How to create stunning Props from 3D Prints by Electroplating them!

[@casualcombine]

This is probably one of the best replicas of C-3PO Ive ever seen! Well done!

[@hen3drik]

Oh, thank you very much 🙂

[@ShadowEstina]

likewise. awesome work

[@suicidebylifestyle9267]

It's probably got more time into it than the original costume department put into Anthony Daniels entire outfit...

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

It's beautiful, a piece of art.

[@mylittleparody2277]

The result is just amazing! I love how 3D printing is like 15-20% of the total time. Really shows that the really important part is indeed craftsmanship.

[@jonathan100yearsago]

What i get from watching this video is with determination and practice you can achieve anything and expired resin still work well and i don't need to throw it away,awesome.

[@FranklyWry]

Resin with baby powder to fill in layer lines! That right there is an incredibly, mind-blowing tip. All cos-players watching this should thank you profusely, buy you some coffee!

[@CoreyJohnson193]

Lol, I thought that was common knowledge with cosplay; all the creators I've seen use a similar technique.

[@creato938]

It's amazing the finish you achieved, it really looks like a piece of solid metal and just like in the movie really.

[@hen3drik]

Thank you. I was really surprised how well it looks, feels and sounds (!), as it’s practically metal now

[@thehudsonforge71]

That is outstanding, the final finish looks like it could be a render, great job!

[@davidtobin]

This is AMAZING! You're a living legend!

[@manamedia]

Outstanding Walk through video! Thank you so much for producing. You are one of the only 3D Print artists that mentioned ensuring you captured the micro plastics! This in itself is admired. x from New Zealand.

[@TobyArt]

What do you do with the micro plastics when you catch them?

[@bruceyoung1343]

You are talented. You asked if it was worth it. One of my granddaughters is BIG into StarWars. If I had the equipment and talent, yes it’s worth it. Thank You

[@Matqux]

Maan, you are crazy! This piece is stunning. Great job!

[@hen3drik]

thanks 😊

[@qwertyqwerty9587]

Love to hear more about the graphite acetone super glue mix Beautiful work as always

[@ibleed1]

Haven't you noticed? That wasn't super glue. It was Gorilla Glue Clear packed into "super glue style" tubes.

[@ZontarDow]

I can't believe you used 6 year old expired resin specifically in the hopes it would be yellow due to being expired and having to deal with the "problem" that despite its expiration it turned out "perfectly" against your hopes. Quite amusing.

[@bravo1oh1]

Great video. Glad to see your channel has grown so much since I last saw it. Congrats

[@mflipse]

Absolutely fantastic! As always! No idea why anyone would give it a thumbs down. I just checked the pricing of the 5 liter acidic copper plating solution you're using... And you need 10 of them. Pfew! I hope the manufacturer is sponsoring your channel. Thumbs up from me!

[@AurumCollectioYT]

Love your stuff man! Inspiring videos and projects. I always look forward to what you craft next! Keep it up homie

[@gabs_x78]

Thank you so much for your videos, it's so mind-blowing to see things like this come to reality

[@jimhinkle7245]

Amazing work!!!! I can honestly say, I'll never make one!!! lol I appreciate your attention to safety and detail. WELL DONE!!!!!!

[@offearth3d]

Just upped the bar again! This is absolutely GORGEOUS

[@hen3drik]

Thank you, glad you like it!

[@shannonm3841]

ive used the superglue and baking soda as filler trick before on joints but baby powder and uv resin sounds great, cant wait to try that , i bet its much easier to sand

[@iridiandot]

I think it's only a matter of time until you will have built entire C-3PO. Absolutely amazing work.

[@gfabasic32]

I bought a 3D printer a while ago and haven't wanted to print anything until I saw your video! WOW!

[@compudude]

Gorgeous! Very cool technique. That magical little tiny power sander you used at 6:06 is going to be a game changer for me, though. I've wanted something like that for years, for fine detail sanding of complex parts. Never found one before. Thanks for the link!

