How-To Make Metal: Electroplating a 3D Printed Star Wars Helmet

[@caswellsubs]

Copper is much softer than nickel, so it polishes easier. Nice video! and great application. Glad to see my stuff used like this, especially on 3D printed plastic.

[@Infosmercial]

+Michael Caswell Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Caswell himself! Thank you very much for taking the time to watch the video! I'm glad you liked it and I'm glad to have used your products. Seriously, you carry some awesome stuff and you've created a lot of great products. The plug n plate kits are rather genius. Cheers, sir!

[@starrychloe]

Michael Caswell - with a Dremel it doesn't matter.

[@Infosmercial]

+starrychloe you do run the risk of stripping off the plating and paint with a dremel, especially if your plating job isn't very thick.

[@CharlesEakins]

So I got a newb question, why not go directly to nickel?

[@M22.C0bra]

I just bought this kit for this purpose. What grade nickel is the tiny wand just in case I want to make a larger one for a bigger project?

[@michaelnewsomegreen5500]

You have just destroyed my business plan in precisely in 11 minutes & 14 seconds... I had my doubts but the proof of the pudding etc, I am impressed. Kudos to you bro.

[@Zen_Modeling]

😂

[@raffixer6283]

I bought it and tried it, it didn't work the way he shows it here... don't get discouraged

[@kimnesvig254]

I have a 3D printed horse (family heirloom). following your instructions, its now painted with the nickel paint, sanded, polished with fine steel wool and (I hope) ready for brush plating with the plug/plate copper kit. We’ll see how it turns out. Thanks for the great tips!

[@Chowderzering]

How did it turn out?

[@UncleJessy]

That was seriously impressive!

[@Infosmercial]

+Uncle Jessy I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching the vid.

[@deese275]

I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a job to do if you didn’t have a degree in it, I was going to pay to have it done. Thanks

[@alienorbiter]

I love all these polite, appreciative comments, and the useful and insightful answers. They are very much needed these times.

[@Infosmercial]

+alienorbiter yeah it's kinda cool and refreshing to see such positivity around this. Thanks for checking out the vid, btw.

[@stephenbollin702]

You are a talented video creator. This typically isn't my type of video but you earned the sub. Keep up the good work and I'll keep supporting you. Great Job

[@Infosmercial]

+Stephen Bollin Thanks for taking the time to watch it and for the kind words. I am working my a$$ off to make videos that are of a high quality, entertaining, and informative. You can expect this level of effort and quality for every video I make on this channel. Thanks for subscribing. Cheers!

[@EdNorty]

I love that you put all the product links and links to related tutorials in the description. That effort is subscribe-worthy by itself already lol Subscribed!

[@Infosmercial]

EdNorty Hey well I am glad you are a fan of that. Yeah it takes effort, but it’s totally worth it. What good is a video if it doesn’t give you the resources to find things and figure stuff out for yourself?! In any event, thanks for checking out the vid and subscribing. Cheers!

[@MightyJabbasCollection]

Pretty impressive! I didn't know kits like this existed.

[@Infosmercial]

+Mighty Jabba's Collection Yeah it's pretty neat stuff. Took a bit of discovery and tinkering. Thanks for tuning in!

[@daveyhi3154]

the kit's are $$. just buy the bulk chemicals and make the brushes like he did.

[@Infosmercial]

+Davey Hi yeah the kits do cost a few bucks. They are great as a small package solution if this is simply something you want to experiment with. If you want to take on multiple projects with this, the getting bulk chemicals is a good idea. Actually, the 1.5 gallon kits from caswell are a pretty decent deal and you get most everything you need.

[@tharealkiid]

Great video, I mean from top to bottom!! Especially the cut scenes! You definitely deserve a bigger following. I’m rootin for you, keep up the good work!!!

[@stefanilserbo2]

Wow, is this your first video? That's amazing man!

[@Infosmercial]

+Stefffan Thanks a lot! Yeah first video and more to come! I'm glad you liked it.

[@stefanilserbo2]

Infosmercial considering printing time and everything else, how long did it take to complete it and how what is the complete cost of materials? Some of these products you linked to are pretty expensive!

