Electroplating 3D Prints | Master Sword Tutorial

[@Darkwingdad]

That is next level! One of the best finishes I’ve seen. When science meets science!

[@hen3drik]

Keep on the good work on your channel!

[@Darkwingdad]

@@hen3drik been wowed since I seen that mando helmet you electroplated. Keep on pushing the envelope, the quality is top notch!

[@UncleJessy]

These videos are absolutely amazing and you continue to outdo yourself with each one. I'm really wanting to attempt this with a Magneto Helmet 😂

[@rob612]

Uncle Jessy why dont you ??? even i have got into plating because of Hendrik,,, it seriously interesting

[@Phantomick]

@unclejessy I watch your channel all the time! Would love to see you do an electro plated Magneto Helmet!

[@1337Raspberry]

It's a small detail, but i am super appreciative for how much emphasis you put on PPE. There are so many other DIY / 3d printing / hobby / crafting / painting / airbrushing / whatever channels out there that at best, throw it a passing mention (along with a "but i'm not wearing it so you can hear and see me better, its fine dont worry i usually wear it), or at worst, completely neglect to mention or show any ppe whatsoever and just show themselves actively poisoning themselves over and over again. Huge props (heh) for being so insistent on that aspect. Too many kids will grow up thinking the funny headaches they get when they do all this stuff is just normal and nothing to worry about.

[@hen3drik]

I had to remove so much „Darth vader“ breathing sounds from footage material, as I actually wear it all the time. 😅

[@1337Raspberry]

@@hen3drik i wear my mask basically all day long if i'm doing any airbrushing and i'm concerned that neighbours are going to see me through the window and think i'm doing something walter white-ish ahaha

[@hen3drik]

My neighbor saw me last week wearing a lab coat, a mask, and gloves outside at the trash cans at night. It will stay in her memory for a long time.

[@saveerjain6833]

i did a thing makes it funny though

[@ALEXLAB]

Congratulations!!! Such a big project

[@hen3drik]

Oh yeah, thanks, it took so long. Conclusion is building custom tanks is a good idea. 😅

[@LaurentSparksMusic]

I have been waiting for this to catch on, electro-plating may seem like a high-tech future technique, as we have been seeing alot of 3d prints get plated recently. but it was actually invented in 1805! its been around for a long time so there's ALOT of terrific resources out there for getting the perfect color your want out of your plating. You can get fantastic results with a hobbyist setup. You can get garage organizer bins and make your own electrolyte for alot cheaper aswell, im so glad this is finally catching on! combine this technique with carbon fiber or dupont-kevlar and you have incredibly strong 3d printed parts.

[@fernandochapa1433]

Also although many archeologist dont agree with the theory, it is possible that the Baghdad battery was used for electroplating as far as 100B.C 😮🤯

[@ShawnShaman]

Who else is blown away by how brilliant this guy is?

[@vikingsofvintageaudio7470]

I used to hate it when I got recommendations to your videos. I just can't understand why, you're so great! Thanks for another banger of a video!

[@Dave_W861]

Love the new rotary jig with brace, they looked a great design.

[@ArcanePath360]

This is next level. Would like to have heard more about the processes such as the cost of the materials and fluids as well as see a longer shot of the final result. Looks awesome. I found that with PLA prints, Wood filler and Leyland acrylic undercoat/primer that you paint on with a brush fairly thick, sands down easily to make it smooth and gets rid of layer lines. The wood filler is for imperfections such as bad extrusions or gaps in layers or top surface. Then I spray and sand. Spray and sand, until I lacquer with a final coat and sand with 5000 to 7000 grit lightly and polish with automotive car top compound to give it a shine.

[@jeremy__hopkins]

6:45 - Thanks for sharing your process. Amazing amount of detail and effort but the results are perfection!

[@offearth3d]

Best one yet. I need to pull the trigger and get all the required things for this setup!

[@hen3drik]

Yes, Darryl. Go for it!

