How to Electroplate 3D Prints … (the shiny way)
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- Electro metal plating #3dprints!
Here I would like to show you how easy it is to #electroplate your 3d prints. I have recorded the process as I usually do it. The 3D objects and what you need at all you can find here in the description:
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:27 Electroplating different Materials
01:30 Making 3D Prints conductive
02:01 How Metallplating 3D prints work
03:10 Creating a shiny flat surface
03:52 Applying Gold or Palladium to 3D Prints
06:00 Results and Conclusion
**I have not received any of the products shown free of charge, nor do I have any relationship with the manufacturer.*
For this you need:
* A 3D print. Doesn't matter what material.
* DC power supply. 5A is ok.
For the galvanic bath:
* a container
* copper electrolyte (sour)
* one or two copper anodes
* banana plug & alligator clips
For the galvanic brush:
* Palladium electrolyte
* (24K) Gold electrolyte
* Galvanic brush
* 2 graphite rod anodes
* 2 nonwoven sleeves
You also need:
* Degreaser
* Distilled water
* Conductive Copper Spray. Make sure that it can be used with your copper electrolyte.
Have fun. Try it. 🧡
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Download the Sickel 📢
Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/thing:486...
Cults3d: cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/...
Get the Indy Head Piece for Staff of Ra 🥇
Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/thing:202589
Print a Business Central Logo Coin 🧿
Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/thing:484...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a look to my other Videos
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Metal Plating a Monkey Island Verb Coin
• Video
Printing an Evil Dead Necronomicon
• 3D Printed Necronomico... - Zábava
I made another video on how to create super shiny plated 3D prints: czcams.com/video/Zviv5ROFVYA/video.html
Thanks
Can we get a comment with key words to make googling for it easier please much appreciated
Holy cow this was incredible! Straight to the point and easy to understand.
The possibilities! Insane!
Nice! Well done and explained.
I think started experimenting with that tiffoo stuff around the time you postet your copper plated YT sign. Honestly, still today, some plating results are random and sometimes it‘s beyond my understanding what went wrong 🙃. When I posted my vids I saw yours and was like „aargh of course he did it years ago, snap..“
Nice to see this done on a hobbyist level. Thanks!
Great job mate they look great, I never realized 3d prints could be electroplated. Great I have no time in life with my business and my hobbies and now I will have even less lol. Thanks for sharing mate.
Can't wait to try this, wicked explanation!!
amazing! such a well edited video and so clear!
Excellent Finish. Good work and advice.
😮 amazing!!! Fist time i see how is made it, congratulations !!!
I have no clue where I'd get half of this stuff but this looks amazing, thank you for sharing. Opens up a completely new avenue for cosplay props and such
Brilliant! Literally.
This is so cool!
I think I‘ll plate a surprise egg of yours. Golden surprise!
@@hen3drik Haha! That would be amazing 😄
Amazing video thank you! I do a lot of complex 3d prints that I can't cast in metal so this may be a great solution. Subscribed
Thank you for making this!
OMG, that is awesome. This I need to try.
Very cool!
underrated video needs more attention
Amazing work! Well done
Thank you! This is awesome!
absolutely bwanging idea, liked and subscribed!
😲😲😲 man, what a video, it will definetly help me with some business ideas, thanks for the video
Nice job👍
Thanks so much for this
Mega Video, Danke dir
Sag mal ob es geklappt hat. Evtl schaust du mal in das andere Tutorial (ist neuer) vorher rein (mit dem Witcher Amulett)
Amazing great job 👍
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Matthew!
What a great and informative video! Also thoughtful, responsible waste disposal!! We love to see it.
Nice work.
TIFOO hat mir den Tipp gegeben, dieses Video mal anzuschauen. Wirklich klasse erklärt und die Ergebnisse sprechen für sich. Top! 👍😎👍
Vielen Dank! Ich habe noch drei andere Electro Forming Videos gemacht. Die gehen in eine ähnliche Richtung. Das mit dem men in black neuralizer ist interessant, da ich dort auf extremsten Glanz und Ebenheit hochpolier.
