Electroforming Conductive Paint, Where To Buy It, And How To Make It – The Ultimate Guide
Electroforming Conductive Paint, Where To Buy It, And How To Make It – The Ultimate Guide. Conductive paint may seem insignificant, but it is, in fact, an indispensable part of electroforming, without conductive paint none of the beautifully electroformed pieces around us would be possible! In this article, we’ll look at conductive paint, where to buy it, and how you can make it yourself!
So join us on our way through the ultimate guide to electroforming!
What is conductive paint? Conductive paint is the substance we coat our pieces with before the electroforming process, this paint has conductive properties and therefore allows the electricity to pass through the piece, which is vital for the electroforming process!
You can buy your conductive paint all over Amazon and Etsy, but more on that later! Of course, conductive paint can also be made as a DIY product through many different ways using powder graphite.
So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into this section of The Ultimate Guide to electroforming!
In this article we’ll answer the questions, what is conductive paint, where can you buy it, and how do you make it, and many more. So, let’s jump right into the fun!
What Is Copper Conductive Paint For Electroforming?
Before we jump into any details on conductive paint, and even creating it yourself, we first need to get back to the basics by answering the all-important question, what is copper conductive paint for electroforming?
As we’ve briefly mentioned in the introduction, copper conductive paint is what allows electricity to pass through our piece, and therefore it allows a closed circuit.
As we know, electricity is a vital part of the electroforming process, so copper conductive paint can not be overlooked! can not be overlooked!
We can buy our conductive paint in various places across Amazon and Etsy, or you can create it yourself, but more on that later!
What Is Conductive Paint Used For?
As we’ve briefly mentioned before, copper conductive paint is what allows electricity to pass through the object we want to electroform, which in turn allows for a closed circuit and therefore the build up of a new copper layer on the surface!
We apply the conductive paint to our object before the electroforming process, the paint gets its conductive property from a substance called powder graphite.
Once again, without electricity electroforming wouldn’t be possible, electricity wouldn’t be possible without conductive paint, so it must not be overlooked!
If you are having trouble electroforming one of the reasons would be your conductive paint you should check our troubleshooting post.
How Long Does Conductive Paint Last?
Now that we know what conductive paint is, and what it’s used for, it’s time to answer a more detailed, but equally important question on the topic.
How long does conductive paint last? If stored correctly and unopened, conductive paint can last for years, once it’s opened it’ll last another 6 months, but all these numbers are dependant on when the paint begins to crack and dry.
As in some cases you can keep using your paint for years even after opening, this is rare, however, and only occurs in pristine conditions so 6 months is a good guideline!
How Long Does Conductive Paint Take To Dry?
This leads us to another important question, how long does copper conductive paint to dry?
Of course, this varies based on the brand and type of paint you choose to use, but the general drying time of conductive paint lies around the 24-hour mark before being usable for electroforming.
You’ll want to apply 3 to 5 coats of conductive paint; you should wait for around 20 minutes between your coats to allow it some time to dry and settle.
Conductive paint appears to dry instantly, but this is deceiving as you should really wait the full 24 hours before placing the piece into your electroforming bath!
How To Store Your Copper Electroforming Conductive Paint?
In order to get the most out of your copper conductive paint, it’s important to store it somewhere safe and in the appropriate way, as this can significantly lengthen the lifespan and performance of your paint!
In order to preserve your paint, you should store it well-sealed in the original packaging, to prevent contamination as this can damage its conductive properties.
You should also be looking to store your paint in a not too humid not too dry environment, as this can alter the structure of the paint, causing it to become too fluid or, even worse, to dry before you’ve used it!
As per usual, taking proper care of your equipment is a must in the electroforming world!
Is Metallic Spray Paint Conductive?
This leads us to the next question in this ultimate guide to electroforming, is metallic spray paint conductive?
People are often curious as to using their metallic spray point as conductive paint, but is this possible?
This heavily depends on the concentration of metallic particles in your spray paint, but in general, even at higher concentrations, spray paint doesn’t do the job as well as real conductive paint.
In theory, with the right paint, it could possibly work, but the result will probably not be quite up to scratch and you’d be better off using real copper conductive paint instead!
Where To Purchase Electroforming Conductive Paint?
We’ve now gathered enough information in this post Electroforming Conductive Paint, Where To Buy It, And How To Make It – The Ultimate Guide on this topic to get to the fun part! In this section, we’ll review several conductive paints, with links to their product pages, so that you can make the perfect decision on which one to buy!
Let’s jump right into it, first off, we have Caswell Copper Conductive Paint. Caswell is a well-known name in the electroforming world, and they never disappoint!