[@Infosmercial]

+Stefffan I'll admit that this is an ambitious project that will definitely require a good amount of hours and some elbow grease. The printing time was pretty long (over 30 hours of printing), but that was the easy part imo. Sanding and assembly was probably 4-6 hours time. Each plating step probably took 3-4 hours time. Polishing took 2-3 hours as well. Add in 4-5 hours for complications, figuring things out, unforeseen crap etc... Cost wise, something like this could cost $120 - 150 to start. That's the bad news. The good news is that most of the supplies can be reused to last a few projects. If your working with smaller projects, things will last even longer. Of course, there may be some DIY hacks to cut corners in both time and money, but this is all a method I found that works most reliably. Cheers!

[@stefanilserbo2]

Infosmercial thanks for the great info! Maybe one day... ok, probably just printing that helmet would be a huge success for me xD good job man, keep it up! Looking forward to your next videos! :)

[@tommasoiuele]

Can you just dip the resin part in a glass and let it plate?

[@travismiller5548]

Yes, but then you'd have a large electroplating bath. At least 10 gallons of electrolyte to neutralize and dispose of. Pen plating is a good alternative for the occasional hobbyist.

[@memejohnson7372]

This gives me so many ideas! My current issue with metallic looking paints is that when you spray them with protective coating, it removes some of the shine if not all of it! I may use this to make things look more metal!

[@Infosmercial]

+Meme Johnson yeah the spray paints that I have found all have issues with either clear coats or being touched by the hand. That's just one of the advantages of this method.

[@memejohnson7372]

Oh yeah definitely, it's unfortunate how badly clear coats work with metallic paints Very helpful video, your channel has a lot of potential so keep at it. Great production quality!

[@Infosmercial]

+Meme Johnson thanks for the kind words. Stay tuned! There's more coming....

[@xtonybaloneyx]

great video, at 5:00 min you mention a larger setup that you purchased, what is that setup?

[@NomaddUK]

That is VERY impressive. A great 3D print and finished in a great metallic covering. Love it!

[@Infosmercial]

Hey Nomadd, I'm glad you liked the video. Thank you for the kind words. Cheers!

[@afrolintin]

​@@Infosmercial i just bought the kit! I bought the conductive paint as well and im electroplating the back of my samsung s23 ultra! Ive always hated glass backed phones, too fragile, it'll be nice to have a "metal" backed phone again

[@deepfried4185]

bro, this is your first video ever made, a little cheesy at moments but i loved it. please make more science ones like this

[@deepfried4185]

dont get rid of the cheesiness tho it fits. just like chedder. (confirmed)

[@Infosmercial]

+Evan S thanks for checking it out! I'm glad you like it. The science aspect is a big draw to technology for me so it is going nowhere. In fact it's sort of the purpose of the channel: to take a look at the cool science and engineering behind tech! Cheers!

[@Infosmercial]

+Evan S confirmed....lol Like Limburger in the grocery store, the cheese is going nowhere!

[@jessecresswell3701]

All around great video. I liked the editing, the soundtrack, and the structure of the video. As far as the process goes, that was really informative and really neat to watch the helmet go from plastic to metal. Keep it up.

[@Infosmercial]

Jesse Cresswell thank you Jesse I really appreciate it. Generally speaking, I am going to be putting the same level of production (or better) into all of my videos. Thanks watching and the kind words. Stay tuned, there's more coming!

[@ManCrafting]

Great video. Love the presentation style. Very cool seeing this application to a 3D printed part. The only coating process I have much experience with is putting a plastic over metal. Essentially the opposite of what you are doing. This has me intrigued.

[@Infosmercial]

+ManCraftingTM haha that's kinda of funny. Well thanks for checking it out. I'm glad you like it.

[@lucuslanders8033]

I always thought electroplating 3D prints would look like total garbage. But you just proved me wrong. I'll have to give it a try!

[@Infosmercial]

+Lucus Landers Yeah the results can be pretty darn amazing. If you really work at it with this stuff, you can create a 3d part thats indistinguishable from something that’s been professionally manufactured in all metal.