@@hen3drik Vielen Dank für Deine Antwort. Ich habe mir das Video angesehen und kann es allen Mitlesenden nur empfehlen! Viel Arbeit, aber ein super Ergebnis! Ich denke, ich werde die Technik für künftige Projekte auch nutzen - gerade im Interieur-Bereich von Fahrzeugen kann das enorm dekorativ und wertig aussehen. Beste Grüße aus Berlin, TOBi
Excelente muchas gracias
Good video, keep it up ! 🙂
Omg, I'm totally gonna gold plate my baby yoda statue!
Great tips bro, you should try graphite spray way cheaper .... Hopefully you can show how you attach your cathode and anode to the pieces more detailed . Thanks for showing this!
Wow, das Ergebnis kann sich richtig sehen lassen! Ein Haufen Arbeit, aber da kommt goldene Sprühfarbe nicht ran. Danke fürs Teilen!
Great tutorial! Could we get a list of the products you used?
Brilliant .
Now to find that "Pen" ....
Really great video! More content on electroplating very much appreciated. Also version in native german language would be nice. Moin
I can see that the bird medallion has resolution lines from the printers pixels. Turning on anti aliasing will make that much more smooth
I‘ll try that next time 🙃
Found this on Twitter. I really like this idea. I have never done anything like that before, but I would love to start small by making "pirate treasure coins". Ironically I made that same Indiana Jones Staff of Ra file a couple of months ago and used dimes on the inside to weigh it down, then sprayed it with a metallic gold automotive paint. It looks great but needless to say it doesn't have the feel of metal to it.
Same here, first made was of PLA the spray painted it. Second approach was gold leaf (still PLA), which was more convincing. 100% infill resin with plating is by far the most accurate thing I ever hold in hands.
C'est la serpe du druide dans Asterix et Obelix 😮
This is really cool. How much loss of detail is there for finer parts? Could I, for instance, plate a finely detailed mini or statue without losing too much?
This depends on the thickness of the coating. From my experience there is very few loss, because the paint is very thinned. Look at my video of the neuralyzer (latest). I am using graphite there, too. It’s really thin.
Nice video! Reminds me of CNCKitchen :D Bleib dran! Viele Grüße
Yes, I know, that was not intentional. 😃CNCkitchen is superb!
Nice work! What do you use as a brightener for the copper plating solution?
I use this: www.tifoo.de/glanzzusatz-kupfer-50-ml. But it‘s already in some ready-to-go solutions.
does it improve stability too? or is it just a cosmetic thing?
Wow! Absolutely amazing! With what do you degrease it? _______ + Distilled water to clean it, right?
I use a sinple degreaser from the hardware store and also a galvanic degreaser. Both will fit.
What kind of electrolyte do you use? What is its composition?
Very cool! Thank you for the informative video. What is your technique for securing the lead to the 3D object without damaging it too much or interfering with the finish?
This is a very good question. I usually try to find a hidden spot, then heat up a needle and insert it (melt) into the material. Then, if necessary I coat the joint with additional copper paint. Another way is to design extra material to clip into with clamps. Anyway, damaging still occurs sometimes.
@@hen3drik thank you! That makes sense, and I like that approach much more than simply wrapping it in wire.
That's pretty cool! Do you ever have problems with the metal flaking off? I would imagine durability is mostly up to how thick of a plating you put on, but the base coat might make a difference too.
Funny, right now I am facing issues with copper deposition on a resin print (black mud on the copper spray). Flaking off was never an issue. Yes, the longer the dry time of the base coat, the better the durability (48hrs is fine); however, I usually begin plating after 30mins. Copper plating for 2hrs is giving me a good thick layer.
Dont underestimate thermal expansion forces. Plastics and metals have very different thermal expansion, so you should try to keep the temperature stable from the coating with spraypaint until you have a thick enough layer of metal put down with electroplating. If you don't take care of that, the forces that build up between the plastic surface and the metal are strong enough to break the bond of the spraycoat, especially if you have parts with sharp corners where forces tend to concentrate into. Once the electroplating is thick enough, i guess the metal, especially the soft copper, can take up the force even when the bond between plastic and paint fails.
