Attempted to electroplate copper on watch case..

[cwazy1]

Well this is my first attempt and its on an OLD ass case that my buddy gave me... the surface was pretty whacky so I'm blaming the non perfect finish on that.

This is what it looks like right after plating.. Its currently sitting in hardboiled egg for oxidation and rusting...

Keep in mind that this process is intended for vintage pieces, lol...

 

[cwazy1]

OK, copper oxidizes fast..

wrist shot

 

[intheshadows]

Thats pretty neat looking, how thick do you think the plating is?

 

[shaidx]

little bit of sanding and smoothing and it will be perfect

 

[cwazy1]

Its a tiny bit thinner than alum foil. But it is thick enough to actually 'peel' off

 

[cwazy1]

I'm going to use vinegar and salt to see how it looks polished. give me a few mins

 

[Ballface]

This is a sweet thread. Refreshing like mad here

 

[DocEdelschick]

hurry up bro...

 

[cwazy1]

ehhh, nothing really happened with the vinegar, it made the finish a little smoother, but not really by much. still looks the same haha...

My next plan of action is a nickel underplate. (just ordered from the bay) with a copper overplate. This should yield a better coat since nickel is generally a space filler.

 

[cwazy1]

i'm thinking of getting this and making it a copper build...

age the hands, coffee the dial, copper the case, get a cool orangish vintage leather...

http://jacksontse.com/new/product-page.php?product_id=251

 

[mrfog]

Get some Brasso or similar abrasive metal polish on it, that will bring it out very well if the plating has worked. Elbow grease required. Did this when I used to gold plate stuff.

 

[cwazy1]

Hmm... well I do have barkeeps powder which is similar to brasso, but the issue here is that the plating is not distributed evenly, especially in the areas on the backside of the lugs... If i were to try and polish heavily... I think I would start breaking the plate in certain areas...

I dont know why areas like behind the lugs do not allow the plating to adhere properly..

 

[cwazy1]

OK, I did some polishing and this is what it looked like afterwards..

 

[Wacker23]

That looks nice after the polishing .

 

[cwazy1]

thanks man... I cant wait to plate a 45mm cali rad.

 

[mrfog]

Get some agitation of the electrolyte going as well. Bubbles are forming and preventing further plating taking place in those areas. The liquid needs to be kept moving

 

[Fiddo]

That looks pretty neat! Interesting stuff...thanks for posting it.

 

[cwazy1]

Get some agitation of the electrolyte going as well. Bubbles are forming and preventing further plating taking place in those areas. The liquid needs to be kept moving

hmmm.. so is that the reason why I'm missing certain areas? I was sure to check for bubbles and did not see anything.. I did use an aquarium bubbler for a little bit but almost felt as though that didnt do anything

 

[nielsen]

This is too cool! Can you tell us something about the electroplating equipment you use. is this something you picked up on ebay? Is this something a neophyte like me can do reasonably easily? What are the costs involved? I see serious potential here--because I love that aged copper look.

 

[cwazy1]

hmmm, if someone sends me something to plate (something not terribly nice)... I'll do a tutorial haha.. but for now, I'm out of stuff to plate..

Although if I were to do a tut... i'd want to try out nickel baseplating under copper plate, which *should* ensure a better finish.

And to answer your question nielsen, yeah its pretty straight forward for a general plate, but I'm primarily trying to get it fine tuned..