Electroforming - Secrets of Shiny

Electroforming - Secrets of Shiny shows our 6 most important tricks to achieve shiny electroforming results with copper and silver solutions. These are the exact same techniques we apply to forge our legendary jewelry from outer space. Never get dull or salmon-colored pieces anymore!
0:00:00 - Intro
0:00:32 - Trick 1: Buy your Solution
0:02:02 - Trick 2: Amps, Volts & Time
0:03:17 - Trick 3: Bag up your Anodes
0:04:11 - Trick 4: Move that Object
0:05:52 - Trick 5: Filter Your Solution
0:06:40 - Trick 6: Rotary Tool
0:07:58 - Recap
0:08:25 - Outro
Links:
Tifoo online-calculator for electroforming
www.tifoo.de/berechnungstool/...
Unfortunately only available in german. To get a rough estimate for your home made copper solution choose “Kupfer alkal.” The option “Kupfer glanz” only works with Tifoos own solution that pulls around 10 times more current than homemade solutions and deposits copper really fast.
Filter-Sockets i use for anode bags
www.amazon.com/dp/B082SK6S7Z/...
Cut it to the size of your anode and hotglue or sew it together. When sewing, use a jeans-needle because to sheets of this PE-fabric is rather thick.
Rota Jig - Free DIY Guide to build your own Motion-System for Electroforming Objects.
drive.google.com/file/d/15Nfk...
You’ll need access to a 3D printer and some very basic maker-skils.
Eheim Mini Flat - The Small Fishtank Filterpump that fits in your Electroforming Tank
eheim.com/en_GB/spare-parts/r...
We’ve had some reports, that in some cases the solution dissolved the glue, that was used to mount the little magnet-bead to the plastic impeller. No problem: just reglue with a epoxy-glue and it’ll hold forever.
Tifoo Electroforming Products
www.tifoo.de/en-uk
No affiliation whatsoever - we just use and love their hustle-free products. Unfortunately they don’t ship outside Europe because of hazard restrictions for chemical Products
Xenoarchaeology - Jewelry from Outer Space
www.xenoarch.com
/ xeno_arch
We free our jewelry from secret compartments in abandoned ruins on forbidden planets far from our solar system. Protected by dangerous mechanisms or unsolvable puzzles that long extinct races have devised to prevent their treasures from falling into the wrong hands.
We dig up old maps, search for artifacts, translate inscriptions on rare relics and put all these clues together to track down those secret places that contain magical treasures. Heirlooms from great emperors, jewelery from queens from entire planetary empires, decorations from great women warriors who have conquered entire solar systems.
Well. Sort of. At least we imagine such wild stories when we create the designs for our jewelry. We want our pieces to radiate a mysterious story and look as if they were thousands of years old and out of this world.
In fact, we create our designs by 3D scanning odd shapes or strange organic objects. We add detail and features to these models through digital sculpting on the computer. The design is then 3D printed and electroformed with a heavy layer of copper. If the design calls for it, we electroform another layer of silver over the copper. We use all kinds of gemstones and other peculiar materials to finish the piece. Finally we have several weathering routines to make the piece look like it is old and not from this planet. This spaced-out jewelry workflow ensures pieces that are guaranteed to be unique and one of a kind.

[@DanielCucumberThe2nd]

Thanks! SUPER cool video!!

[@TifooTech]

Great Video! We believe there are a lot of people out there not knowing how much fun Electroforming is! Thanks for using our products and the excellent explanation.

[@tayagrows]

Really wish you shipped to the US. :)

[@TifooTech]

@@tayagrowssorry for the inconvenience. You could move to the EU though 😄

[@sanzeelamagar1255]

Amazing tips. Thanks!

[@blackboy707]

great vid! love the energy

[@xeno_arch9887]

Thanx 4 the love, B

[@sejaaguia8020]

Cool!! Thank you for sharing!

[@xeno_arch9887]

Thanx for watching!

[@jittrap.688]

Thanks sooooo much for these great tricks.