Thanks this was exactly what I was looking for. May I ask a question , I want to try this now but I have no idea how to get the solutions and objects you described. Can I ask for your help in getting the Amazon links for these items?
I totally missed this comment, sorry. I‘ll look for Amazon links tomorrow. I also posted a new video yesterday, which is verysimilar to this.
This setup as described in the video, with all the materials, what would it roughly cost me to buy it all?
Do you have any links to the materials?
How toxic are these? Would it be advised to do in a small appartment with a tiny dog in the house for instance?
As well as copper can you do silver and gold?
Respekt! Mega gute Arbeit. Als ich das erste Mail angefangen hab zu vergolden war alles auf kunstoff fast unmöglich und die Objekte meist Naja.
Durch den 3D druck ist es jetzt einfacher und echt genial mit was für einer ausgefeilten Routine und ruhe du das ganze machst! Da steht mir noch was bevor. Denn ich hab vor kurzem wieder auch Material gekauft und möchte meine drucke vergolden
Viel Erfolg. Wichtig ist, dass du nicht Zuviel Strom im Bad durch das Objekt jagst. Wenn Glanzlkupfer zwischen 1.2 und 1.5 angegeben ist, dann sollte es bei kleinen Objekte im unteren Bereich geregelt sein, bei größeren entsprechend höher. Easy does it!
Where would you recommend buying materials from? like the electrolytes etc. and i'm assuming most of the electrolytes can be reused for a while correct? Great Vid
I get most my stuff from tifoo. Copper and nick elelectrolyte recover from the dissolved cu and ni anodes. Once in a while you should check ph and refill brightener. Keep it clean and it‘ll last very long. I recommend buying 5l. Make sure to get „acidic“ copper electrolyte, as it makes the conductive paint conductive at all.
Having trouble finding a good price for a conductive spray. Anyone got a link or suggestion?
Love that tune!☺ What is it, please?
Indeed, it's "Exhale" by Jeremy Blake. This can be downloaded in the YT Audio Gallery.
Hello from Tokyo. Your videos have inspired some of our projects here.
For the initial copper layer what PH is your copper electrolyte solution at?
It‘s between 0,2 and 1.
@@hen3drik I am having issues with conductive paint… I’ve used a graphite spray and attempted to make my own that does conduct electricity. I was able to copper plate a metal part no problem, so it must be too much resistance on the paints I am using. I am attempted to buy the copper paint you are using…. When using the Tifoo brand and testing with a voltmeter what kind of resistance are you getting? Or is the copper spray you are using getting full continuity?
@@r.in.shibuya when using graphite spray: let it dry, polish the paint with a rag and head for 4kOhm. Then plate very slowly. Better Alternative: get tifoo liquid conductive copper paint. Dilute 1:2 with acetone. Spray with an airbrush gun. The conductive copper paint „turns“ conductive when placed in the electrolyte. Good luck!
Ich würde dieses Video gern einmal komplett auf Deutsch sehen. Könntest du dieses bitte nochmal auf Deutsch hoch laden?
Why would you apply palladium to a 3d print? Its radioactive right?
Use bone structure internal printing then cover then electroplating so get high strength material parts jewelry advance electronic like phone ect
Yes, I tested it by now. Plating adds a lot of strength to the print!
Cheers for posting, but you didn't share the links for electrolytes etc.?
Thanks, I’ll fix that!
It looks so good! At 3:10 you mentioned a brightener is added in the solution. What is that brightener?
Thank you, a brightner is a substance that closes small spots on the metal layers, so that it develops a strong shine. It's in most of the commercial solutions. As it wears off by the time you can re-add it to have that effect.
@@hen3drik Thank you for your quick reply! By any chance you know the product name or webpage of an electroforming brightener? I am trying to make my own copper solution so I am looking to buy that brightener by itself.
@@mopikoaa www.tifoo.de/en-uk/gleaming-agent-additive-copper-50-ml
That is for an acidic copper electrolyte.
@@hen3drik Thank you so much..!
Danke für das Video. Lässt du die Kupfersulfat Lösung im Plastikbecken oder füllst du immer um?
