Views: 79

Comment

You need to be a member of Electric Mid&Hi Fired Ceramics to add comments!

Join Electric Mid&Hi Fired Ceramics

Comment by Norm Stuart on June 23, 2013 at 1:15pm

Most helpful, and less waste to deal with than I'd thought.

Comment by Robert Coyle on June 23, 2013 at 11:35am

Actually the process is fairly complicated. When most potters are done, I am only half way through with my piece.

I first incise my leather hard pots and then bisk them. After the bisk, I mask the areas I wish to electroform and glaze the pot.

After the final firing, I epoxy the gemstone in and then paint it with several coats of shellac. The reason I do that is that the turquoise will dissolve in the acid copper solution if I do not seal it really well.

Then I paint the incised area with electro-conductive paint. Once that drys, I put it in the plating bath for two to four days... depending on the look I want to get. There is no physical solder connection between the cathode terminal and the conductive surface.

I built a jig out of plastic that the pot sits on. Wires come down from the top and make point contact with the electro-conductive paint. The wires are stiff enough so that I can bend them to make contact at any point I want. I usually use several wires to speed up the initial plating process.

Once the piece comes out of the plating, I wire brush it and do a chemical patina. The copper patina is similar to raku. The sheen stays pretty much as it is unless the pot is in a very corrosive atmosphere (sea spray). I have waxed a couple of pots but I like matte glazes and it is really not required.

The acid copper solution is used over and over. I have been using the same solutions for five years with just filtration. If a solution gets contaminated, I recrystallize the copper sulphate, neutralize the remaining acid, and throw it out. You can use wood ash to neutralize it take it to the land fill.

Comment by Norm Stuart on June 23, 2013 at 9:54am

Do you put a clear varnish over the copper plating to keep it a bright metallic, or just let the copper oxidize naturally over time? It's quite well done.

I'm also curious what type of conductive paste you use on the patterned area to be plated, and how successfully you're able to eliminate the marks often left by the connection between the conductive paste and the charging wire.

In our outdoor studio, I'd wonder what to do with the spent acid waste bath. I realize you can filter the acid bath periodically to extend the life, but eventually it's replaced.

Comment by Robert Coyle on June 23, 2013 at 8:04am

It is a turquoise gemstone that has been epoxied to the pot and then electroformed with copper. in a plating bath

Comment by Norm Stuart on June 22, 2013 at 10:59pm

What is that "blue turquoise" in the center?

Videos

  • Add Videos
  • View All

Use These Links to Support Us

Low cost flat lapping disc can be used on you potters wheel if you, drill bat pin holes in it, and provide a trickle of water to cool it. At amazon.com, 120 grit for aggressive material removal. Click the image to purchase 

Members have had great things to say about John Britt's new book, Mid-Range Glazes. Click the image to buy from Amazon.com

Purchase Glazes Cone 6 by Michael Bailey, The Potters Book of Glaze Recipes by Emmanuel Cooper, or Making Marks by Robin Hopper, all available at amazon.comMastering Cone 6 Glazes by John Hesselberth & Ron Roy is now out of print.

Harbor Freight is a great place to find unbeatable prices for better HVLP spray guns with stainless steel parts and serviceable economy models, as well as detail guns, all tested by our members for spraying glazes, as well as compressors to power the guns. As yet no one has tested and commented on the remarkably inexpensive air brushes at harbor freight.

The critter siphon gun is a spray alternative that is well liked by some of our members, and is available at amazon.

Amazon is also a competitive source for photo light tents for shooting professional quality pictures of your work. They also have the EZ Cube brand favored by several of our members. You might also want to purchase the book Photographing Arts, Crafts and Collectibles . . .

If you are up to creating videos of your work or techniques you might want to invest in a flip video camera

Following are a few scales useful for potters. Ohaus Triple Pro Mechanical Triple Beam Balance, 2610g x 0.1g, with Tare $169.00

And finally a low cost clone of the OHaus. The Adam Equipment TBB2610T Triple Beam Mechanical Balance With Tare Beam $99.62

ebay is a great alternative for many tools and the equipment used in the ceramics studio - kilns, wheels, extruders, slab rollers are often listed there both new and used.

Tips for Members

If you just want to spout off, it is best accomplished as a blog posting. If you want to get more guidance and ideas from other members, ask a question as a new discussion topic. In the upper right corner of the lists for both types of posting, you will find an "+Add " button. Clicking it will open an editor where you create your posting. 4/16/2014

© 2024   Created by Andrea Wolf.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service