[@zumuvtuber]

It looks SOOOO good! Awesome work! 🙌

[@hen3drik]

Thank you so much!

[@Miketz]

Awesome work! That transparent acrylic works better than I expected, and it seems you have settled upon a conductive paint that works for you.

[@aaronscholl]

This is magical! Great job!!

[@carlpowers7291]

I remember when 3-D printers were just coming to the market and now I’m amazed by what you can do with a 3-D printer and your imagination and knowledge

[@agepbiz]

Amazing work as always!

[@hen3drik]

Thank you, Eric!

[@AkibaLine]

Absolutely amazing ツ

[@rocdesigns700]

I think this will be my next new serious hobby! Love your work!🎉

[@haydenheffernan2396]

This is such good information. Inspiring and very cool, thank you for sharing

[@Superfreak1000]

I love your tutorials, have been watching them for months! Trying to find a comparable conductive paint in the US has been the biggest barrier to replicate your results.

[@hen3drik]

Yes, it‘s strange that there are not that many available products. Graphite paint is a good alternative (if you apply it right). I‘ll do a special on that topic

[@Superfreak1000]

@@hen3drik that would be great! Thank you!

[@xugans99]

@Superfreak-hm4gv I have just recently got my whole setup running and am using a DIY graphite paint consisting of Speedball India Ink and graphite powder. 5 tbsp of ink, 6 tbsp of powder. It works amazingly well with an airbrush and cleans easily with water. After a quick polish with 0000 steel wool I can get 800 ohms over a couple of inches of separation between my meter leads! Just put a marble in the container you store this stuff in so you can mix it well before use!

[@Superfreak1000]

@@xugans99 oh nice! I'm gonna try that! Thanks!

[@Starganderfish]

That's the hardest part for me as well. The "Tifoo" brand Electroforminmg stuff they sell in the EU is SO much cheaper than what's available elsewhere. Costs a fortune to get set up for electroplating here in Australia.

[@real_linkw0w]

Es sieht einfach sooo gut aus. Richtig cooler Channel!

[@hen3drik]

Dankeschön 😋

[@daniel4647]

Just found this channel, and this is awesome, amazing work.

[@noneyabidness9644]

That's ABSOLUTELY *gorgeous!*

[@CellarNerd]

As always: Amazing work! You’ve actually achieved the master sword! I thought it was close to impossible when I joked about sending you mine to electroplate, but of course you could do it! Amazing! 🤩

[@hen3drik]

Hehe, yeah. It was a tough job. I won’t do another one 😅

[@seekertosecrets]

10:42 Marvelous! Just marvelous! 11:10 It looks like real metal! Wow! I only have a small kit for electroplating. If I get enough money and find a proper facility to safely dispose of the electrolyte, I would do this in a heartbeat!

[@garygaray836]

Man! Your info its all i need to level up My 3d projects! I Will see all tour videos.

[@Theausomecaleb]

Wow. I'm glad you posted this video it's exactly what I needed to get re encouraged to get back to printing. Love this keep posting!

[@hen3drik]

Mission accomplished!

[@XeroCreator]

Beautiful! I was looking for someone who 3d pinted the pieces, i will use filament, but i'll probably just get different colors to print it as I really just want a sword and sheathe to hang on the wall for decoration... I don't have the material needed to electroplate, but it was really fun watching it be done.

[@Spirited282]

I am always amazed by what you come up with. Great job.

[@skyforgestudio]

Another great video and beautiful piece Hendrik! I hope you survived the attack at the end! 😲😁 Always quality, but I can tell everything is getting better. Thank you.👏👍

[@ffoeg]

as always, stunning result

[@IshamPadron]

I like to use resin as a filler for resin prints. The Elegoo kit came with a UV light wand. I'll just brush on resin in the gaps and light it up.

[@lordout1229]

WoW thats on an whole other Level... and i thouth the Mado Helmet was impressiv...

