Transcription
In this video, I'm gonna show you the basics of electro farming. I'm by no means an expert, but I have been doing this for the better part of three years, so I've learned a few things along the way. I recommend you check out our r/electroforming on Reddit and Jason Welch on YouTube. They're really helpful.
Now, you can skip this whole first step. Just buy the solution off the Rio Grande or Amazon. But if you take the time and get the supplies yourself, you get more, and it's cheaper in the long run. Plus, I think it's kind of fun. But if you got nosy neighbors, I'd be careful. They're gonna think you're doing some Breaking Bad stuff.
Now, the solution is basically three things: distilled water, copper sulfate pentahydrate, and sulfuric acid. When everything's mixed thoroughly, the solution is pretty harmless, but it's always recommended to use gloves and eye protection. The shopping list is on screen and in the description. I recommend that you plan ahead and get everything in one trip.
But a little bit more than two quarts of distilled water in a pan and get it pretty hot. Not boiling, but pretty close. Well, that's getting hot, measure out 16 ounces of Root Kill. The mixture is gonna be 16 ounces of Root Kill and 16 milliliters of sulfuric acid for every one ounce of Root Kill, one milliliter of sulfuric acid. Once the water's getting hot, pour it into your mixing container and then stir thoroughly. Outside or in a well-ventilated area, I recommend while you're at the NOAA.
Start picking up a plastic steering utensil, like a spoon. This goes without saying, but probably throw that spoon away. You don't wanna accidentally ingest some sulfuric acid. There's some copper pentahydrate. I mean, I'm not a doctor, but it doesn't sound too good for you.
Once there are no more crystals, let it cool down. This is a flavor syringe. I like to use instead of pouring the sulfuric acid into a measuring cup because it's less likely to spill, and you get a really accurate measurement. Measure out 16 milliliters and inject it into your solution. Then stir thoroughly.
I made two batches, and I got a full gallon container. Uses a Karl Rossi Sangria bottle. It's about a gallon of sangria for eleven dollars, so it makes a pretty decent container. I also recommend clearly labeling your solution. We don't want any accidents happening.
Now, as far as brighteners go, it's not completely necessary, but it gives a nice shine to your end result. I've used stuff specifically for this from Rio Grande, and Miralax works just as good, if not better, and it's a lot cheaper. So that's why I'm using it. To measure, add about a half teaspoon and then pour it in your solution. And just like that, solution's done.
Next, we're gonna move on to tank setup. Now, this is a lot easier if we wait to put the solution in last. I set up my tanks a few different ways, and this is the most efficient. You're gonna need four equal lengths of copper pipe and some 12 AWG wire to make the first half of the anode. Take two of the copper pipes and wrap 12 AWG wire around them very tightly. The pipe should not be able to slide through. Do this twice, and your anode's done.
I made some small clips to hold the pipes in place. We want them really sturdy. I connect both sets with alligator clips soldered on to some of that wire. That way, you can have all the electricity coming from one power source.
Making one very large anode or the cathode. It's pretty easy. Just get one small copper pipe, quarter inch of thickness, and flatten the edge to run it across the middle of the tank. This is what we're gonna use to suspend our parts in the bath. And you took a diameter, it's gonna be hard to take in and out. Fill it up, and the tank's done.
Now, in order to put copper on our pieces, we're gonna have to use some sort of conductive material. The three methods that I use are mixing graphite with acetone. The acetone evaporates, leaving just pure graphite, but it's not that durable. If you're trying to seal an object, you can use PVA glue, wood glue, or Mod Podge. Mix your graphite. It's not the greatest fidelity, but it will seal the object underneath.
And if you want high definition, you have to use an ink mix of graphite. I use India ink and graphite, and it works really well. I tend to use this one the most. This copper pipe circuit board ring is my take on a craftsman project. I really recommend you check out craftsman. These videos are really good. Everything that you paint with this conductive material is going to have copper plated over the top of it. It's a good way to hide seams.
Now, this bark is an organic material, so we're gonna have to seal it with the Mod Podge and graphite.
We're going to plate over the whole shelf, so we're going to use India ink for the most detail.
After you've painted it on, make these little Christmas hooks and then dangle it into your solution, making sure it doesn't touch the anodes. If it does, it'll short.
Some power supply tips. A lower voltage for longer will produce a cleaner plate, but if you wait a couple hours and then turn the voltage up, it'll have a bunch of nodes growing on it, kind of like a sunken treasure look. I think it's pretty neat.
But if you're making something somebody's gonna wear, you're gonna have to file some of these down. Once you take your parts out of the bath, I'd dip 'em in some baking soda water to neutralize any residual acid. To patina these, I use lower sulfur and then I hit it with the buffing wheel.
And that's pretty much it. Hope you found this video useful. I think it's a pretty neat hobby to get into, and it's pretty cheap to start. Everything I got here was around 100 bucks. Anyway, like and subscribe and all that, and I'll see you the next one.