Electroplating 3D Prints | New Graphite Tutorial

Let me show you how to create beautiful authentic props, like this mockingjay brooch, by #electroplating your 3d prints. #3dprinting and metal plating combined will create convincing objects for you prop collection or the next comic con. #cosplay
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If you like the stuff that I'm doing you can buy me a coffee:
www.buymeacoffee.com/hen3drik
This is the stuff I used for electroforming/electroplating in this video.
Chemicals for the prints:
🛒 Copper Anode: amzn.to/42XdwZS *
🛒 Bright Copper Electrolyte: amzn.to/3zk2S1F *
🛒 GRAPHIT Paint amzn.to/3YtPZhD *
🛒 Gold Electrolyte amzn.to/44NNwRp *
🛒 Palladium Electrolyte amzn.to/3DDr8hD *
Optional:
🛒 Conductive Copper Paint amzn.to/47cpbpR *
🛒 Galvanic Degreaser amzn.to/3rV4v5r *
I used this printer:
🛒 ELEGOO Saturn 2 8K amzn.to/44Js3Ja *
(*) These links are affiliate links. From time to time, I recommend products I know well and use, and, as a result, I may receive a commision if you purchase them using the affiliate link. Puchasig from affiliate links is at no extra cost to you.
▶ Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Creating the 3D Print
01:45 Preparation of 3D prints before grahite painting
02:40 Increase conductivity of graphite paint
04:00 Electroplating on Graphite paint
07:05 Polishing 3D Prints
09:08 Results + Conclusion
▶ For the galvanic bath:
* a container
* acidic copper electrolyte
* Palladium electrolyte
* one or two copper anodes
* banana plug & alligator clips
▶ You may need:
* Degreaser
* Distilled water
* galvanic brush + pen
Have fun. Try it. 🧡
▶ Mockingjay by Hitoprl
www.thingiverse.com/thing:120...
▶ 3DBenchy by CreativeTools
www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622
▶ One Ring Tato_713
www.thingiverse.com/thing:371...

[@muralithalluri4239]

Your English 100% adds to your charm.

[@UncleJessy]

these projects continue to blow my mind. This one actually seems a bit easier than the others... but maybe I'm wrong. I really really need to try one of these projects

[@rob612]

I know thats why i an Buying a Electro plating kit, Plus thanks for the Elegoo neptune 3 plus profile on your patrons page how the massive print going

[@wantafastz28]

It’s hard to source the graphite paint in the US

[@shashidhar2335]

@@wantafastz28 try 5 micron graphite powder. you can rub it on prints with microfiber and it gives metallic effect similar to you saw in the video. I didnt test if its conductive or not

[@iBlue0riginal]

I watched it twice, just to see these beautiful parts again

[@babycubezz]

Electroplated Magneto helmet for your statue Yes!!

[@Snigzou]

Quick note on copper anodes : you're supposed to use phosphore doped copper to ensure proper anodic dissolution. Your commercial solution most likely include trace amounts of chloride which are used, in conjunction with proper CuP anodes to produce a black film on the copper surface. This black film is CuO, which allows Cu2+ to form and replenish the metallic ions. If you do not use CuP anodes, you run the risk of forming Cu2O, which will not work as well to put it simply. The black film is not to be brushed off.

[@hen3drik]

Thank you for the info. I really appreciate these hints and will consider in the next videos. ❤️

[@asianmarshemellow]

Does that mean that you let the black film dry on the copper after taking them out of the bath?

[@Snigzou]

​@@asianmarshemellow My andoes never leave the copper bath ; however, for smaller containers, taking in and out anodes should not pose any problems, and the black film should not be rinsed or brushed away. Having anodes in a small bag like he shows is good practise. The thing is this film takes some time to form. We're talking a few minutes to an hour, but during this time, there's a phenomenom called "polarisation" that's happening, and it's causing the pH and the composition of the electrolyte to go off balance. The generator will also struggle to keep a constant current as the voltage will need to fluctuate a lot to "fight" it. To answer your question, yes, just let it dry out. When you need to use the copper bath again, just put them back inside a small bag and you're ready to go.