[@SR-vz9nq]

This could greatly increase the number and lifespan of tools made through 3d printing. I especially like the idea of replicating artifacts that were 3d printed discovered through archaeology.

[@nukegho9224]

do have to plate it in copper before i do brass and/or can i use the nickel coat and then plate it in brass

[@steeldamiano]

Great video. I am ordering my kit today. Steampunk artist here, so I have a lot of projects I could use this on. Also a 3D printer geek. Thanks and keep up the good work.

[@Infosmercial]

+C G really glad you like the video! Hopefully it can help you with some of your projects. Feel free to post some of the results here later. Cheers!

[@mikhael7949]

The bronze and black look reminds me of when bobo fet was trapped and clearly in dismay in that bronze material.

[@Infosmercial]

+butte hurter oh yeahhhhhh! Yeah the bronze look was pretty awesome I can’t even deny it.

[@iviaverick52]

honestly didn't think electroplating was possible with plastic, awesome tutorial!

[@crustaaaaaa]

This video was absolutely sensational, it's great to see someone making awesome content on ACTUALLY making things using 3D printers and various additional techniques, rather than Review after review. Liked, subscribed, commented and eagerly awaiting what you do next man. Thank you.

[@Infosmercial]

Aidan Caelli Thank you so much for the kind words. Yeah I am fascinated with 3d printing as a technology. While I definitely can geek out on specs and different printers, ultimately none of that stuff matters. What matters is what you can do with 3d printing and that is what makes it such a powerful tool. My hopes in making this video was that by focusing on what can be achieved with small consumer 3d printers, rather than the printer itself, people can see the potential of it all. Thanks for noticing that. Stay tuned! There is more coming in the future.

[@emmettturner9452]

Aidan Caelli Yeah. It's like they only care about Benchy Boats, mechanical boxes, and vases! I was particularly annoyed when I searched for practical uses and even the 3D printing gurus had some very underwhelming top-10 videos. Half the "practical" uses were for upgrading their 3D printer! Ugh. I know that these things are more useful than that!

[@iWinRar]

Emmett Turner yes I think I'll be doing videos when I get my 3d printer in a month or 2

[@Infosmercial]

+iWinRar would love to check them out when you get going. Check back and post links!

[@johgranger1304]

couldn't you also polish the nickle layer for more shine? Also, can you do multiple layers of copper/nickle to get a thicker coating? (would allow more polishing)

[@phillpauley6672]

Very helpful!!! Thank you!!! I’m just getting into plating and I had no idea that plating nonconductive objects was possible. This video gave me a TON of ideas!!! Thanks again!!!

[@Infosmercial]

Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching!

[@RedLegBlazer]

I have a headlight polishing kit for my car. I use what's left to polish 3D prints (it's just plastic polishing compound). It has a sponge thing that fits into a drill. Cuts my polishing time down a lot.

[@Infosmercial]

+Powered by Stupid wow that sounds kinda cool. Are you saying that you use that stuff to polish the actual 3d printed plastic? (As opposed to polishing the electroplated metal in the video). If so that’s kinda neat. I have some of that stuff lying around, may have to try it out. Heck, that may work really well for getting smooth coatings of paint too.

[@RedLegBlazer]

Yeah. I've filled the layer lines with acetone dissolved material from the supports, or primer and sand until it's smooth. So often I'm buffing enamel paint, but the drill attachment is great. It's just a soft sponge and a metal rod. I've had a few prints come out really good, and just sanded and polished the ABS.

[@Infosmercial]

+Powered by Stupid so are you brushing on an ABS slurry and the just sanding and buffing? That sounds like it might work really great, especially since it’ll increase part durability.

[@RedLegBlazer]

Exactly. Though it's faster in my experience to hit it with sandable primer then acrylic, or enamel paint it. Then sand and buff that. I still use the plastic polishing compound and that sponge drill bit to finish it. But the slurry fuses with the ABS and makes it stronger. So it I'm making anything that will be under stress I'll take the extra time.

[@smallfry9409]

If I did multiple layers of this, do you think I could make steel toed crocs?

[@leviathanfafner]

I wonder if cold galvanizing zinc would work as well.

