How-To Make Metal: Electroplating a 3D Printed Star Wars Helmet
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 เม.ย. 2017
- That's right: 3d printing, star wars, and electroplating all in one video... Goodness thats geeky! Check the description for more awesomeness 🔻🔻🔻
General warning: This video is for demonstration purposes. Any attempts will be done at your own risk. Heed any and all instructions.
Product Links (Amazon):
Super Shield Nickel Conductive Coating: amzn.to/2PNhIF8
Nickel Print Conductive Paint (Small Jar): amzn.to/2xzHcyk
Caswell Plating - Plug N Plate Copper & Nickel Kit: amzn.to/2QEk4HX
Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish: amzn.to/2Dc4uAn
Funko Pop Figure - The Count from Sesame Street: amzn.to/2QHQi50
Check out the gear I use to make my videos:
📷 Camera Gear 🎥
⭐️Sony A7iii (the BEST value, full frame camera out there)
🚩 amzn.to/2Ql3JXA (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2Ovdsx3 (B&H)
Sony A6300 (a great camera with fantastic price-to-performance)
🚩 amzn.to/2DOSJAl (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2y8Tuhv (B&H)
Sony FE 28mm F2 Lens (My most used lens. Good quality and great price)
🚩 amzn.to/2QrsTnd (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OBRPLw (B&H)
Sony 21mm converter for the 28mm lens. (Good enough occasional wide shots, so-so for astrophotography)
🚩 amzn.to/2zNN4GH (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2yaoLRg (B&H)
⭐️Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G-Lens (My favorite lens EVER. Versatile and insanely sharp)
🚩 amzn.to/2xPvOiX (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OwcbFZ (B&H)
Sony FE 50mm 1.8 Lens (The Thrifty Nifty Fifty)
🚩 amzn.to/2DPf0hd (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2ycXM7M (B&H)
Sony 18-105 F4 APS-C Lens (incredibly versatile, even on full frame, best value Sony lens)
🚩 amzn.to/2NiSIUD (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2y8UO3X (B&H)
______________________________________
📸Camera Accessories 📸
Zhiyun Crane 2 Gimbal (top performer, features out the wazoo, great price point - the best gimbal out there)
🚩 amzn.to/2OwFN67 (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2p90ZAR (B&H)
Zhiyun Smooth 4 Smartphone Gimbal (crapload of features and options, works like a charm, price is amazing)
🚩 amzn.to/2NfWkGV (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2Ow3lbo (B&H)
Benro Go Plus Carbon Fiber Tripod (Nothing like a good pair of sturdy sticks)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OwjJbN
⭐️Edelkrone SliderONE PRO (Backpackable, macro precise, built like a tank, lifetime warranty)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OyRlWB (B&H)
Edelkrone FlextTilt Head 2 (the most interesting piece of gear I own and superrrr useful)
🚩 bhpho.to/2ybiEvV (B&H)
Edelkrone StandONE (incredible weight capacity, excellent on rough ground, great for time-lapse)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OBZQQC
Edelkrone QuickRelease ONE (the MOST practical piece of gear I own)
🚩 bhpho.to/2yd2VML
______________________________________
💡 Lights 💡
Aputure 120D (Beastly light, highly shapeable, great quality, huge output)
🚩 amzn.to/2DSFw9M (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OveFEB (B&H)
⭐️Aputure F7 (massive output, small size, color temp adjustable. Best $100 you’ll spend)
🚩 amzn.to/2NjcrDA (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2ybhmkz (B&H)
Aputure M9 (Super small, super cheap, super bright, super light)
🚩 amzn.to/2Izp8cL (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2y6AD6M (B&H)
______________________________________
🎤 Audio Gear 🎙
⭐️RodeLink Filmmaker Kit (Great sound, excellent range, dead simple)
🚩 amzn.to/2yaVR3l (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OvecCs (B&H)
Rode Video Micro Shotgun Mic (small, cheap, great for closeups, ambiance, and sound effects)
🚩 amzn.to/2OuWJdf (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2y5Gklo (B&H)
Zoom H1 Recorder (Very good audio quality for price, great as a wireless lav)
🚩 amzn.to/2xVVY3n (Amazon)
🚩 bhpho.to/2OyI29g (B&H)
______________________________________
🔥Check out ALL of the gear I use on Kit (some goodies aren’t listed here) : www.kit.com/infosmercial
______________________________________
Follow me on social, ask questions, or just to chat:
📲Instagram: infosmercial
📲 Twitter: infosmercial
Shoot me an email: brett@infosmercial.com
______________________________________
Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I may receive a commission for any purchases you make using these links. This money goes towards supporting the channel so I can continue to create the best content I am able to. Thank you so much for your support. 🙏💯
Music Credits:
"Clockwork" by Sixth Gate Productions licensed via LumaFusion
"RSPN" by Blank & Kytt:
freemusicarchive.org/music/Bla...