Their copper conductive paint is of the highest quality, is easy to work with, and can be used to plate just about anything! You can find Caswell Copper Conductive Paint here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Caswell-Copper-Conductive-Paint-4oz/dp/B00A6FO6G8/ref=asc_df_B00A6FO6G8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312142574786&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2189168544756992973&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011814&hvtargid=pla-568507014946&psc=1
Next up, we have Modern Masters Reactive Metallic conductive paint, that’s a big name! It’s a more than functional conductive paint, coming in a 6 oz container for $25!
Great value for money, and great performance. It can be found on Amazon through this link: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Masters-ME149-06-Reactive-Metallic/dp/B000I1THBO/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=Electroforming+Conductive+Paint&qid=1618858290&s=home-garden&sr=1-12-catcorr
Then we have an Etsy product, but don’t let this fool you, as the quality is out of this world! With free, and fast shipping as well as some incredibly positive reviews, this might be the right conductive paint for you!
You can buy the paint in various sizes, making it perfect for any requirement! You can find it here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/496798077/conductive-graphite-paint-for?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=Electroforming+Conductive+Paint&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&bes=1
Up next, we have Safer Solutions Copper Conductive paint, this paint can also be bought in various sizes, and comes ready to use in the bottle.
Good practice when working with any Conductive paint is to use syringes to transfer your paint to smaller squeeze bottles, this way you keep your paint from being contaminated and you reduce your waste output!
Safer Solutions can be bought here, note US Only, https://www.safer-solutions.com/safer-solutions.com/US_Sales.html
Finally, we have another Etsy product, this time by a company known as enchanted leaves.
Enchanted Leaves are best known for their extensive electroforming blogs, but they also offer some of the highest quality conductive paints!
It can be bought as a single 1.5 oz bottle, or as a set of 3, and with all positive reviews, it’s definitely something to look into! It can be found here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/675038073/conductive-paint-for-electroforming-15?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=Electroforming+Conductive+Paint&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&frs=1
5 DIY Conductive Paint Recipes
This brings us to the most exciting part of this article, creating our own copper conductive paint from scratch!
This will save us money, and it’ll allow us to completely customize the mixture to our own liking! There are five different methods, so without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
DIY Conductive Paint for Electroforming
First Conductive Paint Method
First off, we’ll be looking at the traditional way of creating your own conductive paint, let’s start by looking at what we’ll need! We’ll need:
- Airtight Plastic Container (add Marble to help to mix)
- Stirrer (either manual bamboo or electric Dremel)
- Distilled Water
- Black Acrylic Paint
- Powder Graphite
Now it’s time to get to the mixing! We’ll start by putting some black acrylic paint in our airtight container, this will decide how much conductive paint you’ll eventually end up with so be sure to enough acrylic paint!
After that it’s time to add the powder graphite to your substance, aim for about a 1:1 ratio with the acrylic paint, but don’t be afraid to add more as this is what will decide the conductivity of our final paint.
Now it’s time to take your stirrer and properly mix the two, if you’re using a Dremel be sure to do the first part manually as the powder can create a huge mess!
When mixing don’t be shy to add some more acrylic paint, or perhaps more graphite powder as you’ll want the texture of your paint to be similar to that of the original acrylic paint, this will make it easy to apply later on.
This is also the point where you can add some distilled water to regulate the paint’s texture, be sure to find a good middle ground between paint and powder graphite, as too much graphite will make your paint crumble off, whilst too much paint will make your final result non-conductive!
After the stirring process, you’ll be met with your newly created copper conductive paint!
Be sure to spend enough time on the stirring and mixing process, as finding the right ratios and texture is very important for the final results!
Conductive paint and texture techniques for electroforming
Second Conductive Paint Method
For our second method, we’re going to be using a similar recipe, but this time we’ll be using a mod podge base instead of acrylic paint, so let’s start on the same page, what do we need? For this method we’ll need:
- Airtight Plastic Container (add Marble to help mixing)
- Stirrer (either manual bamboo, or electric Dremel)
- Distilled Water
- Mod Podge (matte finish)
- Powder Graphite
Now that we know our ingredients, let’s get to the mixing!
The mixing process for this mod podge-based copper conductive paint is very similar to that of the traditional acrylic paint one.
This conductive paint will work very well on materials like wax. Start by mixing a 1:1 ratio of mod podge to graphite powder, again use your stirrer to completely mix the two, and be aware of the texture!
This conductive paint is very useful, as it sticks to everything, and you can even leave your container open as it’ll retain its texture! Once again, pay close attention to the stirring process, and take your time for the optimal results!
How to make Ink based conductive fluid along with the difference between conductive fluids
Third Conductive Paint Method
For our third method of creating our very own conductive paint, we’ll be looking at an ink-based method!