[@alonsomajikal3158]

great video. The conductive spray is a game changer for me.

[@trancetechkid]

Quick question. t about 4:56 you mention "I'm going to use a little bit larger setup that I purchased..." Where would one purchase that larger brush? I couldn't find it. A link would be great! Thanks and great video!

[@Infosmercial]

+Brian Creasey hey sorry for the delay. So the larger supplies could be found on caswell' website. However, I simply purchase raw supplies and made the brushes myself. When plating with copper, you'll want a copper brush. When plating with nickel, you'll want a nickel or stainless steel brush. So what I did was purchase some high grade copper and stainless steel sheet metal off of amazon. I cut off a large strip of each. Then I used medical gauze I bought from walmart to loosely wrap each brush. Use a rubber band to secure the gauze and your good to go! Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. Cheers!

[@trancetechkid]

That's perfect! I kind of figured you had to roll your own. Seems a better idea to me. Thanks so much for the info. I'm going straight for the big guns, plating my Monster's in Motion Rocketeer helmet kit. We'll see how that goes. (I will definitely test on a small piece before going straight to that) but that's why I was looking into the larger brushes. Thank's again for taking the time to reply and the good info in the video!

[@ryanchan270]

Excellent electroplating guide, answered all my doubts regarding to electroplating 3D printed parts. However, this process looks too time consuming and expensive for me, I guess ill sick back to spray paint...

[@Infosmercial]

+Ryan Chan well I am glad you liked the video. I understand that it can be a rather expensive proposition, especially if you really just want to experiment or plate small parts. I am working on an alternate process that may be more cost effective and can be less time consuming. That video is a little off in the future for now, but it's coming...

[@shawnholthus5770]

Is there a cheaper way of doing this effect? Want to do it but so expensive tho.

[@Infosmercial]

Hey Shawn! So I have been looking into getting this done for as cheap as possible. One way to do this is to use graphite powder instead of the nickel spray in order conductively coat the print. This requires some finesse though and is a bit of a pain, but it is also significantly cheaper. I am looking into other cheaper ways of DIY’ing the rest of the kits like making your own copper solution etc... It will be some time before I get to it, but I will be making a video on it in the future.

[@GeoffroAU]

Wow, most impressive! Thanks for the shoutout, glad you enjoyed the model!

[@Infosmercial]

Oh wow! Absolutely thanks for making it! And thanks for watching the vid I’m glad you liked it.

[@GeoffroAU]

Oh I did, I have wanted to get into electroplating for such a long time so, so I came here to learn that when I saw it was my phasma you were actually electroplating I was stoked lol

[@Infosmercial]

Oh wow. It all comes full circle then doesn’t it?! Haha.

[@Infosmercial]

Oh wow. It all comes full circle then doesn’t it?! Haha.

[@calebfink3542]

I knew I couldn't afford to try this project the second I saw the apple air pods...

[@theputnamto3468]

i kknow this is old, but a way to perfect your technique is plating on clean grease free metal currency, i did this a bunch of times with different quarters, and their nickel and polished so they just look like new quarters and they go back in circulation. that just gave me a taste though, ive since started trying to move into dipping into a tank instead of using a wand, this way i can do more complex shapes

[@JMTosses]

Very well done for a third video. Digging your style, keep them coming! Cheers!

[@Infosmercial]

+JM Tosses Thanks for taking the time to watch the vid. Cheers!

[@Couple_of_dice]

Hi What is the current and voltage on the converter thing ? The brush is just an towl on a pice of metal ?

[@Infosmercial]

+Carsten Lenzen Hi there! The caswell plug n plate kit includes a 5V 225mA charger for connecting to the metal brush. It isn't a towel, but rather gauze that is used. It is lightly wrapped around the brush and secured at the end with a rubber band. It's not just any piece of metal. Each wand is made of a specific type of metal that is dependent upon the solution to are using. For copper solution, you would use a copper wand. For nickel solution, you would use either a nickel or stainless steel wand. Hope this helps!