"The Pirate and the Dancer" by Rolemusic:
freemusicarchive.org/music/Bla... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
![[TH] VCT Masters Shanghai Playoffs DAY 5 // 100T vs PRX | FUT vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/q75pv359eP4/mqdefault.jpg)
Copper is much softer than nickel, so it polishes easier. Nice video! and great application. Glad to see my stuff used like this, especially on 3D printed plastic.
+Michael Caswell Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Caswell himself!
Thank you very much for taking the time to watch the video! I'm glad you liked it and I'm glad to have used your products. Seriously, you carry some awesome stuff and you've created a lot of great products. The plug n plate kits are rather genius.
Cheers, sir!
Michael Caswell - with a Dremel it doesn't matter.
+starrychloe you do run the risk of stripping off the plating and paint with a dremel, especially if your plating job isn't very thick.
So I got a newb question, why not go directly to nickel?
I just bought this kit for this purpose. What grade nickel is the tiny wand just in case I want to make a larger one for a bigger project?
I love all these polite, appreciative comments, and the useful and insightful answers. They are very much needed these times.
+alienorbiter yeah it's kinda cool and refreshing to see such positivity around this. Thanks for checking out the vid, btw.
I knew I couldn't afford to try this project the second I saw the apple air pods...
Very helpful!!!
Thank you!!!
I’m just getting into plating and I had no idea that plating nonconductive objects was possible.
This video gave me a TON of ideas!!!
Thanks again!!!
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching!
That was seriously impressive!
+Uncle Jessy I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching the vid.
I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a job to do if you didn’t have a degree in it, I was going to pay to have it done. Thanks
I love diy crafting and such, my dad and I do blacksmithing and other metalworking stuff. Recently I've been looking into making plate armor and wanted to potentially plate the plate lolz and found this vid! Great job it was informative, entertaining, and concise. None of that I repeated myself 5 times crap.
couldn't you also polish the nickle layer for more shine? Also, can you do multiple layers of copper/nickle to get a thicker coating? (would allow more polishing)
thanks for an great tutorial. One qustion, i have also tryed to electro plate on a 3D print, with conductive paint on, and with a brush, - but i couldtnt get the copper to attach. It seems like the surface on top become grey metalic, but not copper metalic. I used a more expensive pen, and with a good quality transformer attached, and the rod on the brush was copper wired, - so everything should be about right. Do you have any idea of what the reson could be to not be working ? regards Frank Fneriz DK
Nice video ;)
Does the caswell plug n'plate acid copper set work the same as the one you got ( nickel/copper ) ?
I just want to plate copper
Hey, @infosmercial questions have you try electroplating chrome? And what type of 3d printer filament do you use? Don't have Twitter.
Hey Ernie, sorry for the delay, yes I have tried electroplating chrome, but never quite got it right. It is a similar process, but the chrome needs a very different voltage and amp setting than nickel or copper. Also, it seems pretty sensitive to any contaminants on the surface too. Good luck if you try it.
Is it recommended/good to clear coat the helmet after nickel layer to prevent oxidation and protect the finish?
Great video! Techniques like this are great to have in the toolbelt. Perfect mix of detail, knowledge and humour ☺️
+Martin Dolan I’m glad you liked it. Thanks watching the vid. Cheers!
honestly didn't think electroplating was possible with plastic, awesome tutorial!
would acetone vapor smoothing the print work well enough for plating?
You have just destroyed my business plan in precisely in 11 minutes & 14 seconds... I had my doubts but the proof of the pudding etc, I am impressed. Kudos to you bro.
I have a 3D printed horse (family heirloom). following your instructions, its now painted with the nickel paint, sanded, polished with fine steel wool and (I hope) ready for brush plating with the plug/plate copper kit. We’ll see how it turns out. Thanks for the great tips!
How did it turn out?
Great video. Love the presentation style. Very cool seeing this application to a 3D printed part. The only coating process I have much experience with is putting a plastic over metal. Essentially the opposite of what you are doing. This has me intrigued.
+ManCraftingTM haha that's kinda of funny. Well thanks for checking it out. I'm glad you like it.
do have to plate it in copper before i do brass and/or can i use the nickel coat and then plate it in brass
great video, at 5:00 min you mention a larger setup that you purchased, what is that setup?
