Thank you for this! I’m currently a metalsmith and want to get into electroforming. Can I make my rings with a sterling silver band (since I already have the wire) and then start the electroforming process for the gems?
Just one point is unclear to me. Why is not possible to electroform a full thick silver piece? Eventually could I make a thin layer of copper as support and erode it chemically as 2nd step? I'm interested in electrotype some silver jewlery.
No, im Sorry, Tifoo doesnt ship to the US because of customs restrictions on chemical liquids. And so far I havent heard of a premade solution in the US that works as flawlessly as the one from tifoo. But the again im just some swiss dude who doesnt even remotely know the american supplies of electroforming chemicals. So take my words with a grain of coppersulfate ;-)
Interesting, thank you! So I can not use 925 sterlign silver? It has to be fine? Also, the silver piece will have a copper layer underneath it?is it no way of acheiving a piece in solid 925 sterling silver? :) Thank you!
Yes to all of your questions. Its not possible to electroform 925 silver. The only way you achieve solid 925 stuff is with using silver metalclay or by casting it. Metalclay being less dangerous but more expensive.
Thanks for sharing those key differences in the processes, and been clear about the toxicity of most commercial silver plating soultions. Is there any chance you could share more info about the cool spinny gadget you use to rotate the pieces in the baths, it looks incredibly useful and practical!
Thanx David ... the spinny thing im using is the ROTAJIG. A bold name for a little gimmick i constructed to have my pieces moving in the Solution. You can build your own too. I made a DIY Manual - Link is in the Description or just klick here: drive.google.com/file/d/15NfkE-hSU_soRJr-C3I7oPBkl4shtxow/view?usp=sharing
@@xeno_arch9887 Wow!! That's amazing ^_^ Thank you so very much! I'll check this out and hopefully get one made up soon. That's by far the coolest gadget I've seen for electroforming yet :D
Thanks for your informations. I was told that you cannot plated silver directly over copper, but first plated with palladium or other metal. Same thing for gold. What do you think? Thank you
I'm looking for steps to build or buy a rotating jig. I can 3d print and work with electronics and motors, but I just don't understand how the charged wire connects to the stationary alligator clip that continuously spins via to motor. Does the bearing for the rotating axis need to be all metal so I can connect a stationary charged wire to it? Thanks for your info.
Hi! I have a couple questions. Can I cover the solution with a lid after use so the fumes aren't still in the air? Also, is gold electroforming the same thing? But with a gold solution and anode?
HejHej Ariel ... Thanx for Commenting 🤙 Actually, I made a Video about the "Standby Mode" aka "what to do after use" : ua-cam.com/video/-lg3_0-dL2g/v-deo.html ... Unfortunately I have never electroformed with Gold, so I cant confirm its the same process as with silver.
Hejhej brizzy ... since the layer of silver is usually not too thick ... about 10-20 microns you should be okay with a short piece of silverwire for - lets say - a ring. It really doesnt take much. If you use a silver teaspoon i bet youll easily eform thru 40-50 rings.
Hi from the west coast of the US! Bummer tifoo doesn’t ship here, their website makes Electroforming seem like a breeze. There are a few carriers like Rio grande and some on Amazon. I’ve only used rio grande and followed some of Jason Welchs work to make my own. I don’t care for making it myself like you said I just want to make jewelry. I don’t yet own a 3D printer and I’m not that computer savvy. I really appreciate you sharing the document to make your rotajig. I’m wondering if you would be interested in selling me one? I don’t think I would be the only one interested. I’ve used a magnetic stirrer under my solution bin but I don’t like how un-sturdy it feels and I doesn’t have the same effect of coating evenly.
Oh I also meant to add thanks for sharing all of this information. Adding the fish tank filter is such a good idea!! I want to try to recreate your set up and find the best US products to share with everyone as well.
That would be awesome. I get a lot of questions outta US regarding Setup and Chemaicals, but unfortunately ive absolutely no knowledge about similar products and their availability in the US. The pond between us is just too big 🙈 not for inspiration and love, but for the hardware.
Hejhej ... if the Silver-Layer is thick enough ... i.e. 20 microns ... it wont come off ... but any metal used in jewelry is subject to mechanical wear and will eventually suffer from dents and dings.
