Glass Beads 107.1- Copper Electroforming

This class will be presented to show the student how to perform Copper Electroplating to glass beads to make beautiful designs.  The class is intended for the beginning student and does not require a lot of experience.  The class will start with an introduction and a presentation slide of the class Syllabus.  The instructor will then conduct an overview of all the equipment and materials as prerequisites for the class

The first lecture will discuss some of the science of electroforming.  The instructor will give a basic, bird’s eye view of the electrochemical process so the student has a better understanding of the science behind electroforming.

Section 2 of the class will consist of an in-depth review of all the equipment, materials, tools and supplies.  Safety equipment will be reviewed first along with the containers that can be used, the DC rectifier/power supply, the copper sulfate solution, the conductive paint, and the ancillary tools and supplies such as distilled water.  Once the review is complete, the instructor will move into the second lecture of this section which is the electroforming cell equipment set-up.  The instructor will demonstrate how to set up a small electroforming cell with 1 anode and a large electroforming cell with 2 anodes.  She will also help the student understand how to connect their cables properly.

Section 3 of the class will be an in-depth study of Bead Preparation.  The instructor will give the students some design ideas for bead shapes and configurations which will help with copper adhesion.  She will also demonstrate some of the painting techniques including how to encapsulate the bead in a “copper cage” and the “belting” technique.  The instructor will also show the students how they can add design elements with stringers and frit.

Section 4 is the actual electroforming process.  The instructor will show the students how to place the beads into the copper sulfate bath, how to connect the cables to the DC rectifier and how the establish the proper amperage and voltage settings for the electroforming process.

Section 5 will demonstrate and discuss different finishing options once the electroforming process is complete.  Cleaning, deburring, grinding, polishing and buffing will all be demonstrated.  In addition. different patinas and coatings will be demonstrated as design embellishments.

Section 6 will demonstrate how to filter the used solution for reuse.

A short wrap up will conclude the class.

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