[@jananstunes]

Bro! I'm subscribing. Very cool and great commentary

[@chrismccormickreel]

Two questions....Are there any advantages to using a DC bench power supply vs just grabbing an adapter and putting clips on it....Also, if you go the adapter route what specs are we looking for? Secondly, when making your own brushes do you need a barrier between your hand in the anode? Or do yoy basically just wrap the anode with a sponge/cloth and throw the clip on?

[@Infosmercial]

Yes there are definitely advantages. Different materials plate at different electrical outputs. Luckily, copper and nickel plate around the same, which is why adapters work fine. If however you may want to use other metals like gold, you may not plate optimally using the fixed output of an adapter. Again tho, if your just doing copper and nickel, adapters work fine. Copper and nickel plate at around 5v with I believe .7 amps per square inch. If your using smaller anodes (thickness of a pencil), you’ll want an adapter that outputs at 5v around 200-400 mA. Making brushes I would highly recommend where rubberized, electric safe work gloves. The risk is minimal if you make your connections properly, but of course sometimes things don’t work that way. More importantly, your also working with highly caustic materials. Making the brushes really is as simple as buying a copper sheet for copper and stainless steel sheet for nickel and slapping a bandage on it. Hook it up and your good to go. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@chrismccormickreel]

Infosmercial Thank you so much for the detailed answers...awesome video and I can't wait to try it out!

[@Infosmercial]

You got it man!

[@futurehipay]

Maybe dumb question but couldn't you get a nickel finish spray paint, prime it sand it and finish with that? The playing looks amazing though

[@hudreous]

So I bought all these materials and tried it myself, but didn't have much luck. While it did put down some small (VERY small) amounts of copper, it wasn't nearly enough to get this kind of effect. I followed all the instructions and took my time trying to apply it, but no luck. I also used a multimeter to make sure it was a proper conductive surface. Sadly disappointing. Maybe my Caswell kit is no good, since trying it on other materials didn't work very well either.

[@andrekoczka3777]

Can't help but notice that you had two different  watches on your wrist in the video. You just got a new subscriber for that.

[@Infosmercial]

+André Koczka lol glad that did it for you. It turns out that I vinyl wrapped my stainless black Apple Watch to look like the white ceramic edition. The results were pretty darn good I gotta say! Easy to remove too. Hope that owning only one Apple Watch doesn't make you unsubscribe :P Thanks for watching!

[@TheRealStructurer]

Late to the game but great technique. I was expecting you to dunk the whole helmet in a bath, but this must be much cheaper and easier to do at home. Perfect for a project I have in mind 👍🏻

[@MrCOUNTYCORK]

Great video , you can get ta similar metal finish by getting the right spray paint aerosol products cheaper I would think ,and an airbrush

[@bronschuler8482]

Where did u get the larger wand cuz the little one isn’t really doing anything and it’s coming out all dull

[@MartinDolan]

Great video! Techniques like this are great to have in the toolbelt. Perfect mix of detail, knowledge and humour ☺️

[@Infosmercial]

+Martin Dolan I’m glad you liked it. Thanks watching the vid. Cheers!

[@DanteNava]

I've seen this video a few times now... Why Nickel to Copper back to Nickel and not just Nickle to more nickel?

[@noyza2132]

would acetone vapor smoothing the print work well enough for plating?

[@michaelbateman8469]

An easier and less time consuming polishing method, is a product called Nevr Dull [it may actually be NEVER, I don't recall]. It's relatively inexpensive and lasts a long time. It comes in a can/tin and is composed of a cotton batting impregnated with some type of oil. We used it in the military to polish things that are supposed to be shiny, brass door handles, military accoutrements (buttons, badges, etc). As a GI, I wanted to find the easiest, quickest method. We didn't want to waste our precious time on make-work crap. This is it. It does leave a thin coat of oil on the item, so thorough cleaning is essential.

[@TheSirSpence]

Why did you do copper first, why not skip straight to nickel?

[@madmikedds]

Can you use same process to chrome plastic?

[@Loup_Solitaire007]

I don't understand, why did you copper plate before you nickel plated?

[@StuartWilson4d]

this is your first video? holy no my man great work! can't wait to try this!

[@Infosmercial]

Stuart Wilson hey thanks for checking it out! Good luck with your project!

[@TheSirSpence]

Why would you not start with Nikel?

