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From: Bobensen
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  • oh its just viniger and it's turnd green from the cooper being plated

  • will this work on aluminium?

  • Do you could get a way to apply this technique in plastic materials?

    Excuse my English, I'm Brazilian.

  • naughty girls dating site mworld5.info

  • Isn't defacing US currency actually a federal offense?

  • @NoWattz

    It is not against the law, haven't you ever seen those presses in tourist places that allow you to insert a penny and it makes it into an emblem with their logo on it?

    That's like saying if you take a dollar out of your wallet and burn it, the feds will arrest you! It's your money and you can do as you please as long as you don't put it back into circulation.

  • U.S. Code Title 18, Chapter 17, Section 331 is the actual statute. But, it's like you said, as long as you don't try to use them as legitimate currency, it's ok. :)

  • What is your Coper plate solution made of

  • nice, now please go and wash your hands

  • @imthemovieman

    Your voltage is waaay ti high for the solution you are using. If you dont have enough copper ions in the solution for the volatge you will get a lot of black stuff. I used only 1.5 volts from an AA. Even 12 volts is too much for this solution. You also may have too much salt in your solution making it too conductive. You should not be getting much if any fizzing or bubbles.

  • can you please explaine how you make the copper and nickel plating solition you use . Do you have any txt doc for some of us explaing how things are done for use please ty

  • Whenever i do this my quater becomes black. And when you said you used vinegar copper and a pinch of salt what goes on the negative end when you are making the solution? I would like to know what i am doing wrong thankyou and great video!! :D

  • will paint thinner remove the new color?

    or wut exactly will remove the plating?

  • plating other things is O.K. and it doesn't have to be copper plated, chrome plated is another type of plating

  • -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

  • Yeah it's true, I've done this experiment...

  • What about brass, can you do the same thing????

  • Thanks for the video! I attempted to plate some 304 stainless steel using this method, and had no luck at all using a white vinegar solution. The solution worked fine for other metals.

    After a little research, I tried using a warm water and baking soda mixture and it works a bit better for stainless steel. It takes a little longer, but actually sticks and holds up to light polishing.

  • So I can strip my car of all parts and strip the paint, Immerse it in a solution in a swimming pool and have a glorious copper car???

    WTG!

  • WAIT MAN can i so called copper plate a knife so resist rusting cause i gota pocket knife in tired of oiling and what kind of liquid holding system should i use and can i posibly use silver lol

  • niiice!

    what is that liquid?

  • You made a power source out of a simple battery...I see it in the background but I want to know the steps to do that.

  • Whats the voltage?

  • @MasterChief241 1.5v

  • what song was that?

  • Awesome Video And Job i was wondering if you knew if i could use scrap copper wire like from my house to electroplate? also is there any other solutions i can use besides vinegar? Thank you So Much Awesome Quarters

  • @daviddaddy

    Yes you can use scrap copper wire from a house. Also yes you can use other solutions such as different acids like HCL etc...

  • @Bobensen Can I use anny acid?

  • @Bobensen The greater the acidity (on the PH scale) the better I would imagine or am I wrong?

  • Nice Work!

    I have been out of school for a Loooooong time. I forgot half the stuff I learned. I'm glad I found this. KUDO'S

  • Lol that's not distortion thats called puberty

  • do you HAVE to connect it to a battery?

  • I would rather coat a quarter in silver... or gold.

  • Great video! Well designed and kept us interested.

  • hi cool way of plating a few weeks a go i got profehsinal plating liqued from my uncle his jobs plating i have dip 40 asid copper and bright nickle i can plate my thing at most 20 sec i use 3 volt but a megga strong current

  • nice camera

    both the audio and color are messed up

  • Thanks a lot... was about 7 years old at the time, pretty dam good if you ask me. Now yes I do have a muh better camera. Cant always have wat you want (atleast I cant)

  • can you plate aluminum or steel this way

  • yup

  • Comment removed

  • @Bobensen I can't get this to work with aluminum. I'm able to plate quarters and other things, not aluminum.  A film develops on the aluminum that can be wiped off, leaving the aluminum clean and platting free. What am I doing wrong? Thx.