May you tell us if you May go with nickel before you go with the silver And May you do the same procedure with gold? Do you heat the silver while you do the electroplating and at what temperature Thank you so much
HejHej Ana ... yepp ... it is possible to go nickel before silver. But i dont know the exact workflow because nickel electrolytes are very toxic and known to cause cancer. i stay away from very toxic stuff in my workshop. but you can go palladium before silver or gold. palladium is much safer to work with. Your workflow would be: conductive paint - copper - thin layer of palladium - gold or silver (tho the thin layer of palladium already looks very silverish and is actually more noble than silver) None of my electrolytes require heating. i use products from tifoo.de (no affiliation whatsoever - i just really like their stuff - it just works, always) and these electrolytes work perfectly with room temperature. hope 2 have helped. happy eforming!
Hello! Your video is perfect for me ! I have a question. I already gold plating and Im using palladium for the first "layer". Do you think its possible to do the same process before using silver electroforming. Thanks a lot a for your answer :)
Hello Pauline. Thx for your Comment. May I answer with a Counter-Question: Why would you want to plate silver over Palladium? Palladium blows Silver out of the Water in almost every Aspect: its more noble than Silver. Palladium one of the earth’s most durable elements and is a precious hard metal that resists corrosion. While for the trained eye palladium is a tad bit darker than silver it is pretty hard to tell the difference between jewelry plated with palladium or plated with silver. And: palladium is more expensive. So why cover your gorgeous palladium with silver? Id just go with your "first layer" of palladium. 🌟🌟🌟
Yes sure, thanks for your answer. I saw its possible to do silver electroforming directly with silver paint but impossible to find this kind of product and Im afraid about the duration over time. Your solution looks great. It is really silver electroforming or silver plating? However, I wonder about the duration of electroforming with tifoo products which seems very short.
@pOuiin3 I love tifoo-products exactly because of that: they e-form very quickly and the results are predictable^and repeatable. But thats only my humble experience. you could test it: Their solutions are available in small batches as well so you can test it and see for yourself before you invest in massive loads of solution. Im sure itll be fun! And the folks over at Tifoo are cool as well. Ive already asked them a thousand questions and they always answered.
hello amanda. pretty standard procedure: cover the piece with conductive paint where you want the silver to be. then electroform with copper and then electroform with silver.
Ahhh thank you so much for this video! I am currently wanting to up my game from copper to silver and been so lost. I see people say that you have to do a barrier layer of a different metal onto the copper before doing the silver. Here in your video you go straight from copper to silver, do you have any problems with not having a barrier inbetween? I'd prefer to go from copper straight to silver without having to do a barrier. I am in Australia so am not able to get the same chemicals you have so am hoping I can get same results with what I can get in my country.
Hello Earth Soul. I havent encountered any Problems going from copper straight to silver without a a barrier. This is probably due to the electrolytes I use. I understand that my provider tifoo.de doesnt ship worldwide because of safety-restrictions when shipping chemicals. This is a real bummer because their stuff just works out of the box every time. Unfortunately I still havent found any provider in the US nor in Australia that offers similar electrolytes. Im afraid i can't help you and hope youll be still able to find a provider in your area.
@@xeno_arch9887 Thank you so much for the response. I have found some electrolytes, hoping I can get them to work for me here! So eager to make some of my copper pieces into silver. :) Love your videos btw, they are cool and I like listening to you talk about things, you have a lovely energy. All the best!
Haha dropped another banger at the end of the video!
Oooooo goooosh....i love the results and possibilities but i didnt quiet thought jewellerymaking would require a whole chemlab
I enjoyed watching this. thank you
Nice video, thank you for these precious advices!
Thanx for your kind comment, hope your pieces will turn out beautifully!
what a fire video, thank you! and your work in incredible
Thanx for the Propz and it hopefully inspired you to create some incredible stuff too ... its easy and its fun!
whats in the silver solution? i was wondering if silver nitrate can be good way. maybe some acid for better conductivity...
Thank you for this! I’m currently a metalsmith and want to get into electroforming. Can I make my rings with a sterling silver band (since I already have the wire) and then start the electroforming process for the gems?