[@xeno_arch9887]

Always welcome! Stay tuned, ill be droppin more helpful tips here on the Channel ;-)

[@spongeknock7387]

Excellent tips 👍

[@xeno_arch9887]

Thanx!

[@Reenie_G]

Thanks and subbed!

[@daveb9067]

Hi xeno_arch, your video production quality is amazing. I only came across your channel recently and hope you are still looking to do videos because they are top quality. Keep up the great work!

[@xeno_arch9887]

HejHej Dave ... Thanx for the Propz. Ive been busy with some other Nerd-Stuff 🙈 Life as a polymath isnt exactly boring 🤣 but here in Switzerland were expecting Snow so its the perfect season for sum cozy electroforming Session and maybe some random Video Tutorials 🤣

[@KingPimpSlap]

You are awesome

[@nilbarber9364]

AWESOME 👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@xeno_arch9887]

Thanx! And Happy Eforming!

[@impressme7991]

Thanks for the tips. You're funny too.

[@xeno_arch9887]

😇 Thx

[@AlbinoSpider-fr8im]

Hi! Deine Tips sind wahnsinnig hilfreich, das Video ist informativ und spassig gehalten! Ich bin gerade erst am Anfang und habe verstanden, dass die Oberflächenbehandlung bzw. Vorbereitung wohl das Wichtigste ist. Und da liegt bei mir auch schon der Hund begraben: Ich nutze Kupferleitlack der Firma Tifoo (qualitativ sehr sehr hochwertig) und mein Problem ist, dass ich ihn verdünnt mit der Airbrush auftrage und dabei IMMER eine "rauhe" Oberfläche entsteht, am Ende sogar feinster Kupferstaub an manchen Stellen zu sehen ist. Ich habe mit Aceton verdünnt. Einmal 1:2 dann 1:4...selbes Ergebnis. Einmal mit 1 bar gespritzt, einmal mit 2 bar. Selbes Ergebnis. Was den Umgang mit der Airbrush angeht bin ich alles andere als ungeübt. Die Oberfläche wird immer leicht "rauh", so als ob sich die Kupferpartikel "aufstellen" würden wenn sie auf das Objekt gespritzt werden (blöd beschrieben ich weiss)...und mit so einer Oberfläche brauche ich das Teil natürlich gar nicht erst in ein Bad tauchen. Wenn ich nach dem spritzen des Kupferlacks einige Stunden warte damit er soweit trocken ist dass ich diesen "Gries" runterwischen kann...wische ich mir auch zwangsläufig den Lack runter / dünner... Ich möchte mittlerweile schon auf verdünnen und mit dem Pinsel aufstreichen umsteigen aber denke mir dass die Pinselstriche wohl dann im Lack bleiben?... Ich bin wirklich ratlos.

[@xeno_arch9887]

HejHej, danke für das Lob und welcome to the new Hobby! Ich glaube der Hund liegt bei Dir im Verdünner begraben. Tifoo gibt "Butylacetat" als verdünner an. Damit bekommst Du eine viel homogenere Flüssigkeit hin. Ich weiss, das Zeug bekommt man nicht einfach im Supermarkt, aber ich glaube ein Versuch wäre es wert. 🌞

[@AlbinoSpider-fr8im]

Hey :) danke für Deine Antwort und - Du hast Recht! Habe vor einigen Tagen einen Umstieg von Aceton auf Butylacetat gemacht und was soll ich sagen...Tag und Nacht! Ich denke das Aceton ist einfach zu schnell verdampft, auch schon während dem spritzen! Jetzt funktioniert das lackieren damit wunderbar. Gleichmässige und glänzende Schichten.

[@ModgePodge1111]

Love the informative video and your humor is the icing on the cake. Do you recommend cleaning your copper anodes? If so, how do you suggest cleaning them? Thank you 😊🙏

[@xeno_arch9887]

Thx fr the Comment and good question! and i must admit that i never ever clean my anodes. I usually just let them in their anode bags until they have completely dissolved through the galvanization process. Just make sure you use pure copper, anode bags and a fishtank-filterpump and you should never have any Problems with residues or dirt in your solution thet would require extensive cleaning. Hope That helps.