Ich lasse es bei den 5l drin, verschließe es, damit es nicht verdunstet, und filtere es manchmal. Bei meinen 15l und 50l Becken fülle ich es jedesmal um und filtere es dabei.
@@hen3drik Okay danke. Dann werde ich es in meinem 2 Liter Kupfer / Nickelbecken wohl auch mit der Abdeckung drin lassen. Die Lösungen greifen den Kunststoff also nicht an, oder?
Ist Säure, bei mir ist seit Jahren nichts passiert.
The copper spray adds a layer of conductive copper. Then you coat the copper with copper. Why not skip the 2nd copper coating and coat directly with the palladium?
The copper spray just creates the conductive base layer for the „real“ copper to be plated on. It‘s like a soft paint you can rub off, but contains so much copper that it‘s pretty conductive. When I plate the copper in the bath, I add a heavy 240microns layer that doesn‘t rub off. The palladium is a very very thin few microns thick plating on the copper.
Great video! Is it possible you can link me the copper, palladium and gold electrolyte solutions you use?
sure, it's www.tifoo.de/en-uk/acidic-bright-copper-plating-solution and www.tifoo.de/en-uk/palladium-plating-solution and www.tifoo.de/en-uk/gold-plating-solution-midas
@@hen3drik thanks!!
Now, where did I put that staff?
Im curious about this isopropyl vaporizer. What filament is that part?
Oh, it’s PVB. I have to say that this is a very old video. I explained it more in this video: czcams.com/video/OYgn3tsJRWg/video.htmlsi=pbVM4dsljWNiMhc2
Geil....mal schnell eine galvanik aufgebaut 😂👍
How you figured out I’m German? 🙃 I guess the accent is to strong..
@@hen3drik ja.. so typisch deutsch 😂 cooles video und dann auch noch selbst galvanisch beschichten....Respekt
Can you explain one crucial element....what is your brightener? I dont think anyone will get these wonderful results without knowing what this additive is? also Is your solution copper sulphate and could you detail your ratios (Distilled water?)
I use a commercial acidic copper sulphate solution (incl. brightner). When the brightner (commercial) wears off from time to time, I add more. But it lasts very long. But Brightner is not the only thing that it takes; it‘s overall „cleanliness“, the right voltage, movement, temp. But yes, no brightner and you’ll need elbow grease.
I'm having problems finding copper conductive spray in USA, would you happen to have a link to a product that you use?
I use stuff from tifoo. If you ask me: get conductive copper paint, delute it with acetone 2:1 and airbrush it. Gives the best results!
What is your recipe for the electrolyte?
I wonder if it could improve the quality/lifetime of resin molds for diy plastic injection molding?
It will strengthen the part a lot.
if i dont have paladiun what can i use?
Hello!
Do you think that this could help to actually reinforce 3d printed gears? Would a thick enough layer be possible?
Yes, rumor has it that it does strengthen the parts a lot. Can you give me a link to the STL, so I‘ll try it for you. The copper layer itself is some 10’s microns thick.
@@hen3drik Unfortunately I haven't actually designed/printed any plastic gears yet, so I don't have any related STL files.
But I am sure that there are free files on thingyverse and similar sites.
The 10's micron thickness seems kind of negligable, at least for any structural strength, but who knows...
But with enough wall thickness, structrural strength probably isnt the issue with 3d printed gears anyway. And the surface protection the plating offers, might actually matter in the durability and longevity of the gear since it will protect the contacting surfaces. If thats the case, what would the best metal for the plating?
It certainly is a very very interesting topic, that would need a lot of experements.
I mean, making homemade cheap and strong custom shaped gears is kind of a game changer.
I also wonder how flat the teeth surfaces will remain after getting a very thick plating on them. After a while of electroplating, do things become a blobby mess in your experience, or are the features retained pretty well?
Helpful video.. Are all copper and silver spray paints conductive?
No, some are decorative only. I recently made a „graphite tutorial“, and a video on how to create diy graphite paint.
@@hen3drik i searched your video of graphite paint diy but is not there,could u provide link?
