I've tried making conductive paint using graphite mixed with, water, acetone, acrylic paint, etc. Used your simple formula, and finally got a consistent quality when plating in copper. Thank you!
Hey Jason, the Greeks made a glaze called terra sigillata by siphoning off the upper layer of slip water with the finest suspended particles. Could you do this with graphite powder in order to get the finest particle? I also wonder if the graphite powder could be magnetically stirred for longish period and in the process the particles will round themselves out… then let the solution settle and siphon the suspended particles and distill.
Jason glad you mention the golden rule for success in conductive paint or ink which is.....graphite powder with small or "micronized" particle size! I've read that the graphite powder mesh size is EXTREMELY important however this is due to the smaller particle sizes creating a colloidal graphite mixture in which the particles are able to evenly disperse in the paint/ink solution when mixing. This creates a much more homogenous mixture and results in overlapping graphite particles when applied. The graphite powder particle size recommended is less than 50 micron & ideally around 10 or 20 micron; but lower is better! That is what most of the conductive coatings patents and academic papers have stated as providing the best conductivity. Unfortunately the cost of genuine micronized graphite under 5 or 10 microns is quite cost prohibitive. Thus I thought it would be interesting to investigate making a small homemade fluidized jet mill micronizer to process my graphite into extremely fine particles. It's a very simple machine that can likely be resin printed. I'll keep you in the loop. P.S. If you ever needed a boost in conductivity, I came across a paper mentioning that adding some carbon black to the graphite powder further lowers conductivity to less than 1 ohm per inch; surpassing what can be obtained from the micronized graphite alone. "The study found that at a higher total carbon loading ink of 29.4% by mass, optimal conductivity (0.029 Ω cm or 0.073 Ω inch) was achieved at a graphite to carbon black ratio of 2.6 to 1" Source: "The effect of graphite and carbon black ratios on conductive ink performance" - Chris Phillips, Awadh Al-Ahmadi, Sarah-Jane Potts, Tim Claypole, Davide Deganello
Woh... Awesome stuff here. I do love papers ! The best graphite powder was general graphite which was a good mesh and did not contain much filler material. I bought like 12 containers just before the market dried up. Have been on the hunt for a new source for sure. Also love designing in 3d so if you need help let me know. Would love to see the concept.
You can get very small particles by using a ball mill, which can be just a rock tumbler if you happen to have one around. It just rotates a container full of your material and some heavy balls. I've read that if you go long enough (weeks) you can get nano scale particles. ---------- India ink is already slightly conductive, though not anywhere near how conductive graphite is. I think this recipe may have a bit of a similar benefit from the ink. I wish I knew where I put mine!
Hi Jason I have a question for you,is it possible to use airbrush with your recipe for painting organics?I just purchased an airbrush and it's gonna be my first time using it,I would so much like to use it with your paint if possible.Thank you 🙏🏽
Hi Jason thanks for all the info. Just wondering if you’ve ever used deer antler in an electro forming bath? Do I need to protect it with a barrier or will it stand up to the solution? Thank for your time
Just cannot find a graphite which goes through the airbrush. It's so frustrating not being able to get the same products in Australia. I feel like I'm just throwing $20 at the wall at a time and nothing is sticking.
Your mask has excellent sound quality. Also, the "recipes for electroforming" section on your website lists the high temperature conductive paint PRODUCT but not the the recipe as I'm assuming you intended.
The blaster and other supposed graphite sprays use what’s called “ synthetic graphites “ they’re not the real thing. Use real graphite, you can look that can stuff up, it’s fake but makes great profits for stockholders , owning stocks on products and getting rich off it isn’t something new, question the things you spread on your toast that say “ made with real butter” butter doesn’t need to say that. 😁
I've tried making conductive paint using graphite mixed with, water, acetone, acrylic paint, etc. Used your simple formula, and finally got a consistent quality when plating in copper. Thank you!
Hey Jason, the Greeks made a glaze called terra sigillata by siphoning off the upper layer of slip water with the finest suspended particles. Could you do this with graphite powder in order to get the finest particle? I also wonder if the graphite powder could be magnetically stirred for longish period and in the process the particles will round themselves out… then let the solution settle and siphon the suspended particles and distill.
Thank you so much! I got your formula for organics and cannot wait to test it out. Waiting on supplies to arrive.