[@ModgePodge1111]

​​@@xeno_arch9887 Great! Thank you so much for replying. I do everything but the filter which I will pick up this week. Thank you again for all of the work that you put in. Your videos are a huge help for artists like myself who are just learning this modality.

[@kool1229]

Hello! I was wondering if there was something I was missing for the rotajig. Ive uploaded the software and connected the servo, but all the trinket does is flash a red light twice. Is there something I might be missing?

[@austins.andrus5622]

Hi there! I love this video and the resources you've linked in the description! I've come back to it multiple times. I am actually making my own video on solving electroplating problems and I would like to give a shout out to your clever rotary jig. Would it be all right if I used 3-5 seconds of footage from this video to feature the jig (along with links to this video, of course)?

[@xeno_arch9887]

Sure, Bro ... just go ahead ... im lookin forward to your tipps and insights 👍🌟

[@austins.andrus5622]

@@xeno_arch9887 Thanks so much!

[@burrowsforge3538]

Thanks for the tips, any sources for something like Tifoo in the states? Seems like a great resource

[@xeno_arch9887]

Afaik names like riogrande.com or enchantedleaves.com keep popping up as reliable sources of electroforming supply. But being based in Switzerland I unfortunately don't know the street spots in the US, sorry. Maybe you want to join facebook-groups like "Electroform This!" where a lot of US besed eformers maybe have some better tips for you.

[@peebs2424]

Do you run for fish tank filter pump during plating or after? Also I have access to different pumps in Canada. What’s the key component? Just a filter sponge? Some come with all sorts of fancy filtration components designed specifically for cleaning fish tank water.

[@xeno_arch9887]

Hejhej peebs, usually run the pump while eforming. The goal here is to filter out medium to big debris, while the anode bags should take care of anything smaller. So i have stuffed some coarse and some medium size filter sponge material into my pump. Its a bit trial and error, but it doesnt take a lot of effort to work well. But i never use the active carbon balls or other chemically active material, cause it could taint the solution. Hope that makes sense 🙈😉

[@peebs2424]

@@xeno_arch9887 that makes perfect sense, thank you! So I’ve printed the roto jig and purchased the trinket M0 and FeeTech continuous servo from adafruit. Did you heat the roto jig piece and just force it onto the servo gear? Also do you have an STL for a case for the trinket M0?

[@christophedo3772]

Hello, firstly many thanks for your video and tips I wanted to download the 3D files for the rota jig but unfortunately the links in google docs don’t work, can you share the 3D files or get me the updated links please ?

[@xeno_arch9887]

Hejhej Christophe ... thanx for the props, glad you like my stuff 🌟 I just checked the link and everything is working fine. Heres the link again: Https://cutt.ly/3lXabB3 ... hope it works this time ☀️

[@christophedo3772]

​@@xeno_arch9887 Hey thank you very much for your links, they work fine, and my apologizes for my late answer, I didn't watch your answers :(

[@X3msnake]

Greetings Master, what micron bags do you use and do you know why we would use one micronage over the other?

[@xeno_arch9887]

You want to get the finest bags available to you ... the smaller the grid/micronage the smaller will be the amount of sludge still seepin thru the bag. I usually use 1 micron ... i didnt find any finer bags around my hood

[@X3msnake]

@@xeno_arch9887 awsome, thanks Master

[@ericrentschler]

Hello, I cant get my servo trinket to work. Its continuous. All lights are on, shows up on computer, put the files in and nothing happens. Any suggestions?

[@andrewodonald5457]

Moin! Weiß zwar nicht ob hier noch die Kommentare liest, aber ich frage mal trotzdem. Muss man bei dem Adafruit M0 noch irgendeine Software draufpacken, oder wirklich nur die Dateien aus dem Order? Egal wie oft ich die Daten da drauf lade, der Motor dreht sich nicht.