Thank you so much Blessings
awesome video thanks!
Thank you 4 the kind words and happy eforming 🌟
@@xeno_arch9887 🥰🤙
Just one point is unclear to me. Why is not possible to electroform a full thick silver piece? Eventually could I make a thin layer of copper as support and erode it chemically as 2nd step? I'm interested in electrotype some silver jewlery.
Very helpful video. Any advice for how to get Tifoo electrolyte solutions in the US?
No, im Sorry, Tifoo doesnt ship to the US because of customs restrictions on chemical liquids. And so far I havent heard of a premade solution in the US that works as flawlessly as the one from tifoo. But the again im just some swiss dude who doesnt even remotely know the american supplies of electroforming chemicals. So take my words with a grain of coppersulfate ;-)
Fantastic!
Thank you!
Interesting, thank you! So I can not use 925 sterlign silver? It has to be fine? Also, the silver piece will have a copper layer underneath it?is it no way of acheiving a piece in solid 925 sterling silver? :) Thank you!
Yes to all of your questions. Its not possible to electroform 925 silver. The only way you achieve solid 925 stuff is with using silver metalclay or by casting it. Metalclay being less dangerous but more expensive.
I had this same question but with gold.
Thanks for sharing those key differences in the processes, and been clear about the toxicity of most commercial silver plating soultions.
Is there any chance you could share more info about the cool spinny gadget you use to rotate the pieces in the baths, it looks incredibly useful and practical!
Thanx David ... the spinny thing im using is the ROTAJIG. A bold name for a little gimmick i constructed to have my pieces moving in the Solution. You can build your own too. I made a DIY Manual - Link is in the Description or just klick here: drive.google.com/file/d/15NfkE-hSU_soRJr-C3I7oPBkl4shtxow/view?usp=sharing
@@xeno_arch9887 Wow!! That's amazing ^_^ Thank you so very much! I'll check this out and hopefully get one made up soon. That's by far the coolest gadget I've seen for electroforming yet :D
Thanks for your informations. I was told that you cannot plated silver directly over copper, but first plated with palladium or other metal. Same thing for gold. What do you think? Thank you
I'm looking for steps to build or buy a rotating jig. I can 3d print and work with electronics and motors, but I just don't understand how the charged wire connects to the stationary alligator clip that continuously spins via to motor. Does the bearing for the rotating axis need to be all metal so I can connect a stationary charged wire to it? Thanks for your info.
nevermind I see you added that in the comments! thanks!!!!
Hi! I have a couple questions. Can I cover the solution with a lid after use so the fumes aren't still in the air? Also, is gold electroforming the same thing? But with a gold solution and anode?
HejHej Ariel ... Thanx for Commenting 🤙 Actually, I made a Video about the "Standby Mode" aka "what to do after use" : ua-cam.com/video/-lg3_0-dL2g/v-deo.html ... Unfortunately I have never electroformed with Gold, so I cant confirm its the same process as with silver.
How big a piece of silver do I need to start?
Hejhej brizzy ... since the layer of silver is usually not too thick ... about 10-20 microns you should be okay with a short piece of silverwire for - lets say - a ring. It really doesnt take much. If you use a silver teaspoon i bet youll easily eform thru 40-50 rings.
Yayyyy thank U so much for this♥️🤓
Ur Welcome ... it was a pleasure
@@xeno_arch9887 🤓🍁🎀
Hi from the west coast of the US! Bummer tifoo doesn’t ship here, their website makes Electroforming seem like a breeze. There are a few carriers like Rio grande and some on Amazon. I’ve only used rio grande and followed some of Jason Welchs work to make my own. I don’t care for making it myself like you said I just want to make jewelry. I don’t yet own a 3D printer and I’m not that computer savvy. I really appreciate you sharing the document to make your rotajig. I’m wondering if you would be interested in selling me one? I don’t think I would be the only one interested. I’ve used a magnetic stirrer under my solution bin but I don’t like how un-sturdy it feels and I doesn’t have the same effect of coating evenly.