[@hen3drik]

Yeah, there is actually a battery powered Japanese thing : Artima 7. but I couldn’t get it here.

[@sarahh6907]

I appreciate the effort of getting dressed to the nines for a split-second visual gag.

[@klave8511]

Thanks for the great video! Lots of practical information, adding the time it takes for the steps is very useful. The proof that it works is shown and looks amazing. Many thanks.

[@droid_protocol_official]

I was already obsessed with your work.. now I’m fanatically obsessed! 😍😍😍 so beautiful!

[@hen3drik]

😅 I’m just a dude with electrolyte and sanding paper, seriously!

[@volttherobot]

This is nothing short of amazing... WOW!

[@SteveStuff83]

This looks awesome, your hard work really paid off. A few years ago I tried my hand at electroplating 3d prints, I did one Star Trek Holo-emitter in nickel, said "wow cool, that was a lot of work and really messy" and then gave up. If I ever had a big project that required mirror finish metallic surfaces I might try again

[@hen3drik]

Had exactly the same results and thoughts when i started. ;-)

[@LuisCastillo-tg6xw]

Looks amazing! Can't imagine all the iterations to get to that mirror finish

[@Dogpool]

KZbin has created a whole new category of “is it worth it”. It is if you create and film it and it gets you the views. A practical creation is not required

[@layerlux3d]

Amazing as always!! Well done!

[@TranscendentalAirwaves]

5:20 made me laugh waaaay harder than I should have. lol

[@tamalghosh7974]

Man you have crazy level talent your creation out of the world

[@hen3drik]

Thanks!❤️

[@woofguy]

Sooo happy you are back!!!!

[@bremsklotz7740]

Looks absolutely great, like a prop from the Movies. The only thing missing is a little weathering for the used Star Wars look, but that's a matter of taste. 😁

[@HandleToBeDetermined]

Thanks for giving us the paint formula for the copper powder and graphite!

[@Thunder_warrior]

Moin, gute Arbeit alter! Sieht wirklich überzeugend aus!

[@hen3drik]

Moin, danke!

[@sikliztailbunch]

Impressive! It just doesn´t look 3D printed anymore in the end. So, I´d argue it can totally be worth it.

[@seekertosecrets]

4:21 TEN?! 5:24 Okay, that's funny. 5:59 I get jealous every time I see this kind of finish. I would love to try to attempt this kind of work one day. 10:28 I know... I knoooooow!

[@lycakito1814]

Wow! Having built a full C3PO myself while using a gold chrome spray can (which you can't touch or put anything over the top!) , I'm so impressed with what you've done, the finish! Are you going to do the whole thing now 😁(I'm currently building a full size R2 as well!). Excellent work! I'm watching your IronMan as well now... I love these tutorials you are doing about electroplating. I want to make some custom jewellery just for fun... Happy making!

[@hen3drik]

Thanks! 😃

[@cyrus3055]

It looks truly amazing.

[@marconear-thebusinessonlin8252]

Really, compliments on your video!! they are truly beautiful, really beautiful! I tried it, and everything works well. The only thing I don't understand is why, in the end, the copper plating works or the copper is a bit dull, but mainly, the copper comes off like a film, a sheet, and doesn't adhere. It peels off and remains underneath the 3D print, even without paint, as if it's flaking and doesn't hold. Could it be that the layer is too thin? Or is there some other problem?

[@raphaelresendefabris6164]

Absolutely perfect! Great job!

[@Triad3DStudio]

HELL YEAH IT'S WORTH IT!!! IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!!! GREAT WORK!!! 💯🤯

[@mikeboyle6693]

I always use uv resin and baby powder on my fdm prints, saves a lot of time. I'm so interested in the electroplating. Have been watching your videos all the time but not took the plunge yet

[@karlkastor]

Moin from Hamburg. The results look fantastic.

[@FH-ot3wo]

wow... just wow.. this is really good work

[@hen3drik]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@Jpetersson]

Wow, incredible!!!