[@travismiller5548]

What is "proper" vs "improper" annodic dissolution? Isn't the point simply... dissolve the annodes? As for myself, I use a small annode bag I made from a titanium mesh and wire, and put it all inside some Dacron material to help catch some of the slimes, as KZbinr Sreetips does for his silver cell.

[@Snigzou]

@@travismiller5548 Polarization is. Just to clarify, I'm referring to the phenomenom that prevents current from flowing due to "something" blocking it (i.e : high resistance somewhere). It causes efficiency drops, chemical unbalance and a bunch of other things. General rule : you have to maximize your anodic surface, to minimize anodic current density. If your anodes don't dissolve with a 100% efficiency, it means something else is oxidizing. This something else, in copper acidic bath, is water. As water is oxidizing, it's creating 2 problems : - O2 formation, which can cause your copper anode to form some kind of oxyde film, and probably the wrong kind. You might think that the acidic nature of the electrolyte will dissolve this film, but keep in mind it's constantly being created and thus causes polarization. - pH unbalance : water oxidizing creates H+ ions, which are not consumed. It will drop the pH given enough time, and your copper deposited layer will not look at good. It's not that it will not work using general grade copper. It will. It will work using just your titanium mesh ; anodes don't need to dissolve per say, they need to oxidize something. The point is, it will, given enough time unbalance the chemistry of your solution. Because I don't think you have access to the proper chemicals to correct this chemical inbalance (and no way of quantifying how much of an inbalance it is), I'm just trying to give some advices on how to make sure everything runs smoothly in the long run.

[@ryansenger937]

The amount of expertise and knowledge in such a short video, this is incredible and has changed everything for my plating plans!

[@TheHellaBee]

For those outside the EU (Australia here), if you go to paint stores that specialise in automotive & industrial paints and ask for a spray can of copper or zinc "weld through" primer you should have some decent success in finding a conductive primer. these products are basically used to assist in increasing conductivity for welding and I've personally found that they work well

[@KaitoKaze]

curious what brand do you use and work without any issue? thanks again for the info mate, can't find Graphite paint anywhere in my place too

[@Snigzou]

Zinc primer, assuming it contains actual zinc metal will not work. It will give your print a conductive layer, but because of vastly diffrent galvanic potentials, an undesired spontaneous reaction will happen when you will try to plate it using a copper or nickel acidic bath. If you want to get a good layer using metal based sprays, I would recommand only using metals "more noble" than copper or no lower than 400 mV relative to Cu2+/Cu (+0.34V/ESH)

[@keymaster2108]

@@KaitoKaze why not just add your own Graphite ?

[@KaitoKaze]

@@keymaster2108 so basically make my own paint? do you have some tutorial how to do that?

[@hen3drik]

@KaitoKaze my most recent video is exactly about that

[@zumuvtuber]

The finished pieces on top of the original support material look soooo good!!

[@Westfalon]

Presenting them on thier original supports just looks fantastic! Very clever

[@hen3drik]

Thanks, yeah, I liked that and thought it was funny :-)

[@printingwithlue4310]

​@@hen3driktry painting it on the supports next time. If you get any on the support, you can just wipe it off before you start plating.

[@graefx]

Electroplating 3D prints is such a cool project that still feels incredible niche. Thank you for all the information and options.

[@johnbrewer318]

Amazing! Fantastic results. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@jesperskovjuul2170]

Mind blown! Now I just have to trawl through all your other videos for tips and tricks :D Best electroplating video I have seen in many years.

[@Est.1993]

These are remarkable. what a way to put 3d printing into quality use

[@nobutoneme1325]

Your english might not be perfect, but trust me it is decent enough, don't be too self-conscious about it.

[@silverwaffles]

They speak English better than I do their language.

[@lebojay]

Agree. The narrator’s English is perfectly adequate. Except for his accent you wouldn’t know it isn’t his first language. English lessons would be a waste of time. He’s plenty good enough.

[@radish6691]

Yeah certainly better than my German!

[@ethzero]

Certainly good enough for me to like & subscribe!

[@DoubsGaming]

@@lebojay only reason it wouldn't be a waste of time is if it saves him time when filming. I am guessing he may do multiple takes to get it right and that would cut the amount down.