[@TheChillDeadpool]

Cool display piece

[@uchihadolfo]

sick work !! You're awesome !

[@Bignorrz]

Just WOW!! I want to do that now 👍

[@hen3drik]

Do it. But start practicing small scale.

[@mr.awesome8399]

I just got the same files and scaled everything up 1.5X the resulting sword is 42.5 inches long. The perfect size in my opinion. Great video by the way!

[@RobvanGeloven]

Do you have a link to the files where I can buy them?

[@SuperMakeSomething]

Viel besser geht's nicht! Amazing work! ⚔

[@hen3drik]

Danke ✌

[@babygorilla4233]

Electroplating 3D prints what an interesting idea. I bet you could print and plate circuits inside your prints. Arduino housings could be put in so you click it in and the prints wired directly to sensors LEDs batteries. You could print switches the whole 9 yards.

[@TinyFroxFrox]

Where did you get the model for this? Also what equipment would I need. to get to start electroplating?

[@hen3drik]

I got it from cults. cults3d.com/de/modell-3d/spiel/hd-master-sword-game-accurate-sword-legend-of-zelda

[@lemau8458]

dude stunning. Amazing work, as a big zelda fan I'm super impressed. Maybe you can make a version of the rusted/damaged master sword from botw?

[@xugans99]

Such gorgeous work! I am trying to get the clear paints where I live, but it is proving to be difficult...

[@SamuraiAdler]

you can use the same resin you used to print the sword with a UV light to fill the gaps

[@adroitredtiger]

Literally busted out gold

[@SavageSairung]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@zer0ish84]

I'd like to see a video about how you made your rotary connector to spin the models in the solution.

[@hen3drik]

I‘ll make a video special about it.

[@BlimpMcGee]

Bro this much work deserved 10 minutes of B roll

[@InThisStyleGMinor]

Awesome

[@Dglinski2]

could we get more info on that rotary jig? id love to get some specifics to make my own some day!

[@hen3drik]

I‘ll do a rotary jig tool special in the future. Also, I‘ll polish and upload my custom design for the tower. I want to make a more generic design with a generic controlled servo.

[@extectic]

Wouldn't 3D Gloop beat even superglue? Anyway, what I really need is a comprehensive list of materials and suggestions on where the heck to buy the stuff in Europe online. I'm not ambitious enough to start doing swords and helmets, but I'd love to do some smaller pieces. I have some speaker stands for some small speakers I made that would look spectacular when metal plated.

[@metalrust3d384]

I loved your video where I can get all the materials to make my sword

[@hen3drik]

Depends where you live. When in the EU you can get most of the chemicals from tifoo as they send within most countries.

[@metalrust3d384]

@@hen3drik Well I live in Ecuador but I plan to bring everything from the USA. The good thing is that I already have the printer

[@extectic]

A Dremel with small polishing wheels should be ideal to save the fingers when polishing smaller parts, no?

[@Darkwingdad]

A small polisher or drill adapter on low. Rotary would be too aggressive & likely strip it off. That has more cut to it, I do a lot of wetsanding & buffing on my channel & that’d be fine but for polishing you want something lighter with less aggressiveness. I’m pretty sure it’s being done by hand to reduce heat generation.

[@hen3drik]

@darkwingdad is right here: dremel tools can melt the underlying plastic (it actually does). Even resin can melt. Worse yet, overly aggressive grinding can cause the copper to detach from the plastic, and the temperature differentials can also lead to separation.

[@harry_isaac]

Looks stunning! I'm trying to follow your process to plate some prints of my own right now and running into trouble with the paint delaminating from the print - could you share what brand of copper paint you're using?

[@hen3drik]

I use tifoo conductive copper paint.

[@somekid1302]

hello, very informative video; thanks for posting it. I was wondering how long it takes for the transparent paint to chip off. I've heard nickel plated parts need a midcoat, or a rougher surface for the paint to adhere properly, is this true, and how have your other results been?