[@deviceu]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your work.

[@CheeseWithMold]

Would love to see a video maybe on things that can go wrong during the plating process, and how best to avoid them. Also, I've never had much success with sanding as the layer always starts to peel off before I can get to the higher grit sand papers. Maybe I just need to go gentler as the pieces spend a long time in the bath so I don't think the thickness is the issue.

[@WhiteError37]

Well done this looks amazing and thank you for exposing me to plating

[@frankcohen8662]

Beautiful results and thank you x 100 for the video showing your technique! I'm less patient, and the parts where you are polishing it turn me off. I recently tried 3D laser sintering printing in stainless steel, followed by powder coating. It gives me the shiny metal surface. -Frank

[@Spirited282]

Looking absolutely amazing.

[@Wayne_Nero]

Wow - looks fantastic!

[@karimfanadka3665]

The copper powder mixed with acetone layer is to create a conductive surface so the copper from the plates could stuck on it?

[@DavidGetchel]

Best one yet!

[@hen3drik]

Thank you

[@raposadislexa]

Would be great to do a dedicated video teaching to make homemade conductive paints, like the graphite+glue and copper+acetone. And maybe homemade electrolyte liquid as in some places, like mine, neither is easy to find. Cheers!

[@MarquisMendoza]

Awesome work, thank you! Is it possible to skip a step? Like from graphite to gold plating right away?

[@hen3drik]

Technically it is, but you have to have a very thin copper layer made by the brush. Then gold on top. Super difficult. It’s beyond my skills.

[@Darkwingdad]

Brilliant as always!

[@JC-XL]

Great result. You can make a Terminator head as well 👍

[@pauljs75]

There are some mirror finish metallic spray paints that have been out for a few years that come surprisingly close to that appearance however. So one may want to do a comparison for surface prep and costs. (I suspect the rattle-can stuff not only saves time, but is likely a lot cheaper.)

[@szaborobotto]

Hi HEN3DRIK. Amazing work, congrats! After watching your video like 5 times :D I have a question. When you take the part out at 8:03 its matte then on 8:05 is super shiny. What happened? have you changed anything, or you polished in between?

[@hen3drik]

Good catch. I missed a dubbing. the matte is after 1 hour. I wanted to show what it should look like after that time. 8:05 is after 4 hours when the brightner kicked in

[@kedo87]

@@hen3drik After how many hours does it usually turn from matte to shiny? Do you change anything in the current for that or just keep it constant at 1 A/dm^2?

[@hen3drik]

@@kedo87 Start 0.5* the first 30 min. It usually becomes shiny after 2-3 hrs

[@kedo87]

Great, thanks for the hint!! Gonna try asap :-)

[@Brocknoviatch]

Absolutely incredible! For the small parts do you bother going into blender to calculate the surface area or are you using your experience and guestamating?

[@hen3drik]

Blender. Always.

[@MisterIkkus]

Ooh, someone upgraded their production quality.

[@idervincent]

Wow..really amazing job, thanks for sharing...I need to make this for my humanoid robot parts...😊

[@mlgladys]

It's amazing. I have some questions, can you help me? Please How are the liquids disposed of? Can the liquid be reused? for how long?

[@hen3drik]

I collect and recycle spilled liquids and reuse the electrolytes over and over by maintaining them. My electrolytes are still the original ones that I’ve bought back in 2018y

[@Yggdrslll]

Sehr schön! Have you tried using ABS or ASA and using an acetone slurry to fill gaps/adhere different parts, or vapor smoothing? It's a little harder to print and more expensive, but very doable with the x1 carbon. I've done it for cosplay armor so it won't melt if I leave it in the car for 45 minutes while I get food on the way to a convention. Is that not a concern after electroplating?

[@hen3drik]

Thanks, yes ABS or ASA could be used, i would not vapor smooth them for eveness of the surface but maybe to fill the gaps and cracks to seal it up a bit. After electroplating the PLA is more or less imune to heat. Greetings!