Using ink based conductive paint creates very thin layers, therefore preserving many details on the object you’re working with! Let’s start by looking at what we’ll need:
- Airtight Plastic Container (add Marble to help mixing)
- Plastic Shot Glass
- Plastic Gloves
- Wooden Stirrer
- Small Piece of Glass
- Multi Meter to measure resistance in Ohms
- Speedball India Ink
- Powder Graphite
As you can see from the extensive ingredients list, the recipe for this method is a bit more complicated and extensive than the previous ones.
The basis is the same, mix a 1:1 ratio of Speedball India Ink with graphite powder, again, be sure to properly mix them to achieve optimal results!
The complicated part starts after the mixing process, we’ll now need to check the resistance of our new conductive paint, we do this by painting a 2-inch line on our piece of glass, we then place the multimeter on it, and we’re looking for resistance between 3 and 4K Ohms, if this is the case then great, we’ve made our own conductive paint! If it isn’t, add more graphite powder to decrease the resistance, or add more ink to increase it!
Fourth Conductive Paint Method
For our fourth method, we have a variation on the Mod Podge conductive paint, we’re going to be looking at mode podge paint with added texture! For this we largely need the same ingredients as for the regular mod podge paint:
- Airtight Plastic Container (add Marble to help mixing)
- Stirrer (either manual with bamboo, or electric with Dremel)
- Distilled Water
- Mod Podge
- Powder Graphite
As far as the mixing goes, the first part is exactly the same as the regular mod podge paint, mix 1:1 ratio of mod podge paint to graphite powder, and stir until they’re fully mixed!
After this, the new step comes into play.
To add extra texture to the conductive paint, add small objects into the paint, such as small glass beads or little bits of copper wire.
This creates interesting results when electroformed, be sure to NOT add any organic materials, as this can damage the conductivity of the paint and it can mess with your electroforming bath!
For our final method of creating DIY copper conductive paint, we’ll be looking at Jason Welsh’s secret conductive paint for electroforming.
This is Hobbyistgeek’s best recommendation for a fast-drying, and incredibly effective conductive paint, which excels on hard to electroform surfaces like organic materials! You can buy the recipe here: https://www.firstdensitymaterial.com/collections/recipes-for-electroforming/products/fast-drying-conductive-paint-formula
Final Thoughts For Electroforming Conductive Paint, Where To Buy It, And How To Make It – The Ultimate Guide
All in all, conductive paint is an essential part of the electroforming process. Whether you create it yourself or buy it commercially made, you’ll want to know everything about it before working with it, by answering questions such as, what is copper conductive paint, where to buy it, and how to make it?
We hope that this article gave you enough information to do just that!
Thank you for reading, Electroforming Conductive Paint, Where To Buy It, And How To Make It – The Ultimate Guide, and we’ll see you next time in the ultimate guide to electroforming!
Electroforming: The Ultimate Guide Check It Out!
Sources In MLA Format:
“CONDUCTIVE Graphite PAINT for Electroforming And.” Etsy, www.etsy.com/listing/496798077/conductive-graphite-paint-for?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=Electroforming%2BConductive%2BPaint&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&bes=1.
“Conductive Paint for Electroforming 1.5 Oz Alcohol Base.” Etsy, www.etsy.com/listing/675038073/conductive-paint-for-electroforming-15?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=Electroforming%2BConductive%2BPaint&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&frs=1.
“DIY Conductive Paint for Electroforming.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=scEipkTWxxs&feature=youtu.be.
“Electroforming Starter Kit Tutorial – Alcohol Based Conductive Paint.” Enchanted Leaves, enchantedleaves.com/pages/electroforming-starter-kit-tutorial-alcohol-based-conductive-paint#:~:text=Drying%20and%20Additional%20Coats&text=Although%20conductive%20paint%20seems%20to,while%20your%20piece%20is%20electroforming.
FAQ, www.safer-solutions.com/safer-solutions.com/FAQ.html.
“Fast Drying Conductive Paint Formula.” First Density Material, www.firstdensitymaterial.com/collections/recipes-for-electroforming/products/fast-drying-conductive-paint-formula.
jasonwelshedu. “Conductive Paint and Texture Techniques for Electroforming.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Jan. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=XMOVAPd_9Aw.
jasonwelshedu. “How to Make Ink Based Conductive Fluid along with the Difference between Conductive Fluids.” YouTube, YouTube, 31 Jan. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=H7CLSv24J5c&feature=youtu.be.
“Safer Solutions Copper Conductive Paint: How I Prep My Paint.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 May 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=frqqW97e44I.
Sustainability is also important to Michael and he always looks for ways to repurpose discarded materials, like used wine bottles and scrap metal, to reduce their impact on the environment.
Michael's articles on electroforming, crystals, gemstones, brazing, and welding are written to provide answers and guidance to others who are interested in learning about these crafts. He has a love for sharing his knowledge and helping others to create beautiful pieces of art.
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