  • @Bobensen I can't get this to work with aluminum. I'm able to plate quarters and other things, not aluminum. A film develops on the aluminum that can be wiped off, leaving the aluminum clean and platting free. What am I doing wrong? Thx.

  • @EnAimBoy I tried, but aluminum is almost entirely waste of time, because it is continuously being displaced. Copper ions hit the aluminum and cause displacement faster than the power supply can replace the aluminium's electrons and the aluminium breaks up into free floating ions.

  • does it have to be metal

  • Yes. Graphite might work, too.

  • i'm thinking about plating a paintball marker, the longest part is the barrel, a 14 inch tube, would i need to increase the voltage or use some more AA. could i use pvc pipe to hold the vinegar and copper solution?

  • I wouldnt increse the voltage by much, maybee a little bit. Yes a pvc tube would work perfectly just make sure you have an annode that surrounds your barrel so you can get a more even plating.

  • How do you make the blue solution? Do you just leave the copper in it and let it dissolve by itself. Or do you run current through it.

  • I ran a current through it for an hour or so if you are unsure, check previous comments (i posted how somewhere)

  • I suppose you could use gold at the cathode too.

  • so at the risk of sounding stupid, when making the solution or dissolving the copper where does the negitive go? I mean do u just drop the clip in or use a diiferent piece of copper or is it any metal on the negitive end?

  • The negitive can be any piece of metal dipped in the solution. as long as it's not touching the positive

  • thanks, and how long til you put the quarter in after a good color change?

  • For the solution to become ready, It took about an hour.

  • is the electrolyte JUST vinegar?

  • In theory wouldn't leaving this in for longer make a thicker plating? Maybe replace the battery every few days? :P

  • what did you put inside to solution-water?(it is green) Where can i get it?

  • if i increased the amperage would the process be faster or would a higher voltage increase the speed of the reaction?

  • In this case, no because you have a limited ammount of copper in the solution. You would end up getting a ruined black cathode with flakey plating. If you had a stronger acid to use, yes you could use more volts and current.

  • Thanks

  • what if you just put it in with no battery

  • ITS GOING TO EXPLODE!!!!

    Just kidding.....

    In this case, no battery=no plating=no fun

  • what kind of battery did use?

  • just a 1.5v AAbattery with two metal prongs taped to both sides.

  • so u make a vinegar solution ( just vinegar and nothing else?) and then put copper that was connected to the anode side of ur battery in the vinegar? thats it? what kind of metal polish do u use?

  • i'll do it in 10 second with a 230 amp dc welder....

    BOOM

  • I did this for 23 years and used to barrel copper plate quarters 500 at a time. My buddy had a coin op route and the bar owners used them for people that said they lost money playing the machines.

    And as a 4th grade science project we used copper sulphate.  You could use stainless steel for an anode then. You can plate on plastic, glass, anything. I have done it for a living.

  • the green solution is copper acetate

    nice

  • nice work

  • you are getting results - congratulations !

    What will happen if we switch to 6 V or even still 12 V ? I have been trying day after day with poor results so I may be switching to your 1.5 V tip.

  • One little explanation for the foggy green solution colour : I will share one of my little secrets with you. Well Cupric ions Cu++ turn the solution sky blue while cuprous ions Cu+ turn it deep blue green as in this video. You can easily switch from cupric (say copper sulfate) to cuprous by adding an ascorbic acid tablet (vitamin C enriched aspirine for instance) which acts as a mild reducing agent. After all cuprous give better plating results

  • Didnt know that, thanks

    (I learn something new every hour)

  • If you switch to 12volts (I tried it b4) it will go waaay too fast. It will create a lot of hydrogen and oxygen and will turn your project instantly black due to the lack of copper ions.

  • you are right - I agree. that is how it played out in my hands. One major drawback with high voltage or a too concentrated solution is that the coating will peel off instantly as you touch it. ...