[@hen3drik]

Hi, transparent paint is still very strong here. I don’t think it will ever chip off. I don’t know what you mean by midcoat. As far as I can tell this paint adheres very well. 😅

[@timothyn4699]

dang! that's an effort. But it looks great. First time seeing electroplating process, that is something

[@SirCaptainYT]

Absolutely amazing! I've been waiting for this upload so I was stoked to see the notification for it today! I intend to make this one day, though I'm gonna start with some of the simpler electroplating stuff :D. One note; if you do end up doing a keyblade down the track, please be wary that a lot of the models online are not accurate, especially the most popular STLs for some reason. I'm still trying to find the right one to 3D print, if I do I'll let ya know.

[@hen3drik]

Please do!

[@hen3drik]

could u pls give me a link to a pic of the accurate one?

[@SirCaptainYT]

@@hen3drik Most definitely! I just sent you an email with some details :)

[@theputnamto3468]

ive dabbled in plating for awhile and ive been wondering whats the secret to having the parts come out already semi shiny? i see it in all the plating videos on youtube. all my plates come out a salmon color with a rough finish that i have to sand down.

[@rwbot]

This is PHENOMENAL

[@hen3drik]

Thank you!

[@Lifeinerinn]

If you were making a sword too thin for a metal rod like that, how would you stabilize it to make sure it doesn't fall apart?

[@adrianli7559]

Two questions: 1) How many times can we reuse the copper sulphate solution? Is it dependent on the number of times used, or the area? 2) How do we polish the finished product? I have been using Brasso and a microfibre cloth, and all that seems to do is make even more scratches.

[@hen3drik]

1) it can be reused many many times as it regenerates by the copper anodes saturating the bath. You have to maintain it somehow (filtering from time to time, adding brightener, checking pH) 2) I use sandpaper (600) and a polishing Maschine. You can also got up to 2000 grid and use a polishing compound + microfiber to buff it manually

[@adrianli7559]

@@hen3drik One last question: I am working on replacing oxidised parts on my figures (think Transformers and the works). Some of these parts need to fit together and lock in. How would I account for the tolerances? Is it usually a 0.1-0.2mm increase in thickness? In your other videos, that value changes within that range, so what should I aim for?

[@hen3drik]

@@adrianli7559 0.5micrometers/minute at 2A/dm^2

[@marloncaraballo5432]

Ho, excelent, work, i was womdering if this finiwg is hqrd enough to avoid pieces to brqke out, imagine a cup fdm printed, then electro plqted or electroformed, is it hard enough to resist delayering

[@rockiestdwarf9470]

Could you tell me what kind of adhesive you used to glue the leather to the handle?

[@chrisj5497]

This is amazing! Is there a tutorial or specs for that rotatry jig?

[@hen3drik]

I‘ll publish it on printables soon. Also there ist one here kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5jCf4RvgMd-mZo

[@spongeknock7387]

Excellent video, I’m just getting into electroforming because of your videos. Any links to the details of the type of spinning motor jig that you use. Also what size nozzle and airbrush to you use to get such a good copper finish. Thanks

[@hen3drik]

Ic use a very cheap 0.5mm airbrush at 3bar. Use this jig: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5jCf4RvgMd-mZo

[@spongeknock7387]

@@hen3drik great thanks for the info👍

[@k.s.ktheboogeyman2788]

U should make a mold and make a battle ready one as well

[@laserguidedbrick]

Hi, I have noticed that your go to conductive paint in your videos is the copper based paint. Is that because you can't get a shiny finish with graphite paint? Unfortunately, I only have access to graphite paints. Copper paints are either really expensive or they won't ship it to Australia. And with graphite I have trouble getting the same kind of finish. Could you possibly do a similar project using graphite paint with a little more detail on the prep and use of the paint?