@elarcadenoah9000 czcams.com/video/ehYenzig93s/video.htmlsi=KkxDtLWnAm5qYsFD
How long would something like the sickle last after being gold plated and being exposed to the elements ?
I added a lot of hard gold to the sickle, so it‘s pretty protected. As all thin platings: if you touch it every day, like chains or rings, the gold will wear off sooner or later.
Do you have a reccomdation for airbrush and compressor?
For the conductive paint get a cheap one (20€) 0.5mm. Compressor: I will get a new one with a reservoir.
What kind of power supply do I need for this and what can they typically cost? The only ones I find are at least $100.
For smaller parts you can get a cheap regulated 5A max power supply. For bigger parts like the sword I needed 8-10A.
im a little new to electroplating but theoretically couldn't you easily make your own electrolyte solution by connecting power supply to two pieces of copper and dipped them in vingerar solution? Great video by the way
Maybe. Never tried. This commercial bath also includes a brightener and is at pH 1.
5:40 An option is to let some of it evaporate first to reduce the amount of waste. As a great chemical mind once said, "the atmosphere is nature's bin".
Yes, this is true.
Hello, Is there a reason you have to plate copper in between the paint and the nickel? Can you just go straight to nickel or paladium?
You could. But nickel isn’t depositing as fast as copper (what I recognized) and it‘s not as soft and polishable. Palladium would be way to expensive. I deposit thick layers of copper. Around 0.1mm-0.3mm.
I got a funny idea. What would happend when you would eletroplate a 3d print, which was printed with dissolveable filament (like PVA), just to remove the plastic for a pure metal part?
I thought about this as i wondered if this could be used to improve accustic of a part. Like a speaker for ex. as metal doesn't sound flat like plastic.
Oh, I actually did that and it‘s waiting for video production 😉
@@hen3drik Amazing. Was it successfull?
What kind of durability does this have? Will it rub off after rubbing against something?
Well, it‘s like any other plated metal. In total it‘s 200micrometer thick. That won‘t come off :-). The top gold layer is way thinner, this could wear slowly off if you would touch and rub it every day (sometimes this can be seen on cheap „gold“ chains, for example). So, image metal and you have a feeling.
is it possible to use nickel bath as electrolyte or sulfur acid for nickel galvanizing with electricity?
Yess, but I recommend to use copper. It’s easy, deposits fast, easy polishing.
@@hen3drik yeah but copper doesnt look good on blade :D by the way by nickel bath i meant nickel chloride idk but they call it nickel bath in all chemistry shop. and i also see people make their own electrolyte with salt, vinegar and leave nickel plates with current flow for few hours.
A few questions:
1) If I want the surface to be completely reflective (i.e. as few grains as possible), how would I go about it?
2) How much does the equipment + solutions cost?
3) Why the palladium? Is there a cheaper alternative?
4) How do I strip electroplating?
Hi, long story short: have a look at my newer tutorial, they‘ll answer this. Palladium is optional, you can do nickel it you want, but palladium is actually not that expensive.
@@hen3drik Another question: how would you go about plating with an alloy (e.g. a brass finish)?
@@adrianli7559 brass is easy: create a thick copper layer. Then on top electroplate a thin zinc layer. After that put it in the oven or treat with a heat gun for Brass.
@@hen3drik I'm working on restoring a piece on a figure - how would I completely strip the part, and would regular ABS be safe (and stay intact) in the oven?
Sorry for the influx of questions, but what exactly is "gold chrome"? I asked a company what was used to coat the top, and that was the response I got.
Hi what power supply you recommend not to expensive for electroplating big items ?
Hard to say what you mean with „big“. Calc 1A/dm^2 surface area of the object. I have a 30A supply, that’s okayisch for small helmets. Mine was 250€.
@@hen3drik thank you for your reply, I mean helmets and armors for costumes. Love your stuff 🤙🏻
How do I learn this kind of stuff? Is it engineering? I need to build things, I'm tired of sitting at a computer trading stocks.
This is all self tought, as a hobby. I constantly try to wrap up all experience I have in small videos. There‘ll be a new video in some days where there are more detailed instructions for each step. Simple glossy plating.