    And always remember the best technique is the technique which gives the best results in your hands

  • Look man the most beautiful copper plating applications I have seen are copper plating staples and car jumper starter electrodes. Also I am mulling copper plating jewelry or cutlery (cheap stainless steel). Carry on...

  • instantly black rather due to electrolytically produced oxygen reacting with copper as soon as it deposits thus resulting in unwanted oxidization side-reactions. (though the coating thickness may also be a factor)

  • oh ya i add to polish to at the end

  • Comment removed

  • nice vid! would a stronger acid work better like NaOH ? and what is the pupose of the pinch of salt ?

  • Yes, A stronger acid will work better by holding more copper ions in the solution and no NaOh will not work because it's a strong base, not an acid. The salt makes the solution more conductive.

  • wow, im an idiot... i knew NaOH was a base... i just figured that out right as i posted that. hahaha.... i ment to ask if like 30% HCl would work cause thats like all i have right now... ?

  • Yes theoretically that would work much better than vinegar. Personally, I havnt tried it before (dont have connections for HCL) but it would hold more copper in the solution. Please tell me how it goes!

  • I think that electrolysis of solution of copper chloride would produce chlorine, witch could be a problem.

  • Oo Reply button doesn't work for me.

  • hi! great video but did you say acetone or acid for cleaning? if it's acid then what kind is best? great vid!

  • he said acetone for both.

  • well thanks for the help i have done some now cool

  • i tried this as best as i could understand,i put copper tubing in vinegar and hooked 2 amps from a car charger to it but it didnt change color for plating what am i missing or doing wrong?

    how long do i have to wait for the copper and vinegar to turn blue or green?

  • For me, It took me about a good hour. Also make sure that the charger was connected the right way. The Positive end of your circuit ALWAYS goes to the anode (copper)

  • If you do it properly, it wont wear off. and yes scffed chrome should be able to plate over as long as its clean.

  • wait if Solution= Vinegar, Dissolved Copper and a pinch of salt why is it blue

  • Because of the copper ions saturated in the solution.

  • can you spend these??

  • Ummm... Legally No(i thnk) but i got away spending a couple (now there in circultion) Also there fine to put in soda machines

  • can i use nail polish remover as acetone

  • yup

  • Nice Video! This cool Bob!

  • mine didnt work,am i putting too much salt? (3 pinches),i used a 9v battery and 3 pinches of salt is all i did different

  • you can also use vineger and proxide 2:1, and microwave it to make it bubble than put in pennies and you will get that blue solution to copper plate stuff.

  • cool im gonna try this,do you think i could use copper wire as a source of copper? (if i used alot?)

  • Yup it will work

  • SOLUTION = ? (more info on this, please.)

  • This is the LAST time Im posting this (i have posted it many times)

    Solution= Vinegar, Dissolved Copper and a pinch of salt

  • What sort of power supply do you use? It appears in your last video that you use just a AC adapter on a power strip. Maybe i'm just seeing things.

  • the power supply is a 1.5v battery, or, AA. (FROM WHAT I SEE)

  • what is in the solution??

  • Im dissolving the copper how long should it take with a 1.5v battery and a 9v battery i want to know how long it will take for both to make the solution turn blue thanks

  • any way to condense the waiting to something like 5 minutes instead of 25 decades?

  • To tell you the truth, 20 minutes isnt very long of a wait. But yes you can go faster by using higher voltage. But you must first get a solution with a higher concentration of copper ions.

  • You mean I just add more CuSO4? Also, what about if I'm using H2SO4 in the solution as well?

  • Exactly

  • By using higher current: Q = It = nzF

    Greater concentration of copper ions will lower the resistance and current goes up.

  • Btw whats ur solution composed of =D nice videos btw can you

  • Can you post a video on how to produce sodium hydroxide? I've had little success in my attempts, and you seem like you would be able to do it well.

  • Very impressive. Such good results with so simple equipment. Your Voice is funny. Five Stars!