Are you able to actually use a buffer on this or will that be too abrasive? Also, why start with copper then go to nickel? Does nickel require a more conductive surface?
Where did u get the larger wand cuz the little one isn’t really doing anything and it’s coming out all dull
Kick ass!! I now know how I will obtain/build my ZX-3 parts!!
I love that you put all the product links and links to related tutorials in the description.
That effort is subscribe-worthy by itself already lol Subscribed!
EdNorty Hey well I am glad you are a fan of that. Yeah it takes effort, but it’s totally worth it. What good is a video if it doesn’t give you the resources to find things and figure stuff out for yourself?!
In any event, thanks for checking out the vid and subscribing.
Cheers!
This was epic!
Brooks Halladay Glad you like it ;) thanks for tuning in!
Loved the video!! What did you use for the large wand? Thanks!
Do you have to do a copper layer first before moving to the nickel?
Where did you get the larger wand from? Are you still using the cadwell plug?
The bronze and black look reminds me of when bobo fet was trapped and clearly in dismay in that bronze material.
+butte hurter oh yeahhhhhh! Yeah the bronze look was pretty awesome I can’t even deny it.
Great video, however I can not seem to get this to work for myself, I sprayed two layers of super shield on my 3d part (letting each layer sit for 24h) and when i go to use the copper I get nothing. any thought on how to make this work as quickly as you did?
interesting, i just ordered the gear needed.. any updates on your situation?
Would it help if the entire helmets is dipped on a bucket? I’m really curious
All around great video.
I liked the editing, the soundtrack, and the structure of the video.
As far as the process goes, that was really informative and really neat to watch the helmet go from plastic to metal.
Keep it up.
Jesse Cresswell thank you Jesse I really appreciate it. Generally speaking, I am going to be putting the same level of production (or better) into all of my videos.
Thanks watching and the kind words. Stay tuned, there's more coming!
Would anyone know what solution I would need to use to electroplate with bronze as opposed to copper? Is the same electrolyte effective for both metals?
What did you make the bigger brush out of? Is it just a piece of nickel? Does the cloth/rag need to be anything special?
+Jesse Haworth sorry for the delay. For plating with nickel, you'll want to use either a nickel or stainless steel brush. I purchased some stainless steel sheet metal, cut a strip off, and wrapped it loosely with gauze.
To plate with copper, you'll want to use a copper brush. I did the same thing as the nickel. Just bought a copper sheet and chopped it up.
The clothe should be something that is capable of holding and retaining large amounts of liquid. This is very important as you need solution to be in constant contact with both the surface of what your plating, and the metal brush itself. Cotton gauze is pretty good at this.
Wow, is this your first video? That's amazing man!
+Stefffan Thanks a lot! Yeah first video and more to come! I'm glad you liked it.
Infosmercial considering printing time and everything else, how long did it take to complete it and how what is the complete cost of materials? Some of these products you linked to are pretty expensive!
+Stefffan I'll admit that this is an ambitious project that will definitely require a good amount of hours and some elbow grease.
The printing time was pretty long (over 30 hours of printing), but that was the easy part imo. Sanding and assembly was probably 4-6 hours time. Each plating step probably took 3-4 hours time. Polishing took 2-3 hours as well. Add in 4-5 hours for complications, figuring things out, unforeseen crap etc...
Cost wise, something like this could cost $120 - 150 to start. That's the bad news. The good news is that most of the supplies can be reused to last a few projects. If your working with smaller projects, things will last even longer.
Of course, there may be some DIY hacks to cut corners in both time and money, but this is all a method I found that works most reliably.
Cheers!
Infosmercial thanks for the great info! Maybe one day... ok, probably just printing that helmet would be a huge success for me xD
good job man, keep it up! Looking forward to your next videos! :)
Hi What is the current and voltage on the converter thing ?
The brush is just an towl on a pice of metal ?
+Carsten Lenzen Hi there! The caswell plug n plate kit includes a 5V 225mA charger for connecting to the metal brush.
It isn't a towel, but rather gauze that is used. It is lightly wrapped around the brush and secured at the end with a rubber band.
It's not just any piece of metal. Each wand is made of a specific type of metal that is dependent upon the solution to are using. For copper solution, you would use a copper wand. For nickel solution, you would use either a nickel or stainless steel wand.
Hope this helps!
Very Cool! I understand it is a very thin metal coat, but does it reinforce the plastic? Does it give it more structure and rigidity?
Can you paint the print after it’s been electroplated?
what did you use to glue the parts together? Did you use Bondo or something to smooth the seams/striations?
