#copper crystals

[nerdbrah]

Growing Copper and Silver Crystals for Arta

Growing Copper and Silver Crystals for Art

Usually when Hackaday covers electroplating techniques, it’s to talk about through-hole PCB plating. But did you know you can use the same method to produce beautiful copper and silver crystal structures? [Fred and Connie Libby] are kind enough to share how they make their crystals that they sell in tiny glass vials you can wear around your neck. The process is simple as you would think; it’s just an electrolyte solution, with a current passing through it, depositing the metal in an ion-exchange. Rather then stop once the part is sufficiently covered, you let the process run amok, and soon …read more #Art, #Chemistry, #ChemistryHacks, #Copper, #CopperCrystals, #Electroplating, #Silver, #SilverCrystals

New post from NerdBrah.com

[pinealvisionjewelry]

Copper Electroforming Over Amethyst Crystals

Today I have been experimenting with some of my amethyst crystals! Who doesn't love amethyst?! Here are the 3 pieces I want to electroplate with copper.

I already coated them with conductive paint. I didn't paint the silver wire & jump rings cause those are already metallic & copper will form on anything metal. So I just dunked them in the bath one at a time for several hours. I put them on higher than usual. I get a better coverage that way. I set the amerage on about .21 for the sliced cluster piece.

As you can see the silver wiring at the top is still showing so I put it back in the bath for some time. It looks to be getting nice coverage.

I didn't snap a photo of the amethyst cluster after the second time in the bath so I apologize. It was somewhat like the other 2 pieces in this photo. So I sanded it down with my dremel & got that beautiful penny-like shine! I love it & I think I'm readyay to antique it then sell it!

The other 2 pieces were in the bath, separately, for several hours each. I got a nice thick coating. I discovered that with the amethyst ball pendant the copper would have eventually grew all the way around the ball if I had left it in there for longer. I knew this cause I only painted the very top & the copper grew way past that paint line. (see first photo for reference.) So that was really neat!

Come back to see the other 2 pieces finished! I will be incorporating my macrame knot work with these pieces so you don't want to miss that! 

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Thanks for reading along!

-- Brittany Witt, Jewelry Designer at Pineal Vision Jewelry.