  • check out my video type in zinc plating its the first one let me know what you think

  • was the solution pure vinegar? thanx

  • no you dont want to filter it but in some cases you do want to agitate your plating solution

  • Humm, I thought you needed to filter it in order to get the particles and other Contamination out of the solution. I read that somewhere... I guess I learn something new every day

  • did u circulate the plating solution somehow while u were plating

  • No I didn't Even though you should circulate and filter it constantly

    (im not a professional)

    (not yet...)

  • watch my video!!! Type in Zinc plating and search it. its the first one!!! rate it and comment!!!

  • im using a 6v. battery and my copper wont stick i have a solid copper annode and copper plating solution and it still wont work just wont stick do you know why

  • im doing copper electroplating for my school science project and my copper wont stick im using a 6v. lantern battery do you know why the copper wont stick

  • Can you plate any metal? And are there other metals you can plate whith? And what is the blue liquid? An electrolyte? Where can I get it? Sorry about all of the questions, I have to do a science fair project.

  • i can answer that to the best of my abilities.

    i know for sure that the solution can be made by taking the copper anode and a paperclip for a cathode. let this run for about 15 min. and the vinegar-salt solution should turn blue. I believe this blue substance is copper sulfate but i am not 100% sure. not sure about other metals but i know zinc works well. i believe lead does not come off the anode so you would need to continue dissolving a lead salt into the mix.

  • Thanks! I did it!

  • the blue solution from what i know should be copper sulphate... because the copper would be easy to separate from the sulphur anyway give it a shot

  • wrongo if he is only using vinegar then it is copper ACETATE.....

  • yes you can plate anything that conducts well, (metals) you need to make it so there is no oxidation on the layer you want to plate though, because it wont work otherwise, so scrub it down with some steel/iron wool first..

    :D

  • haven't tried my electroplating experiment for a while however i found the cause of the black crust. If there is too much salt in the solution it becomes to good a conductor making the electrons flow faster than the rate that the positive ions can come off the anode. This than turns to the water and starts using up all the hydrogen. This process neutralizes the vinegar. The black crust is formed when a positive ion does get across to the cathode but turns black.

  • very nice video,very instructive. One question, what the best solution to clean the material to be plated?

  • Well, There are many possible good solutions to clean like for copper you can use a vinegar, salt solution. Also Any acid (weak) should be pretty good also. But i just stick to rubbing alcohol and/or acetone.

  • you mean that the green solution is actual blue one?

  • Yes, The solution I had made up the day before was crystal blue. The next day it randomly turned green. Same thing happened to my nickel solution.

  • did you use NaCl to increase conductivity?

  • Yes it makes the solution more conductive. The more NaCl you use the more conductive it is

  • i thought we use CuSO4 solution for the plating

    does it really works with only vinegar ( white ) ?

  • Yes It does also work with vinegar but cuso4 is better. Really, as long as your solution is acidic and you can dissolve your copper its ok.

  • u mean only vinegar. ONLY, like nothing else added as salt, like copper salt?

    btw thnks for the answers, i hope i dont annoy you :D

  • Well, vinegar as a base solution. just add a pinch of salt and electricly dissolve the copper in the solution(the setup I used in the video). But it works a lot better and faster if you add copper salts to the solution.(thats what I currently use now for my copper plating.)

  • no, vinegar is an acid and the salt turned your copper acetate into copper chloride which is bright green and mildly toxic. Check wikipedia for the color if you think i'm incorrect.

  • Yea Im pretty sure thats what happened and I agree with you because copper chloride is a greenish and yes it is slightly toxic because it is producing a verrrry small ammount of chlorine gas due to breaking down the NaCl into Na and Cl(g). Any copper solution is toxic because it contains copper ions. I have worked with more toxic things before so im not very worried...

  • Well, It really depends on what voltage and what your copper consentration is. It actually took about 15. But the more time, the thicker the copper layer

  • I want to plate red brass with yellow brass (70/30) any tips or would it be about this same process just with brass tubing instead?