Robert Gorman I mostly used super glue to bond the parts together, but I used a big and very helpful trick to increase the super glues strength and curing time. For the seams. I printed in ABS, sanded down the print a reasonable amount, then used a product called XTC Smooth on as a coat to get the helmet as smooth as possible.
It’s great that you ask because it looks like my next video is going to be on exactly this topic: assembling large 3d prints and tips for smoothing them out.
YEAHHH, man. You did this! Double cool! New way for me how to cover material by electroplating. I'll try to do the same.
Great video. I am ordering my kit today. Steampunk artist here, so I have a lot of projects I could use this on. Also a 3D printer geek. Thanks and keep up the good work.
+C G really glad you like the video! Hopefully it can help you with some of your projects. Feel free to post some of the results here later.
Cheers!
Can you use same process to chrome plastic?
This could greatly increase the number and lifespan of tools made through 3d printing. I especially like the idea of replicating artifacts that were 3d printed discovered through archaeology.
Thank you for the video. Does this process give the part a hard, metal like finish? I have some small knobs that I'd like to have them have that really hard feel to them, not plastic feel.
Yes, electroplating is actually depositing the metal onto whatever object you're plating. Through the process, you're actually encasing whatever you're plating in a thin (or thicker depending on how thick you plate) layer of actual metal. Hope this helps!
@@ashleyelizabeth9095 excellent to hear, thank you very much for the reply!
This super shield spray goes on so rough, very hard to sand without removing the layer! Any tips? Just layer on a lot?
Would this work on plastic model kits?
Awesome! where did you get the larger wands?
If I did multiple layers of this, do you think I could make steel toed crocs?
how strong is the helmet now compared to when it was just I'm assuming PLA? and would you have to bother with the super shield if you got that conductive PLA from I think proto pasta?
cityhunterinak thanks for watching the video. I used abs for my print and prefer to work with it for a number of reasons. It sands down easy is the biggest. Having a smooth surface is key to getting a highly reflective surface if your electroplating. There are ways of doing this tho with PLA like using XTC Smooth on.
As far as using super shield goes, it is remarkably conductive. More so than any 3d printable filament you will find. This makes electroplating a fast process. I did some research into conductive filament and it appeared that none would work well enough to get the job done when it came to electroplating.
cityhunterinak : This is simply adding very, very thin layers of metal to the outside of the plastic. Any strength/durability increase vs regular PLA would be negligible at best. It's more for looks than anything.
If you wanted an actual metal helmet you would need to take the 3D print and use it in the same manner as a "lost wax investment" casting setup, with a smelting forge and a decent amount of aluminum melted down....it would be likely too heavy to wear and a monstrous amount of work to polish -- but very durable vs a plastic print.
What are the advantages of this process over spray paint?
so will this overtime discolor bronze again?
I always thought electroplating 3D prints would look like total garbage. But you just proved me wrong. I'll have to give it a try!
+Lucus Landers Yeah the results can be pretty darn amazing. If you really work at it with this stuff, you can create a 3d part thats indistinguishable from something that’s been professionally manufactured in all metal.
Amazing find! I want to do this type of electroplating on small objects. Does the small jar of Nickel Print act exactly the same as the larger spray product, or would it be too thick for small, intricate sculpted objects, like jewelry, if I want to retain detail?
+spit53 yeah the nickel print will behave the same. I would recommend the same steps as with the spray. Apply it and then sand it down to smooth it out.
You can thin out the nickel print too to help it paint on smoother, which is great for detail work. I used small amounts of acetone to thin it out. Works great!
Thanks for watching the vid!
Thanks so much!
Very high quality video fellers. If I see you on the street I won't kick your ass. Your welcome.
Phew. I’ve been looking over my shoulder since I started posting these videos...
Thanks for checking it out!
Does it work with iron ? Is it possible to electroplate thanks to this process a peace of plastic with iron ?
What's the durability like with electroplating? Better than spray paint I'm guessing? Does it chip?
Great video! I have to try this.
I actually like the copper look, kinda steam punk looking. If you stopped at the copper layer, would you have to clear coat it to prevent oxidation?
Have you tried the brass plug n' plate kit?
+mseriesm3 yeah you might have to do something like that. You could try making a baking soda and water mixture and "polish" with it immediately after plating. That will help neutralize any acids to help with longevity.
I have not tried the brass plating kits. I have been wanting to experiment with more of their metals and looks for sure.
