
Disclaimer: I may get a small commission for any purchases from the Amazon Links. The products I have linked here are all ones I have personally used and would never recommend something I did not find useful.
Materials List:
- DC Power Supply 10A: amzn.to/44sbq55
- Glass Beaker Set: amzn.to/44yqga7
- Gator Clips: amzn.to/3p0qNkU
- Enchanted Leaves CU Solution: amzn.to/3Nz2xke
(Enchanted Leaves is a small business that has helped a lot of electroformers get started and now they are a supplier)
- Rio Grande CU Solution: www.riogrande.com/product/mid...
(This is what I used to get started)
- Rio Grande Brightener: www.riogrande.com/product/mid...
- Copper conductive Paint from Enchanted Leaves: amzn.to/3LBSbNK
- Safer Solutions Copper Conductive Paint: www.safer-solutions.com/safer...
- Funnel: amzn.to/426UFe0
- Coffee Filters- You can get lab filters, but coffee filters work just fine to filter your solution when doing bath maintenance
26 Gauge Copper Wire to Suspend your pieces: amzn.to/3Lr3QPu
- 8 Gauge Copper Wire (Anode): amzn.to/42mMfyY (I like to use copper wire over pipe)
- Super Glue E6000: amzn.to/3LB1Kwm
- Apoxie Sculpt: amzn.to/42m1ZSU
- Wire Brush set: amzn.to/3NFc8WB (I use the stainless steel brushes for the heavy duty polishing and the brass ones for gentler details)
- Steel Wool: amzn.to/44seAFZ ( Great for getting in those crevices)
- You can also use a Dremel and brush attachment to polish if you do not want to do it by hand.
- ProtectaClear: amzn.to/44s2rkr
- Liver of Sulfur: amzn.to/3HBat0j
- Distilled Water- Your local grocery store
Safety:
- Glasses: amzn.to/3NItzFM
- Nitrile Gloves: amzn.to/3B1AemN
- Mask: amzn.to/414L6ef
The Process:
Electroforming is the electrochemical deposition of metal (copper, in my case) onto an object. To give you the simplest explanation before I dive into it electroforming is the suspension of an object (cathode) in a solution of metal salts with an Anode (copper). Then a direct current of electricity is passed through the solution via the anode (+) and cathode (-) to transfer the metal ions onto the object where the metal forms and bonds onto it.
In the simplest explaination here is the basic process.
Take whatever you want to electroform such as a crystal. You can attach a jump ring onto it to make it a necklace or earring by using super glue or Apoxie Sculpt. Once dry, whatever you want to be covered in copper you have to paint with conductive paint. Once the paint is dry you want to seal the crystal to protect it from the Electroforming Solution and I use latex to seal the crystals since that is very easy to peel off later. Attach your Crystal to the black gator clip by hanging it from a bus bar with a piece of thin copper wire. Attach the red Gator clip to your anode which is a bare copper wire or pipe. Then turn your DC Power Supply/ Electroforming rectifier on and using the Amps set it to your desired power. The rule of thumb is 0.1amps per square inch of space. Once electroforming is finished you want to take your crystal out of the bath, rinse in distilled water and then polish it to your desired shine or Patina for some interesting effects. Finally seal that beautiful copper piece with something like Protect clear. Then string it on a necklace and enjoy.
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Music credit goes to Epidemic Sound
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Thankyou for a great tutorial, my name is Peter and I teach jewellery making hobby at the Wingham lapidary club. I try and expose as many creative jewellery making techniques and processes to my students as possible and would like to include electro plating after I can perfect this process myself, thankyou for your inspiration and I will be watching your tutorials for further ideas.😀
Thank you! This is my new deep dive/hyperfocus!
Thanks! I hope this video was helpful for you! I have more recently posted my own DIY conductive Paint recipe that may be helpful as well! :) I love being able to share this unique artform with everyone.
I started gathering the materials and information for this ptoject for the past 2 weeks.
Now i finally turned on the switch!
Lots of trial and errors as i was expecting. There is so much to learn, and thats the beauty.
These videos have helped ALOT.