[@TheLoneWulf0]

My mind is blown and hats off to you good sir! Favorite 3d printing video of the past year

[@maciucovidiu7815]

Superb results. I love people taking an idea, creating a product and then coming up with another idea and another product and so on. Adds to the spirit of making and innovating.

[@emertonom]

That's a phenomenal result. I'd love to see you experiment with making optics this way--maybe one of those toys that uses two parabolic mirrors to create a 3d mirage of a small object? (A telescope would be more impressive, if the optics are of higher quality, but I suspect that won't be the case initially.)

[@TeriyakiTakeout]

Your english is awesome, man. No need to feel self conscious. I had no trouble understanding, and didn’t really realize you had trouble with English until you’d mentioned the English lessons. Keep up the awesome work 😊

[@brighambaker3381]

Fantastic finish!

[@root4098]

you did it dude, you managed to removed all of that polishing phase. cool to see the techniques improving as time goes on. incredible work as always

[@Rouverius]

Seriously beautiful. Great job!

[@annekedebruyn7797]

Thank you for introducing me to electroplating. It has brought me so much more joy with 3D printing

[@minoman6434]

Mal wieder ein Top Video von dir. Danke!!

[@BoogerBrain]

That looks so cool!

[@Reimalken]

Wonderful video! As someone just getting started in this interesting field I really appreciate the option to use cheaper and more available materials/techniques. Hopefully soon I will be turning one of my 3d prints shiny copper 😁

[@samuraijaydee]

This is a brilliant video. The tools for creation now are amazing! Can't wait to try this!

[@chrisbourlakis7130]

this video is great! I believe your process of polishing the benchy with the rock tumbler is key for mirror finish plating in the bath.

[@justinhoward6135]

this is the most interesting vid ive seen in a while , super cool

[@some______guy]

This is insanely compelling

[@IzzySpeaks]

If I can pull this off you have taken my 3D printing world to the next level. I am absolutely obsessed with print finish to the point that I have more in my recycle can than most.

[@16982161]

Moin! Thank you for another great video. As others have mentioned already, it can be hard to source the conductive paints for cheap in North America. We do not have the shipping for the copper spray paint you've used in previous videos and I have a hard time finding affordable conductive graphite spray paint as well. Graphite powder however is quite affordable and I've seen people say they've made their own paint by combining it with water, acetone, modge-podge, etc. I've also seen Canadian's reccomend Jig-a-Loo. It would be very neat to see a comparison between these alternative products and recipes for the base conductive layer! I think if a cheap alternative is presented with good results then electroplating becomes more approachable for hobbyists.

[@ChrisContin]

Absolutely amazing! I’ll go into oppoplating just because of your work!

[@carbonarne675]

Richtig geiles Video! Unreal result and perfect edit and videography 😊❤

[@AdrielDoesGaming]

That's amazing, these prints look great with the metal plating!

[@TushhsuT]

That is just awesome. Nice tutorial!

[@JT-91]

that graphite look is awesome

[@rob612]

Massive thank you for showing this brake down on plating i enjoy every video, you even have a Fan of uncle Jessy that shows how good your videos are my hat is off to you Thank you again

[@PlayvillePictures]

Moin! Danke DIr für das Video, da habe ich lang nach gesucht :-)

[@andersonnguyen2571]

Bro… THATS SICK

[@Spirited282]

Your videos and methods are always amazing, i truly want to try this one day

[@TheMeditron]

Very useful and inspiring information. Thanks for the informative information, likely coming back to this and others in your channel!

[@Funkotronimus]

Thank you so much for sharing this!!

[@awood12345]

Wow, this is great. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@JustGeorgeGG]

Amazing result!

[@ethkid8925]

Moin Meister, instantly subbed. Love it, keep going!!

[@mariantataru899]

thanks for the video , very instructive and well made !

[@kurtlindner]

Great video, amazing results as always.

[@hen3drik]

Thank you, Kurt.

[@Blimm_EL]

Amazing video, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experiments in English !

[@tubingforever]

This is a game changer! Gonna start doing this!

[@MarkFixesStuff]

This video was amazing. Thank you!

[@mrgauky]

Basic prints, but the results are great. Keep up the great work!

