boylesg
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Building on my method of producing copper foil, I have decided to try the following.
I am going to glue regular kitchen aluminium foil to my PVC toroid former (made with 4 x 90 degree bends) and then electroplate a layer of copper on to it.
Have been running a couple of test pieces this afternoon and tonight.
The first one I used a latex based floor tile adhesive. However that seems to release an acid of some sort that completely dissolved the aluminium foil. I was thinking that this glue would be preferable due to its reasonable electrical conductivity.
I am now running another test piece where I used araldite to glue the foil on. That seems to be working so far and I can see patchy deposition of copper over the foil surface. Time will tell if this turns into a continuous cover of copper.
I also previously noticed that copper seems to deposit first in any scratches on the aluminium surface. So I have glued the aluminium with its more matt surface facing up.
- - - Updated - - -
Aluminium foil seems to dissolve in copper sulfate faster than you can get a layer of copper depositied. Once the foil is gone the copper just deposits in clumps and then falls off.
Next experiment has been to coat the plastic in latex base glue, dust it with graphite and then wrap fine bare copper wire around it so that the spacing between turns is fairly small.
In this case the copper deposits on the bare wire but also over the surface of the graphite. So this technique seems to overcome the low conductivity of graphite plus latex glue.
Perhaps if I can get good layer of copper I can remove the wire and continue plating. Either that or just continue plating until the wire is covered.
- - - Updated - - -
I am going to glue regular kitchen aluminium foil to my PVC toroid former (made with 4 x 90 degree bends) and then electroplate a layer of copper on to it.
Have been running a couple of test pieces this afternoon and tonight.
The first one I used a latex based floor tile adhesive. However that seems to release an acid of some sort that completely dissolved the aluminium foil. I was thinking that this glue would be preferable due to its reasonable electrical conductivity.
I am now running another test piece where I used araldite to glue the foil on. That seems to be working so far and I can see patchy deposition of copper over the foil surface. Time will tell if this turns into a continuous cover of copper.
I also previously noticed that copper seems to deposit first in any scratches on the aluminium surface. So I have glued the aluminium with its more matt surface facing up.
- - - Updated - - -
Aluminium foil seems to dissolve in copper sulfate faster than you can get a layer of copper depositied. Once the foil is gone the copper just deposits in clumps and then falls off.
Next experiment has been to coat the plastic in latex base glue, dust it with graphite and then wrap fine bare copper wire around it so that the spacing between turns is fairly small.
In this case the copper deposits on the bare wire but also over the surface of the graphite. So this technique seems to overcome the low conductivity of graphite plus latex glue.
Perhaps if I can get good layer of copper I can remove the wire and continue plating. Either that or just continue plating until the wire is covered.
- - - Updated - - -
