Best Copper Plating Solution ~ DIY Professional #3

Here is a step by step guide of what I consider the easiest and best copper plating solution without purchasing expensive plating kits. If you’re new to copper plating then watching this video is a must!!!

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This copper plating recipe is derived from the think and tinker site recipe available here:
https://www.thinktink.com/stack/volumes/voliii/consumbl/cplatmix.htm

Bill of Materials:

Conductive Paint for plating non-metal objects:
https://amzn.to/2MIKU3H

Copper Sulphate:
https://amzn.to/2L9EdmF

Sulphuric Acid:
https://amzn.to/2UCABOh

PolyEthylene Glycol:
https://amzn.to/2UBOBrC

Air Pump:
https://amzn.to/2UAhSmF

DC Power Supply (power supply I have):
https://amzn.to/2PuYBz7

DC Power Supply (all you actually need for this purpose):
https://amzn.to/2Py5r6W

Copper Wire:
https://amzn.to/2UE20iO

The photo gallery of all my electroplating projects is located here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6ko0iKoNkCJSEJtaHJRR193ajg?usp=sharing

You can see how my electroplating bath works by going here:
https://youtu.be/7QXi4PM39ho

I first got into electroplating just as a fun science experiment. As I tried to plate things better and better that grew into what I have now which is very close to professional level copper plating results. I’ve never purchased a kit and I have made everything I use from scratch.

I have used citric acid before as a replacement for sulphuric acid (battery acid) and you can get good plating results with a milder acid like this. Sharp corners are not handled very well in a bath like this however and you will tend to get tree like growths around sharp corners with a citric acid plating solution.

Always use caution when working with sulphuric acid. It isn’t such a harsh chemical that it will immediately melt the skin from your hand if unprotected but it must be washed off with lots of water or you will get a chemical burn. And getting it in your eyes is EXTREMELY hazardous so never handle without eye protection. This plating solution can be very effective and very safe if treated properly. I highly suggest a sealed screw on lid container like the 5gal bucket I use in the video to make sure that no electrolyte can pose a hazard to the surrounding area or yourself.

There is a sea of information about copper plating, most of it relating to industrial copper plating. The science in the published information is still good even for small operations. Make sure you still do plenty of research so you know how your apparatus operates and avoid giving yourself a migraine over trying to figure out why your copper plating bath doesn’t work.

The video titled "Making copper electroforming / electroplating bath" by Jason Welsh (https://youtu.be/5k6x3OzYwDk) provides another approach that is similar to mine.

The video titled "Best DIY Copper Plating Methods" by Christopher Wagner (https://youtu.be/oHSaUu2U06Q) shows voltage effects on short duration plating.

The video titled "Copper Electroplating - The Sci Guys: Science at Home" by The Sci Guys (https://youtu.be/T3qhqTVssoo) demonstrates the basic electrochemical principles behind copper plating.

The video titled "How to electroplate copper onto objects such as metal & plastic" by InForAPenny2010 (https://youtu.be/yTrcpucEplo) shows a similar method that I use to copper plate plastic. You can see in the thumbnail for this video a copper plated 3D Print.

As always I am glad to answer any questions. Check me out on facebook and like my page because I do post smaller projects there and on my Instagram account when I don’t make videos of them.
https://www.facebook.com/GarageScience