Hey infosmercial, thanks for sharing this awesome tutorial! I just bought the supplies and plan to try it (despite the bad Amazon reviews). My only question is, could you leave the copper coat or double coat it in copper instead? I think the copper look was a little brighter and better looking than the nickel. Or will the copper shine fade out too quickly? Thanks!
+Brandon Rose yeah you can leave the copper. I would recommend either polishing it or promptly wiping the helmet down after plating (you can try a little baking soda and water to get rid of any residue). Afterwards, you can leave it although it may rust, but you can use a clear coat spray paint if you wish. Polished copper should keep pretty well though without any of that stuff.
Thanks for checking out the vid btw. Good luck with your projects. Check back with links to pics, I'd love to see it.
Infosmercial I bought the stuff and have been trying to electroplate with little luck. Then I tried to copper plate a dime and it worked perfectly. I realized that the initial Super Shield nickel stuff may be my main problem.
www.mgchemicals.com/products/emi-and-rfi-shielding/water-based-conductive-coatings-wb-series/841wb-super-shield-water-based-nickel-conductive-coating
I bought this 150ml bottle hoping to get more out of it than an aerosol can by painting, but I guess it's not working so well. Isn't it the same as the spray or have you had any experience with anything else that would last longer, quantity-wise?
Also, a couple more questions, is the sanding absolutely necessary after the initial Super Shield coat? I ask because there are places so small I'm sure i can't sand.
Lastly, how do you know when your bath of copper or nickel has depleted? Does it lose color or just stop working as well? Would you recycle left over copper or nickel bath back into the bottle?
Thanks again!
Amazing video! should I switch from pla to abs to do this? Also, if I casted a 3d print and made resin copies will this work on resin?
Yeah this should work in resin perfectly fine. Truth be told, this should work in just about any surface that you can spray paint.
As for PLA vs ABS, it is easier to get great results with ABS because you can sand it down. There are options with PLA though so it is definitely doable.
Three things I would recommend using PLA and before applying the nickel spray: the product XTC Smooth On which helps to fill in the small striations from printing. Using bondo body filler to fill in any gaps and fix more major problems. Then a high fill primer spray paint. These three items will help you get some good results without having to sand the print itself.
I would recommend sanding down after applying each one of those products to achieve a smooth surface.
Thank you for the very informative reply!
Hi, really good video on methods of doing electroplating. Have you tried this on non sanded prints with visible layers. I'm looking for methods of smoothing prints without sanding.
+Rossosaurus hey there rosso, glad you enjoyed the vid! I haven't tried this exact method on non sanded parts. It would probably be kinda tough to build up thick enough layers to make the appearance smooth.
Two things you should look into: one is a product for xtc smooth-on. The stuff is relatively cheap and does a fantastic job at eliminating the need for sanding. Note though that this is a 2 part epoxy so it requires careful handling and safety precautions. The other thing to try is high fill or high build primer. This stuff can easily be found at automotive stores, Amazon, Walmart... all you really do is spray thin, bet wet coats a few times and it starts to build up. In my experience, it still requires a small bit of sanding whereas the xtc smooth on can be good to go after one or two coats.
Cheers!
+Infosmercial Oh awesome, I'll definitely try xtc. Keep up the good work
Quality Stuff, Keep up!
Two questions....Are there any advantages to using a DC bench power supply vs just grabbing an adapter and putting clips on it....Also, if you go the adapter route what specs are we looking for?
Secondly, when making your own brushes do you need a barrier between your hand in the anode? Or do yoy basically just wrap the anode with a sponge/cloth and throw the clip on?
Yes there are definitely advantages. Different materials plate at different electrical outputs. Luckily, copper and nickel plate around the same, which is why adapters work fine. If however you may want to use other metals like gold, you may not plate optimally using the fixed output of an adapter. Again tho, if your just doing copper and nickel, adapters work fine. Copper and nickel plate at around 5v with I believe .7 amps per square inch. If your using smaller anodes (thickness of a pencil), you’ll want an adapter that outputs at 5v around 200-400 mA.
Making brushes I would highly recommend where rubberized, electric safe work gloves. The risk is minimal if you make your connections properly, but of course sometimes things don’t work that way. More importantly, your also working with highly caustic materials.
Making the brushes really is as simple as buying a copper sheet for copper and stainless steel sheet for nickel and slapping a bandage on it. Hook it up and your good to go.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Infosmercial Thank you so much for the detailed answers...awesome video and I can't wait to try it out!
You got it man!
Is there a cheaper way of doing this effect? Want to do it but so expensive tho.
Hey Shawn! So I have been looking into getting this done for as cheap as possible. One way to do this is to use graphite powder instead of the nickel spray in order conductively coat the print. This requires some finesse though and is a bit of a pain, but it is also significantly cheaper.