I'm on attemp No.3🍀
That's so awesome to hear! I'm so glad my video has been helpful. When I started electroforming there was maybe one youtube video I could reference for help and the rest was trial and error. It such a fun medium to work with and I absolutely love the way you can get unique results everytime! If you have any questions feel free to ask them and hopefully I can help answer them. :)
Please turn down all that background distraction
No fault finding, but agreed. It made me so nervous that I had to stop watching. Obviously, you are very skilled and a great teacher. So, this reply is just meant as viewer feedback, to be helpful, not hateful. Cheers to you!
You are AWESOME! Thank you so much for covering safety and the responsibility of proper waste disposal. I will definitely go through your other videos. Thank you again.
Thank you so much! I'm glad the videos are helpful!
I greatly approciate your explanation! But it was hard to focus on what you were saying over the loud music.
Looking forward to your DIY graphite paint video
Thanks so much! That video is coming up on my list to film very soon, and I hope to have it out and posted before the end of the year! I'm planning to include my recipe for my paint with a step by step on how I make it and some tips when using DIY graphite paint.
That was super helpful thank you, interested in your graphite paint recipe and where you get your graphite from, also would love a waste video! Ive been trying to research that and you seem to be the only one who brought it up, love that.
Thank you so much!! I actually just filmed my DIY graphite paint recipe and that will be the video being posted tomorrow at 6PM! I hope it helps you :) I am planning on doing a waste video, but I am also waiting until I have some waste built up as I have been focused on learning to metalsmith lately and not as much on my electroforming work.
I agree with the background music comment. It detracts from the video, it needs to be reduced, please!
.muy interesante , gracias
¡Muchas gracias!
Hi, love your designs! If I dont have epoxy clay or polymer clay, is there anything else that can be used like Model Magic or oil-based clay?
Thank you so much!! As for sculpting you can use any sort of clay that will harden. I have seen people use air dry clay although I would strongly recommend something like Polymer or Epoxy clay so that helps to strength the durability of your design. Anything that stays pliable can break during wear or potentially leach unwanted contaminates into your electroforming bath if there is any soft clay exposed. I hope that helps!
Very informative and great info !!!! 👍😎🤙💚 (copper heart;)
Thank you so much!!! 😄😄 I love electroforming and its fun to share this unique art form!
Great video lady
Thank you :) I appreciate that and thank you for watching!
I’ve been silversmithing and want to start electroforming. Thank you for posting!
I like it but I find the music too distracting.
Hello! Such a nice video!!! I enjoyed so much! Can you tell me which epoxy clay are you using? I have difficulties to find something that can be sculpted this way and not just as a "repair kit" for plumbers 😅☺️
Hello! Thanks so much! I am glad you enjoyed the video. :) I use the Aves Apoxie Sculpt which is a 2 part modeling compound and has a working time of about 3 hours before it starts to cure. The clay fully cures after 24 hours and I have found it to be super durable and have been using it for the last several years now. I have it linked in my description from amazon which is where I purchase it whenever I run out.
Thank you very much for your videos May I ask how to protect pearls gems and sto nes thanks and blessing❤️🙏
I use two methods to protect my gemstones when Electroforming. To protect the gemstones from the electroforming bath I use liquid Latex which protects all the gemstones wonderfully. You just have to make sure you fully cover the gem and that you don't accidently cover something that you want copper to form over. I also use the Protecta Clear sealant on the copper portions and certain gemstones to give them additional protection when I am finishing up my jewelry pieces.
is there a brand of liquid latex that you recommend?@@crystalforged
Heeey !!
How many times do you change the copper wire in the tank?
Mine became very "dusty" in very little and i think make the object that i whant to electroform weird
Hi! I tend to only change out the wire when it gets very very thin. I discovered that if your copper wire is a weird pink color, covered in blue crystals, or anything out of the ordinary you can take the copper wire out let it dry out and then use a stainless steel scrubber or brush to shine it back up. When you tank wire gets shined back up it seems to do much better with electroforming and prevents some of those weird patterns. Just make sure to clean the wire good so you do not get any contaminates in your tank that would effect the process. I hope that helps!