  • I also really wanted to try to plate brass but I tried it with a brass anode and tried it, It didnt work. I also tried having a Copper annode and a zinc annode in my solution (brass is copper and zinc) But that didnt work either. I looked into it and it appears you need more chemicals to be able to accomplish it. I'm sorry I wish I could help... I would love to see if anyone has has an answer.

  • My Solution:

    Vinegar (distilled white)

    Pinch of salt

    Electricly Dissolved Copper

    The polish was used because after I plated my coin, it wasnt exactly a shiney copper appearance. I just polished it because it made it look a lot better. I just used a special polishing compound. Any metal polish should work.

  • im using 9 volt battery, or should i use less? what the minimum for the voltage to be?

  • Yea, 9 is too high, I used 1.5

  • ahh, hehe bit wierd for me to know that, im an electrician, but you know cuz if the resistance is high: iron+water+aligators thats a lot of resistance, is it better if the amperege was higher ?

  • Well it is better but you can eventually get a bit too high. Really for me it doesnt really affect me that much

  • The only wierd thing about this is that the thing you want to plate is bubling but not the one thats giving away the molecus.

    why 25 min? i thought you need less, somewhere 5-10 minutes to do it

    ohh and is it better if the voltage is higher ?

  • The cathode would be bubbling because when the water is electrified, at the cathode, hydrogen is being produced, at the annode oxygen is being produced. Basicly its breaking the water in the vinegar down. Now about the 25 min thing, it takes a while to plate the object. You can also do it for like 5-10 if your solution is more consentrated. And with the voltage, no, more isnt as good. (Less is more) because you try to take more copper out of the solution that what is in it creating black gunk.

  • how is the solution made?? im kinda new to this n i dunno how its done!! cud any of u guys help me please..

  • Hey, I have a pendant that I'm trying to repair via copper plating. Its a raised copper rose on a silver metallic back (it could be silver, iron, lead, steel, or a combination: its an antique, I have NO idea) Over time, the copper on the petals has worn away on spots, so I want to fix that. However, I do not want the silver metallic (again, I'm not sure if its silver) to be affected. I started covering it with painters tape, hoping that the paper will interfere. I doubt that will work.Any ideas?

  • I mean, I could cover that area with wax, though I have no idea how I'm going to get that off without buying something ridiculous like wax remover...>.> Though, that may be the best solution.

  • when i tried it, my coin tuned black in a matter of seconds. I left it for 2 hours and turned into a yellow-orange crust on the coin. I want in to shine like yours did but do you have any Ideas why this happened?

  • Either clean it better or use only 1.5 volts. The annode might also be too close or your using too much salt

  • your awesome, put some ads in the paper earn some extra money

  • how would you suggest he do that?

  • no sulfuric acid? :(

    anywho, im relatively certain i put WAY too much H2SO4 because im getting a weird red spongy precipitate all over the cathode

  • viva la techno

  • do you play on Xbox Live i have someone on my friends list with a gt that is very sinilar to your youtube name

  • No I do not.

  • Oxidation my friend, oxidation, copper does this when air is around it

  • Yea, I know i just didnt call it that in my vid... Now i spray or put on a clear coat around my plating jobs and they stay perfect.

  • why do you do this anyway?

  • I only Copper plated a coin for a demonstration. I can plate many other things for usefulness or just for fun (like the coins) Why not? Its a hobby

  • wasn't meant like that, hobby is great!

  • where do u get the battery??

  • o nvm lol i thot it was a 12 volt battery

  • lol wtf?? in any store? it is most basic 1.5v battery, shish...

  • Guess I was wrong about my last comment.The nickel actually did copper plate even though it was on the positive terminal.I thought in order to plate,that it had to be on the negative terninal;I'm confused.

  • Bobensen,I tried an experiment on a nickel, where I attached the postive terminal to it and put it in a vinegar/salt solution.The negative was copper tubing.Results:the nickel started to turn into copper.I thought that maybe it was plating in reverse but then I came to the conclusion that nickels are made of copper underneath the nickel finish.Does this make sense?

  • Did you add any salt to the vinegar before dissolving the copper anode?