I am looking into other cheaper ways of DIY’ing the rest of the kits like making your own copper solution etc... It will be some time before I get to it, but I will be making a video on it in the future.
Love the nod to nurd rage :D
Could you achieve a mirror finish if sanding the nickel plating? I've already read in the comments that nickel is tougher than copper but is it still doable or should i use something else to get a mirror finish plated?
+cedricfilm I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. You may need to plate the nickel for a longer time since the layer don't build as thick. You may also need a more "aggressive" polishing compound and/or polishing method as the metal is tougher to polish. It should work though.
Thanks for the info!
Excellent video! The question I had was -- why did you plate with copper first and then nickel? Why not just two coats of nickel? Thanks and good luck with future videos.
Hey Justin! Thanks for the kind words and taking the time to watch. While you could certainly plate with two layers of nickel, plating with a copper under layer is a common electroplating practice.
Copper is a soft metal and polishes very easy. Not only that, but it can build up layers pretty fast and pretty thick. This helps to fill in any imperfections on the surface of the object you are plating. Polishing it then gets to the surface to be as flat as possible.
If you wanted, you could certainly plate nickel first, but it may be tougher to achieve a high shine finish than with copper.
I hope this helps some. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Cheers!
Justin Heinen The other reason is that copper is one of the best surface treatments at "sticking" to things when electroplating. By "sticking" I don't mean in the normal glue sense of the word, but in a electro/chemical way.
To generalise just remember that in most cases, copper sticks to everything and everything sticks to copper because it reacts so well. That makes it the best surface treatment to have in the middle.
As the mentioned however, the copper needs to be really REALLY Clean for the best result. This is where the blessing of copper reacting so well becomes a curse. It reacts really well with the oils in your skin, so wear gloves if you don't want a nice fingerprint motif. Also the oxygen in the air will oxidise copper very quickly. So it's best to plate it immediately after cleaning it. Especially don't clean it and then think "my arm is tired, I'll plate it tomorrow..."
Have fun, do a few practice runs on some scrap first to get the hang of it. It really is awesome. And addictive. Once you get good at it you'll be walking around just looking for things to electroplate!
Then you can learn how to anodise aluminium! Also awesome fun!
From what I hear, it has to do with the ability of various metals to release ions - or rather with the difference in this ability between two metals. Basically, you can't bond a very highly reactive metal to a very low reactivity one. You need to use a "gradient", by interposing intermediate metals. As Martin Dolan said, copper is the most reactive metal in that respect and because of that, for instance, you can't deposit chrome directly to copper - the difference between the reactivity of the two metals is way too high. That's why, for instance, when chrome-plating, you use an intermediary layer of nickel between the base and the finish.
+Martin Dolan oooooo anodizing aluminum. That sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for chiming in Martin!
Infosmercial Very cool. You made a fantastic video there bro. I've used a lot of metal polish solutions & Happich Simichrome Polish is my fav. I'm not sure if the time you spent at 8:00 in the video is typical paste application time or not. It took way too long applying paste. The polish I stated goes on as fast as you can spread it. Let it go on very sparingly. Then set a few seconds & wipe it off & buff. All the best to you.
FANTASTIC.
Great video, I mean from top to bottom!! Especially the cut scenes! You definitely deserve a bigger following. I’m rootin for you, keep up the good work!!!
So can you use this process to coat small items with chrome?
+ShadowcasterZero yeah absolutely you can. I've done this smaller parts and the results are stellar. Much more polished and mirror-y than the helmet in this video.
It all depends on home much time you spend sanding, plating, and polishing.
How many more grams have been added to the helmet weight?
That's pretty amazing. How does it work exactly? Can you anodize aluminium this with one of these kits?
+tjt263 yeah it's pretty darn cool. Electricity is used to essentially bond the metal solution to the surface of what your plating. Anodizing aluminum is a much different process and requires different materials.
great video. The conductive spray is a game changer for me.
have you thought about using acetone-steam to smooth out the abs surface? I assume this would make it more shiny without polishing
Noggernono Yeah I have used that technique occasionally and it can work with pretty good results. The reason I like sanding and using either something like XTC Smooth On or Filler Primer is the level of control you have over detail. I never got that great with acetone smoothing and it seems easy to take it too far. sorta difficult for large prints too.
Maybe dumb question but couldn't you get a nickel finish spray paint, prime it sand it and finish with that? The playing looks amazing though
If I make a foam model helmet instead of a 3D print , will this still work?