[@beatlessteve1010]

Really wonderful results

[@xslayerizedx]

Very cool . Can't wait to see more

[@thepoorboychannel]

That’s some of the best plating I’ve seen yet on 3D prints!!! Outstanding! Subbed.

[@speway]

The start was funny. Im looking forward to this.

[@shaunlavigne100]

Awesome video I've been looking into this process for a bit.

[@Alex_Rafa]

I love this guy! Good job!

[@michi_maker8]

😀♥️💯 another great Video. Respect

[@henrym.5884]

Thanks for your presentation and best regards.

[@Fahnder99]

simply wow.

[@IDreamInMini]

Wow! Mind blown!

[@AlgosExplained]

this is amazing. I'm fascinated

[@jpeero]

bro that is sick! saved video for future reference

[@SaharRazavi]

Really interesting, thanks for sharing 😊🌸🌸

[@fonwoolridge]

Really nice work! Not sure I'm up to giving this a go myself.... but defo gonna check out your other vids too...Bravo!

[@o15523]

Subscribed within 30 seconds! So glad I found this channel

[@Cimarb]

That is amazing - way above the scientific level I am at, but crazy good results!

[@erikm9768]

Fantastic video!! thank you, will try this on FDM printed Poly carbonate parts!

[@fntsmn]

Amazing results! And great information!

[@hen3drik]

Thank you, Simone!

[@billclark5943]

Wow. I've been looking for a plastic plating instructional video for a couple of months that yields high-quality results. I guess I just needed to wait till 4 hours ago. Outstanding work👍

[@AllsFree]

This looks fantastic!

[@Bugman140]

That's amazing as it is beautiful 😍 I would love to get some metal on some of my prints

[@Blake-gh8xl]

And thank u!!! I will try this!

[@ArtursBondars]

Awesome! Thanks for the video!

[@MecaManiaque]

wow wow wow !!! impressive !!!

[@chain3519]

Impressive how you synced up the segment about media polishing to the background music

[@hen3drik]

I think there are only few that actually noticed it. Glad you did. 😊

[@DrDankPhD]

Insanely cool.

[@bialek.online]

omg this looks amazing! far easier than the dremel route

[@JustPrinted3D]

best in class tutorial - sehr schön, bin abonniert

[@ghguyrur7]

This is a genius idea

[@offearth3d]

One of these days! I’m always so impressed with the outcome. I need to start gathering materials and tools!

[@hen3drik]

I bet you‘ll figure it out so fast. It‘s just practice. 🙂

[@moschidreamer]

Das ist ja mal cool!

[@Brocknoviatch]

Another awesome electroplating tutorial! Could you run us through how you clean and reuse materials and how you know it is time to dispose of chemicals?

[@hen3drik]

Will think about it. 🙂

[@wantafastz28]

Keep up the good work.

[@lebojay]

To avoid the incompatibility problems between the graphite paint and the automotive filler you just need to find the right primer to go between them. There is also a product called “weld-thru primer” which has zinc in it to make it conductive. Maybe that would work better than graphite? I’m no expert. Just offering suggestions.

[@wintlink]

amazing !

[@Ucci73]

Great job! You are the Best! Congratulations!!!

[@lasto4318]

The best video on electroplating 3D print. Where I can find the rotary jig 3D CAD? Thanks for all

[@serdarcemek1476]

Amazing❤❤❤

[@STUDI0TK]

Thank you for this

[@bobbykoulouris]

amazing work and vicdeo

[@noway8233]

Very good results

[@User-rm9cw]

That's great! Thank you dude! ;D Nice work!

[@whatif8741]

Could you please do a timelapse of it plating? thatd be so satisfying to watch.

[@TheRealStructurer]

Fantastic 👍🏻

[@MrCaprinut]

Awesome! This gives me idas to restore rc cars. Some of old projects may have bad chrome. This method we could repair that 🙂

[@MrGTAmodsgerman]

This is also actual chrome. Not just silver paint.

[@thetrueyuiop]

Amazing

[@MikePorterII]

Thank you!

[@leyendoconlara8173]

I reconice the sinsajo 3D design, my brother did it for me and shared it for free a few years ago. I like the gold result! 😊

[@fitrianhidayat]

Nice tutorial bro

[@dwabbs]

Amazing!

[@4.094]

Beautiful job.