[@timojissink4715]

It would be pretty much perfect for the project i'm working on but it's like a 2 meter wide concrete printed seating... I would need to firstly smooth the surface and then I would need a really big brush.

[@businessmastery8748]

fantastic quality. You'll go far on youtube

[@Infosmercial]

+Business Mastery Thank you very much and thanks for watching. I certainly am working my a$$ off on these videos to deliver something of quality. You can expect this level of effort and quality in all the videos I post here. Cheers!

[@UDoIt2]

Electroplating keyword is ranked #4!!! Excellent video. Subscribed/Liked. I got my tickets to NYMaker Faire.

[@pigstix]

I wonder if conductive pla would work as well?

[@Infosmercial]

It just might. I did a whole lotta of research and have not been able to find one that would work suitably. I have heard from many others that have tried and it may work, but only on very small portions, which made it very tough to work on large scale projects. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@JCCappelletti]

Maybe this is said already, but I have to mention the very serious warning label on this bottle of Conductive Paint. "Suspected of causing Cancer" and "Do not come in contact with skin" are pretty serious hazards. Please be aware that you should never inhale airborne particles of any heavy metal like Nickle, or Lead. Please use heavy duty gloves and coverings on your eyes and basically any exposed skin. Also, finding the maker of the Conductive (Nickle) Water-based paint was tricky. My order from amazon was a bust - google the brand and find a local distributor worked very well.

[@JCCappelletti]

Not trying to scare anyone away. I think this process is awesome. Just be informed of the risks. In case you think I'm exaggerating, here is the actual text from warning label: "DANGER: May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damages to organs (lungs) through prolonged or repeated exposure by inhalation. Suspected of causing cancer. May cause allergic skin reaction. Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Keep out of reach of children. Obtain special instructions before use. Do not handle until all safety precautions have been read and understood. Do not breather mist/spray. Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product. Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection. Contaminated work clothing should not be allowed out of the workplace. Wash hands thoroughly after handling. Avoid release to the environment. Store locked up. IF exposed or concerned: Get medical advice/attention. IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water. If skin irritational or rash occurs, Get Medical advice/attention. Take off contaminated clothing and wash before reuse. Get medical attention/ advice if you feel unwell. ...."

[@lewiekab]

Dude!!! That was badass.

[@Infosmercial]

+OG LewisOne glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

[@Noadvantage246]

Dude this video is amazing it's criminal how you only have 5k subs

[@Infosmercial]

Haha thanks. I’m just having fun making videos for the time being.

[@paulesposi]

This super shield spray goes on so rough, very hard to sand without removing the layer! Any tips? Just layer on a lot?

[@maxtorquetv]

how can we make our own conductive brush????

[@roadstar499]

i just don't get why you polished copper?? i would think just leave it clean and plate over it... can you explain this? thanks

[@MrSeanmcgall]

so will this overtime discolor bronze again?

[@rossosaurus21]

Hi, really good video on methods of doing electroplating. Have you tried this on non sanded prints with visible layers. I'm looking for methods of smoothing prints without sanding.

[@Infosmercial]

+Rossosaurus hey there rosso, glad you enjoyed the vid! I haven't tried this exact method on non sanded parts. It would probably be kinda tough to build up thick enough layers to make the appearance smooth. Two things you should look into: one is a product for xtc smooth-on. The stuff is relatively cheap and does a fantastic job at eliminating the need for sanding. Note though that this is a 2 part epoxy so it requires careful handling and safety precautions. The other thing to try is high fill or high build primer. This stuff can easily be found at automotive stores, Amazon, Walmart... all you really do is spray thin, bet wet coats a few times and it starts to build up. In my experience, it still requires a small bit of sanding whereas the xtc smooth on can be good to go after one or two coats. Cheers!

[@rossosaurus21]

+Infosmercial Oh awesome, I'll definitely try xtc. Keep up the good work

[@cityhunterinak]

how strong is the helmet now compared to when it was just I'm assuming PLA? and would you have to bother with the super shield if you got that conductive PLA from I think proto pasta?