[@Yggdrslll]

​@@hen3drikServus! Das ist interessant. I've been wanting to try electroplating ever since your full tutorial video a couple years ago, maybe I'll finally pick up a B&K 1901B (or convince work I need a R&S NGP814 for my work from home lab haha) and experiment.

[@mil3880]

It's stunning work sire

[@MrJBA79]

Beautiful. My man, can you put together a detailed tutorial of the most basic setup so that beginners like myself with say an Anycubic Photon Mono can cheaply electroplate. With shopping lists and step by step instructions. Thanks in advance.

[@suekuan1540]

Amazing print quality from the x1c pla print

[@Renee_R343]

I don't know if you have the scale off or where the number comes from, but the surface area of the mask definetly isn't 18 square meters as indicated by the program at 04:55

[@hen3drik]

I use modified units in blender to directly transform to Ampere. It’s actually 18dm^2. good spot.

[@OccasionalWoodcraft]

Is there a good beginners shopping list for this? I'd love to try it, but between only being a beginner and being NU based I'm not sure where to start with supplies?

[@FlavioMenegasso-jl8wg]

If you collect the sandings of the filament print, would it be better than baby powder?

[@maxhierl8651]

Hi ! Thanks for teaching us! Do you have any recommendation for me? I try to apply the copper conductive paint with an airbrush just like you. I dillute it 2(acetone):1(copper paint). I ensure the surface is prepared and smooth (resin print). But when i brush on the mixture, the painted surface is not as smooth as yours, and electroplating it is far away from mirror glaze. Maybe my airbrush pressure is not enough? (3 bar while painting)

[@hen3drik]

It takes practice. Try lowering the pressure. Dilute more. Try different angles while spraying.

[@mark6302]

thats fantastic

[@fluxcapacitor]

Did you try acidic bright copper electrolyte from Dr. Galva and if so, how does it compare to Tifoo's plating solution? Because it is cheaper per liter, and the price difference becomes very noticeable (about 150 euros) with such high volume.

[@hen3drik]

Haven’t tried this, yet.

[@ericyim1586]

This is so cool, love your work 🫣 I have a question as I’m working on a small project myself. For small tiny parts that are SLA printed, what can I do to smoothen the surface?

[@hen3drik]

that's a good question. Maybe using filler primer and throwing the in a tumbler.

[@iam-music]

Always excellent vids. BTW what is the actual current formula for argument of m2?

[@technov1king]

very cool! nice work

[@Rollinsonn]

brillliant

[@antoniocross5956]

Isn’t it easier to use conductive pla for plating? Could you do a how to video in how to electroplate with conductive pla?

[@Radulf666]

What I'm not sure about is, if it's better than using gold-paper and plating it with that. What are the Benefits of electroplating?

[@egg4901]

Do you have a few resources that you have used to learn? I'm very interested in electroplating, but the cost and my lack of knowledge on the subject poses as a barrier

[@gatsu8888888]

I would like to try your method since the graphite do not work very well , what are the proportion for the copper dust and acetone? thanks in advance

[@ErichMoraga]

It's nice to see I'm not the only one who ignores resin expiration dates!🙈

[@theo._.5593]

Could you put a general price tag for a setup to achieve such results with electro plating ? (Not accounting for printers)

[@bebopsplat1347]

Do you have an exact measurement for the graphite paint? I've been trying to get mine right and the paint just flakes or rubs off after drying

[@hen3drik]

Yes: It’s 40g acetone, 2G gorilla glue, 5g graphite.

[@ShowInTheDark]

Do you put a clear coat on the finished product? Like a 2k automotive sealer?

[@hen3drik]

No, gold is pretty stable and does not oxidize (24k)

[@The_Makers_Prerogative]

Great video! You've inspired me to make a 3d printed Tesla coil toroid and give Electroplating a try

[@hen3drik]

🫶

[@saradeanna]

does the wire you hang the parts from cast a "shadow" in the electroplating that you have to consider?