[@hen3drik]

I‘m working on an graphite solution. Stay tuned. :-)

[@vinteenage5695]

Inlike to buy one of that machines for electroplatung how much voltage and ampers or funtionality you recomend

[@radocar844]

Is there a way to do it without nickel? I am allergic to nickel and probably cant hold nickel stuff.

[@hen3drik]

Yes, you can do palladium as well. You can do chrome, too. But it’s a bit tricky to do with a brush, as the parts are a bit complex.

[@radocar844]

Thats ok. Im electroplating already smoothed out stuff(gunpla parts)

[@miklay1527]

Amazing video as always ! Which stl do you use ? I would like to print this beautiful sword

[@gastonenriotti]

Please, can u or someone told me how is called the paint??? The brand i mean… how can i search for one of this kind of paint??? (In Argentina doesnt sell them, for these reason i’m asking)

[@hen3drik]

Search for (pigment free) Candy coat

[@gastonenriotti]

@@hen3drik thank u ❤️

[@omnigeddon]

Should used gallium.. muhahhaa several coats.. lol.. then set the temperature hot or find a hot day to release.. lol they would be like wth what a rip off..

[@paulwarhola3863]

hello I have some questions about the copper solution. 1. how do you monitor the PH level, what happens if it's too high/low, and how do you fix it? 2. how often do you need to add more brightener to it? thanks for your time!

[@hen3drik]

I use ph strips and aim for 1. but it never was an issue. I add brightener as soon as I notice a lack of shine but this happens very seldom (can’t really say; it’s a commercial electrolyte and I lost track over the 50l I have in separate bottles; but it’s rarely happening)

[@paulwarhola3863]

cool thanks for the answer how much brightener are you supposed to use? I use Midas brightener from riogrande @@hen3drik

[@TheUnvarnishedTruth-]

*Excellent video! THANK YOU!*

[@nerys71]

would you mind performing a test? print a 3" cylinder single wall vase mode with 0.6mm width and 0.3mm layer height. No sanding no filling just plate it and see what it looks like? the surface should be perfect being vase mode just not "flat" would be interesting to see how that comes out!

[@stimpyfeelinit]

Can you recommend glove type? The ones I have are resistant to the resin but when alcohol comes in contact with them it seems to allow both the alcohol and resin to pass through. Thanks.

[@1conu593]

Try nitrile ones

[@hen3drik]

When working with acetone you could use butyl rubber gloves or latex, as a viewer suggested. I use nitril.

[@0rurin]

I kind of prefer the unpolished look. Does that stick around when you apply nickel to it?

[@hen3drik]

Yes, I think it does.

[@kaiweston8302]

sorry if this was mentioned in the video, but whybdid you coat with copper first then coat it again with nickel? Couldn't you just coated the printed model with nickel first?

[@lordout1229]

Why do you still use Nickle Elektrolyte over Paladium sometimes?

[@unskillfullymasterful]

dam that sword is beautiful, just wish it was bluer like it is on paper

[@merlinsmagicworkshop9192]

Fantastique video, this is crazy work! Do you think such electroplating could work on EVA foam (after it got surface treated with filler and PU basecoat) ? That would be a massive gain changer

[@hen3drik]

I will try

[@CelticOneDesign]

Amazing. Really.

[@hen3drik]

Thanks!!

[@2ndAttemptPOG]

12:13 Is that a Stargate tattoo

[@shivakumarn7277]

I'm interested to know n buy the technology, please share details.

[@FantaSaus]

Moin, das ist richtig episch. ❤😢

[@aaronsterling8232]

What type of wire do you use to secure the print

[@doubleaxex]

How to prevent electroplated model from being oxidise?

[@peebs2424]

Amazing!! I’m currently building my own setup. Could you make a tutorial for building the rotation setup?

[@travistrue2008]

@HEN3DRIK Could you post the model that you purchased? Also, could you talk a little bit about the type of resin that you used? I've tried printing these parts with Siraya Tech's Fast ABS-Like resin, but I'm getting distortions in my prints to where things don't always match up very well.

