The Electroplating Process

A brief overview of the electroplating process and how I use it.

Copper electroplating an organic object starts by sealing it with some clear coat or lacquer to keep the piece from infecting the bath with unwanted organic gunk. From there you must coat the piece in a conductive paint which will enable the passing of the DC current through this paint attracting copper ions and coating the piece in layers of copper through electrodeposition. Once I think a piece is completely covered in all cracks and crevices with the paint it is ready to go into the "bath" which is an electrolytic solution of varying sizes.(I started with a quart jar and now I have a 15 gallon tank) This solution contains: distilled water, copper sulphate pentahydrate, sulfuric acid, copper brightener, and copper anodes (big copper bars). Once the piece is positioned in the bath it is ready for the negative lead to be connected to the piece to be plated and the positive is connected to the anodes to complete the connection. The copper anodes are there to reintroduce new copper ions over time to replenish the ones being used in the plating as well as complete the connection.

Once the circuit is completed the power supply (DC rectifier) is turned on and the amperage and voltage are set accordingly. I have read that  .1 amps per square inch is a good reference as well as voltage, .5 - .6 volts being a smoother plate than 1 - 1.2 volts. I love this part of plating where you can play with the texture of a piece which can affect it drastically. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple days to finish pieces depending on what they are. Once a piece is done plating it is rinsed off and the next step could go to patinas or sealing the piece in to preserve the copper without the oxidation that occurs over time. I leave most my pieces unsealed letting it oxidize naturally and grow with the wearer and whatever conditions they are put through together. Thank you for reading this, it is in no way a fully detailed electroplating guide much further research is helpful in this hobby but I started small and ignorant, let your passion take you and don't let anything get in your way!