[@hen3drik]

No problem as I rotate them.

[@kurtlindner]

I love every video you upload! The Glaive from Krull?

[@19mmontes]

I wonder how will look that process if was done with the Graphite instead of cooper! I’m going to try and he pen bc I’m starting with really small projects, unfortunately all the material in here are in Amazon Germany! So I haven’t found options

[@hen3drik]

In the end with a graphite base it'd would look the same but creating this size with graphite is challenging. Starting small, as you said, is the way to go. Sorry for the links, I know that it's a hassle to get this stuff outside the EU but i guess there are specialized suppliers, that send outside.

[@richardbertacchi5016]

Glorious

[@darren990]

brilliant

[@PampersRockaer]

Surfaces scale quadratically, Volumes scale in a cubic manner. Doubling the sides of a rectangle you get 2^2 = 4 times the area. Doubling the edges of a cube you get 2^3 = 8 times the volume.

[@hen3drik]

You're absolutely right.

[@andreamitchell4758]

looks amazing is the health risk worth it though? probably not so are there any services like JLC PCB this do this kind of electroplating yet? I wonder how expensive it is or would be

[@adrw216]

I don't think there is that much health risk, as long as you use basic PPE. The most unhealthy processes in here are sanding, that is easily made safer for your lungs using some kind of particle filter mask; the plating acidic electrolyte that contains a small fraction of sulphuric acid that can again be made safer with the proper gloves; and the resin, which I have never dealt with so I'm not that sure about it but many people handle it when using printers so I guess is not that hard to manipulate. To me, the biggest problems seem to be getting all of the stuff, the money and time consumption. But yes, it's true it would be great if there was some kind of service to do all of the great work!

[@andreamitchell4758]

@@adrw216 Yes but no matter how careful you are you will always get sot exposure That dust goes every and those vapor filters for the 3m masks are all but useless There is a minimal amount of carbon in them I used them to paint my garage and still got sick from the fumes. They do almost nothing

[@ArcanePath360]

I wouldn't use resin for filler, I found good results from Big Boy car body filler. It is very versatile and easy to use like a 2 part epoxy which sets hard in about 15 minutes ready to sand and paint. I've also used a soldering iron and spare PLA off the roll to fix parts that need strength and then smooth them over while the soldering iron cools down. Definitely turned out great. I would agree with Homer: If something takes a long time to do, it's probably not worth it. But that's just me

[@cuthwulf]

Using resin as filler literally takes seconds to harden. And since it's resin on resin, there is no separation and very little to sand. It also utilizes the same materials you already have on hand. I've used resin filler on resin parts for years. Car filler is good if you have large parts to fill where it would take forever to brush in resin. But on small blemishes and seams, resin is 1000% easier and faster and much less fumes.

[@ArcanePath360]

@@cuthwulf I see. Thanks. Although there's no fumes for car body filler either. I was just looking at the results as it was applied and thought it wasn't very smooth. But if it bonds well with the material (I thought it was PLA so didn't know this) then it's probably going to give a better finish when sanded)

[@johnd5051]

That is amazing 👏

[@lordout1229]

Moin Dude. Thank you for you videos and Time. I want to get startet with elktroplaying myself, to expand my 3D Printing Hobby. Could u maybe make an Updated Full Tutorial vid? I have seen your "Rotary Jig" but no Explanation how its works. Also maybe what Products u use and where to procure them. Maybe also a Vid explaing your Fail´s and how to Problem solve them. Sry for the Request Overload :D Keep up the good Work!

[@lordout1229]

Seconds after i post that i see that most of that is in the Discription... welp.

[@SpinAngelo137]

echt krass, wirklich....verkaufst du die? ich mein ich könnt das auch selber machen, aber der aufwand und alles zu besorgen wäre wesentlich teurer denke ich....

[@jairolenfers]

thankyou for share your knowledge

[@hen3drik]

I learned so much stuff from youtubers, it's time to give back 😅