Oh I also meant to add thanks for sharing all of this information. Adding the fish tank filter is such a good idea!! I want to try to recreate your set up and find the best US products to share with everyone as well.
That would be awesome. I get a lot of questions outta US regarding Setup and Chemaicals, but unfortunately ive absolutely no knowledge about similar products and their availability in the US. The pond between us is just too big 🙈 not for inspiration and love, but for the hardware.
So does this mean the silver could rub off to shownthr copper underneath in time like eith plating?
Hejhej ... if the Silver-Layer is thick enough ... i.e. 20 microns ... it wont come off ... but any metal used in jewelry is subject to mechanical wear and will eventually suffer from dents and dings.
May you tell us if you May go with nickel before you go with the silver
And May you do the same procedure with gold?
Do you heat the silver while you do the electroplating and at what temperature Thank you so much
HejHej Ana ... yepp ... it is possible to go nickel before silver. But i dont know the exact workflow because nickel electrolytes are very toxic and known to cause cancer. i stay away from very toxic stuff in my workshop. but you can go palladium before silver or gold. palladium is much safer to work with. Your workflow would be: conductive paint - copper - thin layer of palladium - gold or silver (tho the thin layer of palladium already looks very silverish and is actually more noble than silver) None of my electrolytes require heating. i use products from tifoo.de (no affiliation whatsoever - i just really like their stuff - it just works, always) and these electrolytes work perfectly with room temperature. hope 2 have helped. happy eforming!
Hello! Your video is perfect for me ! I have a question. I already gold plating and Im using palladium for the first "layer". Do you think its possible to do the same process before using silver electroforming. Thanks a lot a for your answer :)
Hello Pauline. Thx for your Comment. May I answer with a Counter-Question: Why would you want to plate silver over Palladium? Palladium blows Silver out of the Water in almost every Aspect: its more noble than Silver. Palladium one of the earth’s most durable elements and is a precious hard metal that resists corrosion. While for the trained eye palladium is a tad bit darker than silver it is pretty hard to tell the difference between jewelry plated with palladium or plated with silver. And: palladium is more expensive. So why cover your gorgeous palladium with silver? Id just go with your "first layer" of palladium. 🌟🌟🌟
Yes sure, thanks for your answer.
I saw its possible to do silver electroforming directly with silver paint but impossible to find this kind of product and Im afraid about the duration over time.
Your solution looks great. It is really silver electroforming or silver plating?
However, I wonder about the duration of electroforming with tifoo products which seems very short.
@pOuiin3 I love tifoo-products exactly because of that: they e-form very quickly and the results are predictable^and repeatable. But thats only my humble experience. you could test it: Their solutions are available in small batches as well so you can test it and see for yourself before you invest in massive loads of solution. Im sure itll be fun! And the folks over at Tifoo are cool as well. Ive already asked them a thousand questions and they always answered.
Oh yes I will try for sure! It will be a cool experience thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge
Hi how do you electrorm sea glass in silver please?
hello amanda. pretty standard procedure: cover the piece with conductive paint where you want the silver to be. then electroform with copper and then electroform with silver.
Ahhh thank you so much for this video! I am currently wanting to up my game from copper to silver and been so lost. I see people say that you have to do a barrier layer of a different metal onto the copper before doing the silver. Here in your video you go straight from copper to silver, do you have any problems with not having a barrier inbetween? I'd prefer to go from copper straight to silver without having to do a barrier. I am in Australia so am not able to get the same chemicals you have so am hoping I can get same results with what I can get in my country.
Hello Earth Soul. I havent encountered any Problems going from copper straight to silver without a a barrier. This is probably due to the electrolytes I use. I understand that my provider tifoo.de doesnt ship worldwide because of safety-restrictions when shipping chemicals. This is a real bummer because their stuff just works out of the box every time. Unfortunately I still havent found any provider in the US nor in Australia that offers similar electrolytes. Im afraid i can't help you and hope youll be still able to find a provider in your area.
@@xeno_arch9887 Thank you so much for the response. I have found some electrolytes, hoping I can get them to work for me here! So eager to make some of my copper pieces into silver. :) Love your videos btw, they are cool and I like listening to you talk about things, you have a lovely energy. All the best!