[@Infosmercial]

cityhunterinak thanks for watching the video. I used abs for my print and prefer to work with it for a number of reasons. It sands down easy is the biggest. Having a smooth surface is key to getting a highly reflective surface if your electroplating. There are ways of doing this tho with PLA like using XTC Smooth on. As far as using super shield goes, it is remarkably conductive. More so than any 3d printable filament you will find. This makes electroplating a fast process. I did some research into conductive filament and it appeared that none would work well enough to get the job done when it came to electroplating.

[@fmhqbattousai]

cityhunterinak : This is simply adding very, very thin layers of metal to the outside of the plastic. Any strength/durability increase vs regular PLA would be negligible at best. It's more for looks than anything. If you wanted an actual metal helmet you would need to take the 3D print and use it in the same manner as a "lost wax investment" casting setup, with a smelting forge and a decent amount of aluminum melted down....it would be likely too heavy to wear and a monstrous amount of work to polish -- but very durable vs a plastic print.

[@danieldare2640]

Funny and smart enough to get me to subscribe. Keep up the great work. Thanks

[@Infosmercial]

+Daniel Dare thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you liked it. Cheers!

[@assujabbari]

Nice video! You got much patience to do this project.

[@erre333]

Would it help if the entire helmets is dipped on a bucket? I’m really curious

[@r603burakkusuta2]

Noy made out of metal, just coated. Also, why not put a protective coating to prevent rusting?

[@Infosmercial]

+R603 Burakkusuta a clear coat is certainly a great idea and something that I did. For simplicity purposes, I omitted any further steps in the video. I may expand upon this material in the future.

[@jlegoj0]

What did you make the bigger brush out of? Is it just a piece of nickel? Does the cloth/rag need to be anything special?

[@Infosmercial]

+Jesse Haworth sorry for the delay. For plating with nickel, you'll want to use either a nickel or stainless steel brush. I purchased some stainless steel sheet metal, cut a strip off, and wrapped it loosely with gauze. To plate with copper, you'll want to use a copper brush. I did the same thing as the nickel. Just bought a copper sheet and chopped it up. The clothe should be something that is capable of holding and retaining large amounts of liquid. This is very important as you need solution to be in constant contact with both the surface of what your plating, and the metal brush itself. Cotton gauze is pretty good at this.

[@tobyjamison6801]

Kick ass!! I now know how I will obtain/build my ZX-3 parts!!

[@LonganLee]

How many more grams have been added to the helmet weight?

[@AzurelimitM]

Would this work on plastic model kits?

[@promophobe69]

What are the advantages of this process over spray paint?

[@jeffbeck6501]

Fantastic concept. Great job.

[@Infosmercial]

Jeff Beck Thank you for checking it out! Stay tuned, there is more coming.

[@Hex3DPatreon]

sadly the link for the model is no longer there :(

[@XanderOwen24]

huh i think im the one thousandth subscriber. cool. keep up the good work

[@Infosmercial]

+Dremples Plays Minecraft BOOM!!!! Thanks for subscribing!

[@Musica2556]

how well does the metal adhere to the helmet compared to spray painting? im afraid of scratches and chips :(

[@Infosmercial]

covertspy2556 it can hold up to mild scratched and minor banging around but any gouged or rough scratches will damage the finish. My recommendation is to buy a can of acrylic enamel spray paint and coat it with ~ 3 coats. This is what I did and helps to increase the durability pretty drastically.

[@Musica2556]

Thx Dr Smercial!

[@TheRealSuperman217]

That was sick. Great job.

[@Infosmercial]

+TheRealSuperman217 glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@ShadowcasterZero]

So can you use this process to coat small items with chrome?

[@Infosmercial]

+ShadowcasterZero yeah absolutely you can. I've done this smaller parts and the results are stellar. Much more polished and mirror-y than the helmet in this video. It all depends on home much time you spend sanding, plating, and polishing.

[@russnbish]

Is there a way to dunk it?

[@turniptoss]

can someone try electroplating metal infused filament such as colorfabs copperfill?

[@djmips]

I would have liked to see the initial Nickel paint application step.

[@Infosmercial]

+djmips I may do this as a separate video in the near future. I am making a few more on 3d printing soon including assembling, sanding, and painting them. Stay tuned!