[@hen3drik]

I purchased this one: cults3d.com/de/modell-3d/spiel/hd-master-sword-game-accurate-sword-legend-of-zelda I then modeled a cylinder for the rod in there. I cannot remember what resin I’ve used but I think it was anycubic or elegoo basic resin.

[@travistrue2008]

@@hen3drik thank you, sir. I’ll try that model out. Awesome video, btw =)

[@marie-camilleschaap2708]

It looks amazing but the strap of the Master Sword is a darker green.

[@chaosvii9459]

Amazing work and I want make it! How much cost all?machine , product etc? Not precisely but close price of ever I need

[@bennettseymour]

I'm wondering how much you would say it cost not counting the set up?

[@fabianlecomte6133]

Hi, First of all THANK YOU for all your video. it's a great source of inspiration for a lot of us. I just buy all the tifoo product i need (copper vernish and acidic copper electrolyte. my project is on jewelry work. I have dilluate the paint with aceton and use it with a brush. it worked great but could be better with an airbrush. i'am a little bit afraid of using acetone with with my old badger 150 (because of the joints) do you known any other dilluant that will not dissolve my aerograph's joints ? Thanks in advance for your answers Greetings from Belgium.

[@hen3drik]

Hi, you can use butyl acetate. But I think it’s better to buy a cheap airbrush only for this purpose.

[@fabianlecomte6133]

@@hen3drik Thanks for your answer. But the cheap aerographe will only work one time ? What's the brand of your airbrush ?

[@hen3drik]

@@fabianlecomte6133 i use it over and over since 3 yrs now. The joints are worn down but it‘s still working. It’s a no name 0.5mm airbrush. Around 15-20€ on eBay 🤭

[@fabianlecomte6133]

@@hen3drik Thanks a lot for your time and answers !

[@shanebrown8415]

Hello, thank you so much for your educational content. I am debating on starting with electroplating myself and I've noticed that Tifoo have a deluxe tank plating system. Is this something you would recommend?

[@hen3drik]

Hi, I would actually recommend to invest in a proper PPE, get a small setup first and when it’s working you can upgrade your system. When I started this hobby I got so frustrated in the beginning that I almost stoped trying. Eventually it worked out well. The tifoo deluxe stuff is expensive but good when you want high flexibility.

[@thebeastbrothers]

Would be amazing to see the plans of your rotary contraption ❤

[@Starganderfish]

The small one he used intitially came from this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5jCf4RvgMd-mZo&ab_channel=xeno_arch (plans are in the description). Hopefully, Hen3drik shares the plans for his V2 version!

[@75keg75]

That acrylic looks very thin for that height of liquid. Did you check fish tank design guides to get the thickness. There a few around but usually deal with glass. On 4x14”x18” (lxwxh) tank you can do like 9mm glass on 24” its 12mm, if you go 3feet like 20mm. On acrylic it’s a little different but check it out. As you don’t want all that electrolyte splashing all over workshop as the tank explodes. If you want piece of mind put strapping in bottom third. As that’s where max load is.

[@Sean-mk3sg]

triforce should be gold as well, quick fix looks great!

[@hen3drik]

Okay!

[@spork861]

Could you share the info on where to get the 3D printing files at? The hilt/guard is particularly good looking, I searched for STL's of exactly this sword last week and most weren't optimal.

[@hen3drik]

It‘s this thing. I joint and modified the blade parts though. cults3d.com/:1176815

[@spork861]

@@hen3drik than you VERY much

[@rawananas886]

Great, can you please t😊ell me from where to buy the conductive paint.?? I don't have it in my country

[@landroveraddict2457]

Great video. is the blue liquid copper sulfate solution?

[@hen3drik]

Thanks, it‘s an acidic pH1 copper electrolyte sulfuric acid based.

[@thedanyesful]

Very cool. What is the final weight of the finished sword?