How to Prepare My Recipe of Graphite Conductive Paint for Electroforming
by CuForming in Workshop > Science
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How to Prepare My Recipe of Graphite Conductive Paint for Electroforming
Lots of people still don't understand how it is Possible to make electricity go through insulating materials. Well… Conductive paint is the answer! In this video, I'm gonna show you how to make and use Graphite Conductive Paint. If you wanna try this DIY recipe, you can find it on my Beacons page from the link below.
Supplies
You can get the “Graphite conductive Paint Recipe” from “HERE”
Mix the ingredient in the way described in the recipe.
Application
First method:
Just like any other paint, you can brush it on your piece. This simple and easy method will leave strokes on any plain surface. If you are planning to make a smooth surface, this is not the right way to apply the paint. Do it if you wanna make a standing texture.
Second method:
For a much more uniform result, the best way to apply the paint is by tapping it with a brush on top of your piece. Any original texture belonging to your pieces will being shown on the final copper coat.
Third method:
If you are planning to paint things that don't hold their shape well such as feathers, fresh leaves, fabric, or paper you can use an airbrush. It will deposit a thin coat of paint in a way that it won't alter the shape. This method require more than one layer of paint to be applied.
Fourth method:
This is the easiest and faster way to apply a prominent coat of paint in just one move. Dip directly your piece in the container and that's it. You only need to be aware of the porosity of your piece. A very porous piece can stay in the paint for just a second, for plastic's objects a few seconds more would be better.
How to make your paint more thin or thick:
If you leave the paint on a shelf, the ingredients in it will settle, and you will see a layer of solvent on top. Just remove some of that solvent with a dropper to thick the paint. If you wanna make it more liquid (to use it with the airbrush) just add a little bit of solvent to your taste.
Some issues:
The tendency of the paint is to settle and the components to get separated, so you need to mix it once in a while. Stir it or shake it to blend it well.
When you put into an electroforming bath a piece that is covered with conductive paint, it could happen sometime that bubbles will appear on the surface of the graphite. To solve this problem, you can just brush them away with the same electroforming solution of your bath to get all the spots wet. If you leave the bubbles on it, the air will prevent the copper to adhere to the graphite. This issue can happen on organic material such as any plants parts.
List of surfaces that can be covered with this paint:
- Dry leaves
- Fresh leaves
- Lace
- Paper or cardboard
- Stones
- Bones
- Plastic
- Wood
- Bark
- Glass
- Feathers
- Plaster
- Branches
- Teeth
- Insects
- Resin
- Fabric
- Shells
- Wax
- Ceramic
- .....and more.
Watch the video on YouTube and subscribe.
Thank you all. CuForming.