+Ruuni yeah the process should still work. I would recommend using something like a few layers of filler primer to make sure the surface is smooth and the nickel print spray doesn't sink into the foam.
This gives me so many ideas! My current issue with metallic looking paints is that when you spray them with protective coating, it removes some of the shine if not all of it!
I may use this to make things look more metal!
+Meme Johnson yeah the spray paints that I have found all have issues with either clear coats or being touched by the hand. That's just one of the advantages of this method.
Oh yeah definitely, it's unfortunate how badly clear coats work with metallic paints
Very helpful video, your channel has a lot of potential so keep at it. Great production quality!
+Meme Johnson thanks for the kind words. Stay tuned! There's more coming....
Hi I put entire can on my Star Wars helmet and didn't seem to electroplate very well did you use more than one can?
No I did not use more than one can. So there are a few things I had to do. One is to let the paint dry for about 48 hours, seriously. As the propellants in the paint dry, the conductivity increases. It can take a few days for the paint to fully cure, especially if you are doing it in cold weather you may have to wait longer. The other things is to make sure your coats a reasonably thick, but even. I also lightly sanded down the surface and then smoothed it by using a 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper. By making the surface very smooth, the electricity can more evenly conduct across the surface of the helmet.
When you are electroplating, you need to begin plating right next to where you make your electrical connections and work it for a while in that same spot. Once you have built up copper in that area, move your connections to the copper part. Then continue to plate outward from that copper area. The copper is more conductive than the paint and will not only help to speed up the process, but make the plating better and more durable.
I hope this helps.
Infosmercial I really do appreciate the response on an older video I will try that let you know how it works thanks again you're awesome
No worries. I try to respond to every comment I can.
This is so awesome. Geeking out super hard on this
How scratch resistant is it?
I wonder if conductive pla would work as well?
It just might. I did a whole lotta of research and have not been able to find one that would work suitably. I have heard from many others that have tried and it may work, but only on very small portions, which made it very tough to work on large scale projects.
Thanks for checking out the video!
Late to the game but great technique. I was expecting you to dunk the whole helmet in a bath, but this must be much cheaper and easier to do at home. Perfect for a project I have in mind 👍🏻
Quick question. t about 4:56 you mention "I'm going to use a little bit larger setup that I purchased..." Where would one purchase that larger brush? I couldn't find it. A link would be great! Thanks and great video!
+Brian Creasey hey sorry for the delay. So the larger supplies could be found on caswell' website. However, I simply purchase raw supplies and made the brushes myself.
When plating with copper, you'll want a copper brush. When plating with nickel, you'll want a nickel or stainless steel brush. So what I did was purchase some high grade copper and stainless steel sheet metal off of amazon. I cut off a large strip of each. Then I used medical gauze I bought from walmart to loosely wrap each brush. Use a rubber band to secure the gauze and your good to go!
Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Cheers!
That's perfect! I kind of figured you had to roll your own. Seems a better idea to me. Thanks so much for the info. I'm going straight for the big guns, plating my Monster's in Motion Rocketeer helmet kit. We'll see how that goes. (I will definitely test on a small piece before going straight to that) but that's why I was looking into the larger brushes. Thank's again for taking the time to reply and the good info in the video!
I have a headlight polishing kit for my car. I use what's left to polish 3D prints (it's just plastic polishing compound). It has a sponge thing that fits into a drill. Cuts my polishing time down a lot.
+Powered by Stupid wow that sounds kinda cool. Are you saying that you use that stuff to polish the actual 3d printed plastic? (As opposed to polishing the electroplated metal in the video).
If so that’s kinda neat. I have some of that stuff lying around, may have to try it out. Heck, that may work really well for getting smooth coatings of paint too.
Yeah. I've filled the layer lines with acetone dissolved material from the supports, or primer and sand until it's smooth. So often I'm buffing enamel paint, but the drill attachment is great. It's just a soft sponge and a metal rod. I've had a few prints come out really good, and just sanded and polished the ABS.
+Powered by Stupid so are you brushing on an ABS slurry and the just sanding and buffing? That sounds like it might work really great, especially since it’ll increase part durability.
Exactly. Though it's faster in my experience to hit it with sandable primer then acrylic, or enamel paint it. Then sand and buff that. I still use the plastic polishing compound and that sponge drill bit to finish it. But the slurry fuses with the ABS and makes it stronger. So it I'm making anything that will be under stress I'll take the extra time.
That is VERY impressive. A great 3D print and finished in a great metallic covering. Love it!
Hey Nomadd, I'm glad you liked the video. Thank you for the kind words.
Cheers!