Could you put a link for the silver/copper sprays please?
Sure: www.amazon.de/dp/B0132N8F3A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_961ZRW3QCYTFS8NJGQQM
And
www.amazon.de/dp/B01ERURWLS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_RHMTPPMDQP14WCFR5MPZ
Can you give the link in English please?
would love to know what the total budget of this demo was, makes it looks so easy but also so $$$
I made this long ago, when I started experimenting with this stuff. From this point I would say it‘s around 10$ of materials.
@@hen3drik I am much more curious about the sunk costs of all the electroplating equipment and consumables. What would it cost for someone who just has a 3D printer to get started electroplating? Thanks!
An you recommend a good nickel electrolyte?
I use low acidic pH 5 tifoo nickel electrolyte. It already has brightener in it.
Palladium, gold... There are other metals that it can to make so?
You can use nickel. Cheap and works as a barrier for gold, too.
238th sub
Does it make sense to electroplate a 3D print just for painting it after all the process? Just to have that cold feel.
Depends. I do this for tactile parts (knobs, switches etc.). It also adds strength and weight.
@@hen3drik What kind of strength does it add? You are the second source i found that says it adds strength, while when i google about that topic, there is nearly no mentioning of strength improvement. Only really mentioned is less wear and tear. Which could be considered as stregth, but only if you electroplate parts like gearings or something simular.
@@MrGTAmodsgerman basically it adds stiffness. There is no bending on small parts: imagine printed parts, that bend, these become stiff as you put 25 micrometers of metal around it. Therefore it feels much more metal like. It also sounds different 😃
@@hen3drik Interesting. Thanks for telling me. Weird that i can't find any video about the actual stiffness improvements for electroplated FDM or Resin parts. Like you would expect from CNC Kitchen or other channels.
@@MrGTAmodsgerman cnc kitchen actually mentioned stiffness improvement in his video about electroforming (I guess it was the video with the 10k subs yt button), but that’s all he had to say about it. You should try it for yourself if it fulfills your needs, but I think I’ll cover this topic in my next videos.
Pregunta ❓ el proceso se le puede hacer a cualquier tipo de plástico ejm un Casco ⛑️ dé Moto 🏍️
Yes
@@hen3drik solo es seguir tus procedimientos paso a paso y listo, tu puedes hacer o sabés hacer Cromado al plástico
1:32 Tiffoo Sprays cost €50...
have you tried a 99% Zinc spray which is used industrially so it costs under €10
you can also get a Graphite spray for about €30
Zinc is a good idea I haven’t tried yet. I airbrush diluted copper paint in more recent video what brought the costs down to a fraction.
Is it possible to sand and polish?
It is
Where is the best place to buy the electrolyte solution?
I think it‘s Amazon Kupferelektrolyt Glanz sauer (1000 ml) - Galvanisch auf Hochglanz verkupfern www.amazon.de/dp/B00FZKHU76/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_KTJ4D3WJD80NXM014CD7
is it safe? or u can get electrocuted if you touch the content with the machine on?
Absolutely. I‘m dealing with 1-4V here.
Hi! How long would electroplating last? Months years? I want to try to sell my own designs but I don't know how much to trust electrogplating, I don't want my clients to get mad at me if the product I deliver is not durable ...
Cheers and good job
Hi, durability depends on two factors: The surface on which the metal is deposited and the thickness. When plating gold oder palladium, you will probably only create a decorative layer around some µm. And this can wear off by touching it a lot. So, after some time, you could re-plate the spots. Thick copper layers are around 30µm are very durable. You'll have no problem when the surface you plate on is metal and clean. When you electroform on plastic, make sure to apply a primer first, then several layers of conductive paint. I had issues of deposited metal flaking off the print when i used graphite spray directly on resin parts. Primer + Copperspray works good.
Sir from where gat chmikal? Please
From tifoo.de; basically you want to look for acidic copper electrolyte with added brightener for the base. Good luck!
this vs pouring molten metal, i think it looks alot safer.
Funnily enough it might not be.
Depending on what metal solution you use it could intoxicate you permanently very easily.
then again maybe burning at 2K Celsius isn't better..