[@redjack2629]

honestly, I would have gone for Zinc on phasma, since zinc is a more pure silver than either tin or nickel, both of which have a bit of a yellowish tint to them.

[@Dyrwen]

Here from reddit. Thanks for all the helpful links in the description, having been a metal and resin caster before, this process looks real practical for modifying plastic models.

[@Infosmercial]

CopyOfACopyOfLife Repeat yeah it's a pretty easy way of adding metal to plastics. I tried a lot of different methods and this was not only the easiest overall, but yielded the best results. Thanks for watching!

[@wesk1318]

Where did you get the larger wand from? Are you still using the cadwell plug?

[@c3diy]

Could you achieve a mirror finish if sanding the nickel plating? I've already read in the comments that nickel is tougher than copper but is it still doable or should i use something else to get a mirror finish plated?

[@Infosmercial]

+cedricfilm I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. You may need to plate the nickel for a longer time since the layer don't build as thick. You may also need a more "aggressive" polishing compound and/or polishing method as the metal is tougher to polish. It should work though.

[@c3diy]

Thanks for the info!

[@SetitesTechAdventures]

Why polish the copper? Doesn't it make it harder to plate with the nickel?

[@Coychef]

Using the nickel print then plating select parts like high lights would be awesome

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Wow, that's very cool!!! I can think of a dozen things I could use that plating on. Thanks for sharing.

[@Infosmercial]

+sam yeates of course! I'm glad you get it. The helmet is no doubt, pretty awesome, but the process can be applied to so much more. Thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@Noggernono]

have you thought about using acetone-steam to smooth out the abs surface? I assume this would make it more shiny without polishing

[@Infosmercial]

Noggernono Yeah I have used that technique occasionally and it can work with pretty good results. The reason I like sanding and using either something like XTC Smooth On or Filler Primer is the level of control you have over detail. I never got that great with acetone smoothing and it seems easy to take it too far. sorta difficult for large prints too.

[@jeroenleroy1850]

Say Mr Infosmercial! Could this work on Brass/Bronze PLA (I've got like 80%-20% bronse-pla ratio!)

[@Infosmercial]

+Jeroen Le Roy hey Jeroen! It depends. This time last year when I looking around for conductive filament and found that none could reliably be used for electroplating. The only real requirement is that the filament is conductive enough. The easiest way to tell is to use a multimeter to test your filament for conductivity. One thing to note about using your filament: PLA is notoriously difficult to sand down so it's smooth. It sounds like you just might be able to do it and it'd probably look pretty damn cool with the ridges from the printed layers too. I'd love to check out pics or whatever when your done trying!

[@B33SON1]

What's the durability like with electroplating? Better than spray paint I'm guessing? Does it chip?

[@CorrosiveMind1O3]

Ive always wanted to know how to electro plate plastic. Really great video! Cant wait to try this!

[@Infosmercial]

+CorrosiveMind1O3 Yeah it’s really cool stuff and the results can be downright amazing. Thanks for watching!

[@Hogger301]

Like the video. I think Blue Magic paste works a lot quicker though.

[@Infosmercial]

+Hogger301 Thanks for watching the vid! Hmm, I have never tried that stuff on a 3d print. I’ll have to try it out. Neat suggestion.

[@Hogger301]

I have used it on my motorcycle, and cars headlights for years. Lot's less elbow grease, and non abrasive,

[@Infosmercial]

Hogger301 well it definitely looks promising. Might be a really good alternative.

[@ryanpierce362]

Did you have to do anything to get the nickel spray to come out that evenly? I did three coats and on the last one just barely sanded it down with 1200 grit sand paper to be smooth again and the results still look...splotchy? For lack of a better word. Lol

[@chrismccormickreel]

Curious if you came up with a solution for this issue?

[@GaaraMeepo]

What was the before and after weight of the helmet?

[@Infosmercial]

+Gaara I'm uncertain of the measurements. In this case, just feeling it the weight added was small. I made one where I tankplated the individual pieces before assembling the helmet. That's led to thicker plating and plating the inside. This added significant heft.