[@xeno_arch9887]

Hejhej ... hast du wirklich nen 360° (continous) servo angeschlossen? Das Setup funktioniert nur mit durchlaufend rotierenden Servos

[@annafriederich3369]

Do you have a video explaining how to set up the silver tank? (Currently a copper electroformer here, and want to step it up to silver!) I can't seem to find any videos perfectly explaining the differences between the two, or the similarities!

[@xeno_arch9887]

I dont have such a video yet. But i will make a quicktipp-video answering your question 😉

[@fionas2690]

That would be awesome. I’m also keen to see. Tx for ur fab videos. Love ur work

[@kettenotter]

Hi I wanted to ask if there is a reason why it doesn’t rotate continuously? But in steps? (Was thinking about using a servo tester)

[@xeno_arch9887]

thats simply because Im soo bad at python coding and I just needed a quick and dirty solution 😁 There is no reason why it should rotate in Steps ... I did do the 20 Sek rotate/20 Sek idle-Scheme on purpose tho: By variing this Move-to-idle-Ratio you can tune in the Amount of Nodulation you want to have, if ever. Othervise just keep it rotationg the whole time.

[@kettenotter]

@@xeno_arch9887 Okay 😄 thanks for the info!

[@geertdegenhart8835]

In your code, the frequency was set to 5. Is there a reason for this? I have a flawless operation at 50 and problems at 5.

[@xeno_arch9887]

This depends pretty much on the make and model of the servo you are using. If it works with 50 for your servo, youre all set 👍 i tested thru several settings and 5 was a good fit for my servos. So my reason was pretty much trial and error 🙈🤣

[@mahmoudzaefi2958]

hi. thanks. i downloaded ROTAJIG DIY MANUAL.pdf file and the link of 3d printer parts and ciruit python code for the trinket doesnt download for me. could you please send me the links. thanks alot for your help.

[@xeno_arch9887]

"""CircuitPython Essentials Servo continuous rotation servo example""" import time import board import pwmio from adafruit_motor import servo # create a PWMOut object on Pin A2. pwm = pwmio.PWMOut(board.A1, frequency=5) # Create a servo object, my_servo. my_servo = servo.ContinuousServo(pwm) while True: print("forward") my_servo.throttle = 0.1 time.sleep(20.0) print("stop") my_servo.throttle = 0.0 time.sleep(20.0)

[@xeno_arch9887]

or use this link: www.swisstransfer.com/d/184178a8-db2e-4a13-9339-e5c5420a7207 ... hope thatll work

[@mrfrupo]

I can't get my servo to start turning. My servo had a Black, red, and white wire. I put white where you have yellow. I can see the files on my computer and I copy over the files and nothing is happening.

[@xeno_arch9887]

HejHej ... Are you using a continous servo motor? positional servos wont work for this

[@user-vs6sj5ly9i]

Hallo Sascha, vielen Dank für die Mühe dieses Video zu erstellen! Zum Glück habe ich es heute gesehen! Das sind genau die Infos die ich brauchte! Vielen Dank! Leider funktioniert der Link zu den Anoden Bags nicht mehr 🙄 . Würdest du mir nochmal mitteilen welches Produkt du da verwendest? In den Aquariumfilter machst du dann das Gleiche rein? Vielen Dank und weiter so! LG Ralph

[@xeno_arch9887]

Der Link ist schon recht alt 🙈 hier ein aktuelles Produkt: www.amazon.com/dp/B082SK6S7Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=1+micron+filter+bag&qid=1707079340&sr=8-3 ... und yepp ... in der fischpumpe verwende ich neben den mitgelieferten Filtern auch ein Stück des Anodebag- Materials ...

[@user-vs6sj5ly9i]

Hi ja Danke! Mittlerweile bin ich auch fündig geworden. Nachdem ich die Anodenbeutel im Einsatz hatte, hat sich der Widerstand im Elektrolyt verändert. Bei Kupfer und beim Nickel. Ist dir das auch aufgefallen?