Hi! I love this video and have been referencing it a bunch the past couple weeks as I begin my journey electroforming. Could you specify the purpose of the soap and what product specifically you used on your pieces after removing them and rinsing? Thanks so much. Love your work! 🖤
Yes I can definitely specify here. The soap I used is the soap that came with my Proteclear when I originally ordered it. It is called EZ Prep Concerated Cleaner & Acid Neutralizer by Everbrite. I use it just in case a dip in the distilled water after taking it out of the bath did not fully clean the piece of if it has been sitting a few days and I have been picking it up a lot and moving it around this will help clean it deeply. It does not do anything to shine it up though. You can purchase it on amazon which is where I got mine. I also use a mixture of water and baking soda to neutralize my pieces after removing them from the liver of sulfur to stop it from further reacting once I have achieved my desired darkness. I hope that helps! Please keep asking if you have any more questions! Thanks so much :)
@@crystalforged thank you so much for the thorough and insightful response! You did an amazing job of explaining everything both in the video and all your comments. Super appreciate you, and best of luck on your metalsmithing journey (I saw your more recent video hehe) 🖤🖤🤍
Hi, I was wondering if you could tell us what type of electric suplier you have. I am thinking about starting electroforming, but I am not sure which one to get. And thank you for your video, it really helped a lot :D
Hello! I use a DC Power Supply made by Eventek. I bought mine on Amazon several years ago and it still works perfectly. I have the exact one that I own linked in the description with an Amazon link. I personally have the 30V 10A one. You can use several of these power supplies for multiple electroforming setups or get a more powerful one if you want to electroform on a larger scale and do 50 pieces of jewelry or something very large rather than 5-10 pieces. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions!
thank you very much@@crystalforged
HI, I search everywhere but didn't find one person that explains the right way to dispose all the solutions used to made elecretoformed jewelry. Do you have any insight on this?
Hello! Apologies for not seeing your comment earlier. When it comes to Hazardous Waste the best way to find out how you can dispose of it locally is to go through your DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) for your state. There is usually a place that you can take any hazardous waste to be properly disposed off. Some communities do not have a program so they recommend that you neutralize the chemicals as best as possible and dispose of in small quantities over a longer period of time. But please check your local ordinances since these can vary between counties and states. I am only giving an example of what is available in my state.
hello,.when you talk about putting your pieces in distilled water then a neutralizing soap, what kind of soap is this?
Apologies! I just saw your comment, but to answer your question I use Everbrite EZ Prep Cleaner which is heavily concentrated and I just mix a little bit with distilled water and that helps neutralize any remaining solution after the electroforming process is done. The everbrite cleaner I get comes as a set with my Protecta Clear which helps me seal and finish all my pieces. Thank you for asking!
@@crystalforged thanks, no worries for the delayed answer 👍. I live in France so I have never heard of that...but thank you anyway. Your video is helpful.
Have you done any videos on electro forming large objects? I’m a basketry artist and considering trying electro forming on some of my sculptural works but we’re talking 12”+. Thanks!
I have not done anything too large. The largest object I have done is am 8" hairstick, but you can definitely do much larger electroformed work as long as you have a larger tank and much more anode in your tank. If you are doing larger sculptures make sure you use enough copper wire or copper pipe at that point to ensure your tank is adequately saturated for the copper to form onto the piece. Larger works will also need a much longer tank time so for jewelry I typically do 24-72 hours depending on the size, but you may be looking at a much longer time depending on the amount of amps you are using to get a nice thick coat of copper.
Thanks alot! I’m thinking of trying to find a setup architecture from people who do bronze shoes, etc….
Is the process the same when electroforming with gold?
I don't believe the process is the exact same, but I have never done gold. Im sure there are youtubers on here that have but with how expensive gold is I believe they only plate with gold and not form. If you look up gold electroplating you can get a better idea of the process.
Why do you have to have the music on need for it
without the background music, maybe...
The music is too distracting, i couldnt watch the whole video, which is a shame, because it sounds like you are very knowledgeable.
Hi thanks for the feedback! I am definitely going to make sure the music is not too loud on future videos. I tried to tone it down whenever I was speaking, but I did not reduce the volume enough. I appreciate it when people let me know so I can keep making better videos! :)
Take out that music