@@Infosmercial i just bought the kit! I bought the conductive paint as well and im electroplating the back of my samsung s23 ultra! Ive always hated glass backed phones, too fragile, it'll be nice to have a "metal" backed phone again
Wow, most impressive!
Thanks for the shoutout, glad you enjoyed the model!
Oh wow! Absolutely thanks for making it! And thanks for watching the vid I’m glad you liked it.
Oh I did, I have wanted to get into electroplating for such a long time so, so I came here to learn that when I saw it was my phasma you were actually electroplating I was stoked lol
Oh wow. It all comes full circle then doesn’t it?! Haha.
Oh wow. It all comes full circle then doesn’t it?! Haha.
Say Mr Infosmercial! Could this work on Brass/Bronze PLA (I've got like 80%-20% bronse-pla ratio!)
+Jeroen Le Roy hey Jeroen! It depends. This time last year when I looking around for conductive filament and found that none could reliably be used for electroplating.
The only real requirement is that the filament is conductive enough. The easiest way to tell is to use a multimeter to test your filament for conductivity.
One thing to note about using your filament: PLA is notoriously difficult to sand down so it's smooth.
It sounds like you just might be able to do it and it'd probably look pretty damn cool with the ridges from the printed layers too.
I'd love to check out pics or whatever when your done trying!
This video was absolutely sensational, it's great to see someone making awesome content on ACTUALLY making things using 3D printers and various additional techniques, rather than Review after review. Liked, subscribed, commented and eagerly awaiting what you do next man. Thank you.
Aidan Caelli Thank you so much for the kind words. Yeah I am fascinated with 3d printing as a technology. While I definitely can geek out on specs and different printers, ultimately none of that stuff matters. What matters is what you can do with 3d printing and that is what makes it such a powerful tool.
My hopes in making this video was that by focusing on what can be achieved with small consumer 3d printers, rather than the printer itself, people can see the potential of it all.
Thanks for noticing that. Stay tuned! There is more coming in the future.
Aidan Caelli Yeah. It's like they only care about Benchy Boats, mechanical boxes, and vases! I was particularly annoyed when I searched for practical uses and even the 3D printing gurus had some very underwhelming top-10 videos. Half the "practical" uses were for upgrading their 3D printer! Ugh. I know that these things are more useful than that!
Emmett Turner yes I think I'll be doing videos when I get my 3d printer in a month or 2
+iWinRar would love to check them out when you get going. Check back and post links!
Great video , you can get ta similar metal finish by getting the right spray paint aerosol products cheaper I would think ,and an airbrush
roughly how many hours did this take you?
Pretty cool helmet
Can you just dip the resin part in a glass and let it plate?
Yes, but then you'd have a large electroplating bath. At least 10 gallons of electrolyte to neutralize and dispose of. Pen plating is a good alternative for the occasional hobbyist.
Why polish the copper? Doesn't it make it harder to plate with the nickel?
Did you have to do anything to get the nickel spray to come out that evenly? I did three coats and on the last one just barely sanded it down with 1200 grit sand paper to be smooth again and the results still look...splotchy? For lack of a better word. Lol
Curious if you came up with a solution for this issue?
can you electroplate something with stainless steel?
Don't sand the conductive paint. Instead, sand your model properly - and I mean properly then give it a thin coat of a bonding agent for plastic parts and then a layer of automotive filler which you then sand down until layer lines are gone. THEN you apply your conductive coating. Silver-based is usually best (like "Tifoo" but a tad bit expensive) but there are also graphite-based versions around which have been used for electroplating for ages. Also, add a tiny bit of wetting agent to your solution...
anybody knows what is the voltage of brushplateing adapter? is it dc or ac?
Volkan Bravo DC
Pretty impressive! I didn't know kits like this existed.
+Mighty Jabba's Collection Yeah it's pretty neat stuff. Took a bit of discovery and tinkering. Thanks for tuning in!
the kit's are $$. just buy the bulk chemicals and make the brushes like he did.
+Davey Hi yeah the kits do cost a few bucks. They are great as a small package solution if this is simply something you want to experiment with. If you want to take on multiple projects with this, the getting bulk chemicals is a good idea.
Actually, the 1.5 gallon kits from caswell are a pretty decent deal and you get most everything you need.
Dude!!! That was badass.
+OG LewisOne glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.
I don't understand, why did you copper plate before you nickel plated?
Very well done for a third video. Digging your style, keep them coming! Cheers!
+JM Tosses Thanks for taking the time to watch the vid. Cheers!
I wonder if cold galvanizing zinc would work as well.