Jason glad you mention the golden rule for success in conductive paint or ink which is.....graphite powder with small or "micronized" particle size! I've read that the graphite powder mesh size is EXTREMELY important however this is due to the smaller particle sizes creating a colloidal graphite mixture in which the particles are able to evenly disperse in the paint/ink solution when mixing. This creates a much more homogenous mixture and results in overlapping graphite particles when applied. The graphite powder particle size recommended is less than 50 micron & ideally around 10 or 20 micron; but lower is better! That is what most of the conductive coatings patents and academic papers have stated as providing the best conductivity. Unfortunately the cost of genuine micronized graphite under 5 or 10 microns is quite cost prohibitive. Thus I thought it would be interesting to investigate making a small homemade fluidized jet mill micronizer to process my graphite into extremely fine particles. It's a very simple machine that can likely be resin printed. I'll keep you in the loop.
P.S. If you ever needed a boost in conductivity, I came across a paper mentioning that adding some carbon black to the graphite powder further lowers conductivity to less than 1 ohm per inch; surpassing what can be obtained from the micronized graphite alone.
"The study found that at a higher total carbon loading ink of 29.4% by mass, optimal conductivity (0.029 Ω cm or 0.073 Ω inch) was achieved at a graphite to carbon black ratio of 2.6 to 1"
Source:
"The effect of graphite and carbon black ratios on conductive ink performance"
- Chris Phillips, Awadh Al-Ahmadi, Sarah-Jane Potts, Tim Claypole, Davide Deganello
Woh... Awesome stuff here. I do love papers ! The best graphite powder was general graphite which was a good mesh and did not contain much filler material. I bought like 12 containers just before the market dried up. Have been on the hunt for a new source for sure. Also love designing in 3d so if you need help let me know. Would love to see the concept.
Quelle est le fournisseur de poudre de graphite et l'encre dont vous parlez ainsi que l'outil pour pulvérisation
You can get very small particles by using a ball mill, which can be just a rock tumbler if you happen to have one around. It just rotates a container full of your material and some heavy balls. I've read that if you go long enough (weeks) you can get nano scale particles.
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India ink is already slightly conductive, though not anywhere near how conductive graphite is. I think this recipe may have a bit of a similar benefit from the ink. I wish I knew where I put mine!
What’s the brand of graphite you are using?
Jason, do you think the modge podge recipe, diluted with distilled water would not work?
Hi Jason I have a question for you,is it possible to use airbrush with your recipe for painting organics?I just purchased an airbrush and it's gonna be my first time using it,I would so much like to use it with your paint if possible.Thank you 🙏🏽
Is copper better than graphite for conductive paint?
Amazing, thank you Jason! I have everything here to play with this! :)
Hello. The LUBRICANT GRAPHITE really work into inmersion?
Hi Jason thanks for all the info. Just wondering if you’ve ever used deer antler in an electro forming bath? Do I need to protect it with a barrier or will it stand up to the solution? Thank for your time
Shellac.
Thank you
you can use any solvent in an airbrush
Just cannot find a graphite which goes through the airbrush. It's so frustrating not being able to get the same products in Australia. I feel like I'm just throwing $20 at the wall at a time and nothing is sticking.
did you find anything , from australia too, tried graphite , no luck
Can you polish the airbrushed graphite paint, and would that get you a better conductivity?
Yes it will be much better
awesome info. what happen to your website for the electroforming class?
www.firstdensitymaterial.com/
I am a laboratory technician at a graphite processing company. We have ISO
Thanks for sharing!
How can I copper plate bone? Say a wishbone from a chicken. Have you tried using carbon black instead of graphite?
Thank you !
You can definitively clean your airbrush with acetone 👍
Your mask has excellent sound quality. Also, the "recipes for electroforming" section on your website lists the high temperature conductive paint PRODUCT but not the the recipe as I'm assuming you intended.
The blaster and other supposed graphite sprays use what’s called “ synthetic graphites “ they’re not the real thing. Use real graphite, you can look that can stuff up, it’s fake but makes great profits for stockholders , owning stocks on products and getting rich off it isn’t something new, question the things you spread on your toast that say “ made with real butter” butter doesn’t need to say that. 😁
🥲
Please wear gloves and a mask when handling graphite powder :)