[@1937Brett]

Could I use a stir plate to keep it good

[@xeno_arch9887]

A stir wont cut it because you need to get rid of the dirt and residue. Thats why you need some kind of filtration.

[@1937Brett]

@@xeno_arch9887 mine has allways come out like a sand texture and pink fish colour lol

[@darthgertl]

Scheint so als wäre ich nicht der einzige mit dem Servomotor Problem. Habe jetzt etwas recherchiert und hab gesehen dass es recht wahrscheinlich ist das für den Motor mehr Leistung benötigt wird als der adafruit trinket hergibt. Habe nämlich zwei Motoren getestet und keiner läuft. Habe alles auf den trinket m0 kopiert wie beschrieben. Vielleicht hat ja wer eine Lösung gefunden mittlerweile. Ich werde mich sonst mal nach Alternativen umsehen.

[@copper_knight]

No mention of heat. Do you heat your solution ?

[@xeno_arch9887]

HejHej! Nope! The Solution I buy works perfectly with room temperature. Be it winter or summer. Thats why i advocate for buying premade Solutions. They solve pretty much all the quirks youd have with the self-mixed stuff.

[@9891413805]

Sir how to copper pleting thick and fast

[@xeno_arch9887]

Thick and fast electroforming depends on the solution you use. There are solutions on the market - like the ones from tifoo.de - that plate 1mm of copper in only 12 hours. that's pretty fast. The only downside: fast electroforming requires a pretty beefy rectifier depending on the Surface areas of the objects you'd like to plate.

[@richizwerg9109]

Morgen, Also ich kann machen was ich will und bekomm das Programm net auf den Trinket M0 , Windows 11 Zeigt ihn mir nicht an. gibts da nen Trick ?

[@xeno_arch9887]

Hallo richi ... oft scheiterts schon beim USB Kabel. Das sollte unbedingt ein "Datenkabel" und nicht einfach ein HandyLadekabel sein ... und dann hat der trinket zwei Modi: Bootmode und nen normalen Betriebsmode. Auf der Adafruit Website wird der Unterschied und die Anwendung super einfach erklärt.

[@richizwerg9109]

@@xeno_arch9887 danke für deine schnelle Antwort. 😃 Der trinket hatte bisle Start Schwierigkeiten. Nach dem ich das phyton update drauf gemacht hatte ging alles. Hab nur den falschen servo aktuell 🤣🤣

[@Wake_N_Jake]

Any idea where/ how we buy silverforming solution in the United states??

[@xeno_arch9887]

i forwarded your question into a US silver electroforming group. As soon as i get word, ill haller back at you.

[@Wake_N_Jake]

@@xeno_arch9887 thank you! : )

[@xeno_arch9887]

So far no good news here, Sorry. You were absolutely right: It is pretty hard to find non cyanidic silver solution in the states. Maybe you want to try eshopwedrop.com and order from tifoo.de thru them. Maybe after the Pandemic things will easen up and stuff will become more available again.

[@burrowsforge3538]

Quick question: when you spin the piece, could you instead keep the piece stationary but stir the solution with a mixing plate?

[@xeno_arch9887]

A mixing Plate is a very common and usuable way of keeping contaminant away from your piece. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if you rotate the piece you additionally get the benefit of avoiding Anode-Shadows.

[@alexandertaves2730]

You sound like Ivar from Vikings

[@xeno_arch9887]

😆 But i assure you, my intentions are not that evil 😆

[@fvrrljr]

*your* "Filter-Sockets i use for Anode-Bags" link says *page is missing*

[@xeno_arch9887]

www.amazon.com/dp/B082SK6S7Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=1+micron+filter+bag&qid=1707079340&sr=8-3

[@fvrrljr]

@@xeno_arch9887 Thank You Bro' i ended buying the material at walmart 1/2 yard for $1.50 was surprised of that price i should've bought the whole yard one of my daughters hot gluing some for me