How to calculate surface area and Amps for electroforming

[@rachelwiththedreads]

This is such a great & informational video for the ampage. Volts weren’t mentioned though. So, I’m curious, how do I know what voltage to use? Thanks in advance!

[@warpath0]

voltage doesn't matter in electroforming :)

[@timothyhackett7372]

you set your power supply to constant current mode so itl just set the voltage automatically

[@chocolateluva09]

I dissected one rose to get a more accurate surface area so I could replicate the process and as a rule of thumb you can multiply by 5 to get the correct answer due to the internal petals.

[@QueenPicklePuss]

I know this is old vid, but i only just descovered electroforming, i bought a kit as thought better to start with . And it said ampage should be 0.05 to 0.1 per square inch, i had no idea it ment the item, i thought it ment the area of the liquid in my tank. No where did it say it was refering to the item and as a newbie , if i hadnt seen your vid , i would have messed up really bad. So thank you very much for this and your other vids

[@meredithbear]

When we calculate the amount of silver we need for lost wax casting we submerge the wax in water and calculate the amount of displacement, knowing that water weighs so much per square inch, blah, blah , blah... it gets complicated. I am wondering if the same could be done here. Immerse the item, before painting with conductive paint and see, with water displacement, how much area you're working with. Maybe? Could work? Worth a try...? I recently bought your book, it's awesome! You're awesome, big fan...

[@tashspond]

The water displacement is equal to volume/Mass not Surface Area. The SA is just the surface, not the amount of space the object takes as a whole. A formula for V= SA should do it.

[@hunterfrith9325]

Super helpful

[@elisabettamartinelli5116]

Thank you Jason, great video! I am new for electroforming. So I need to understand one thing: you speak about Ampere, but about VOLT , how much should I set? Thank you so much for answer

[@madebyrasa]

you read the amps and adjust the volts to equal the amps calculated. Also distance from cathode

[@elisabettamartinelli5116]

@@madebyrasa thank you

[@markymarko7]

I like your style and your philosophy.

[@magnuswootton6181]

So with a really good electrolyte, this actually increases the amount of amps your allowed? but I dont recommend using acid, id rather use a low melting point salt im guessing tho, but even hot toffee is quite dangerous!!!

[@IndigoRaven60]

Thank you for this clear explanation. But back to looking at your calculation for the rose. That would work if the rose was solid and didn't have any internal spaces and surfaces. What would you actually guesstimate the surface area if the rose to be?

[@emilyjoyce8214]

You are a WIZARD! Thank you

[@jerrywhidby.]

I wonder if I could approximate the surface area of an irregularly shaped object by placing it in a vacuum bag? I would trace around the perimeter of the object, release the air, and measure the surface of the plastic bag where I left the trace lines. Not a perfect method, and of course there are objects where the plastic could not envelope the surface completely. Still it seems like it could work for many objects.

[@ncgeller]

Thank you sooo much! But..... what about Volts?

[@DreadfarmDe]

nice

[@caglacakr326]

Do you add the surface areas when you are plating multiple pieces at once?

[@aaki2005]

Awesome video! Do you just add the surface areas when you are plating multiple pieces at once?

[@trykiting6202]

Do you calculate the square inch of your entire piece or just the parts that are getting copper. For example I work with shark teeth but i only want the root of the tooth electroformed and not the enamel of the tooth so i have it covered in liquid latex. So is it the entire tooth or just the root that I calculate?

[@mortithedog8088]

I am trying so hard to get electroforming right. Everyone in the Fb groups keeps telling me it’s .1 per square inch, not .01. I am so confused now.

[@auroratosi457]

Great jason! Super thanks! So you told that for the high we must wait 3 days.. but I don't know how to work for the middle and for the low.. normally I wait 12-18 hours but I'm new and I don't know if it's correct.. thanks a lot

[@JasonWelsh]

It's a "Until I have the thickness I want" thing. so it would take 3 days for like 1/16 of a inch of thickness if that is what you want. What thickness you want changes PER piece. So watch the thickness if your happy take it out. Rough estimate that I see all the time H=2-3 days M= 12hours H= 4-8 Hours

[@auroratosi457]

@@JasonWelsh super thanks

[@tashspond]

@@JasonWelsh I posted a similar question somewhere else and was told that absolutely electroplating should only take 1-2mins? Using only CuSO4. My first attempt I left it for 48hrs on a low current and my piece turned blue and cathode connections desintegrated. But I also hadn't watched this video about SA. Thanks 👍

[@tashspond]

Do you have to change the amps if you are not using battery acid in your solution? If you just use CuSO4, distilled water, anode and cathode, is the Amp/in2 the same?

[@elizabethelemental4505]

is it okay to take your piece out of the solution while the rectifier is on to check the progress?

[@schrauberolli5637]

Great stuff for rookie 😃

[@daintyanns41]

thank you for this