Copper plating

[Nubby]

Has anyone tried copper plating bike parts? I know that it's become fashionable in the past couple of years to have some copper accents, but I'm thinking about building a bike and replacing everything chrome with copper plating.
I've done some research but it seems that none of the DIYers can agree on the 'best' method.
Obviously a great finish is a must, but it also has to be pretty hard and durable for things like the chain sprockets and seatpost.
I know that there's the salt and copper (easiest and cheapest) method, some use vinegar and the more professional setups use real chemicals like hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid together with copper sulphate.
I also know that jewelers use additives in the copper plating process to ensure a good and uniform coverage and a extremely nice surface finish.
They use carriers and bonders to help the copper plate evenly on the whole part and a brightner to electro polish the surface. Because the plating is quite thin you can't really polish it very wel afterwards so the brightner seems like a good option.
I can't really find copper brightner around here (altough I may be getting ahead of myself, I haven't gotten any satifactory results yet).

I was just wondering if anyone has tried this before and what they used and, most importantly, how did the parts turn out?

 

[RustyGold]

There is a nickel plating thread, search with member indyjps...I believe he talked about copper and other plating as well.

@Indyjps

 

[us56456712]

Parts turned out unevenly coated. I wonder if there is a copper looking powder coat. There is one for nickel.

 

[Wildcat]

When I took my frame in last year, they had a nice copper color, looked like this. But it cost more and I was already set on red. Probably a good alternative to copper plating.

 

[Nubby]

Parts turned out unevenly coated. I wonder if there is a copper looking powder coat. There is one for nickel.

That's why jewelers use cariers, bonders and brightners in their solutions.

I know for sure there's copper poweder coatings out there. There's a company here that specializes in all sorts of weird powdercoats ans specifics painting processes. They have copper and even chrome powdercoats. Kinda pricey though and the disadvantage with powdercoating if you're doing a chop is that you have to have bare metal, so no filler allowed :x Better ace those welds!
They also have patina powder coatings which is kinda cool

 

[Nubby]

Parts turned out unevenly coated. I wonder if there is a copper looking powder coat. There is one for nickel.

There is a nickel plating thread, search with member indyjps...I believe he talked about copper and other plating as well.

@Indyjps

I remember this thread, yea. I was just wondering if anyone had done a high polish copper finish. Sometimes when you're doing copper as a bonding layer it doesn't have to be that high of a shine, but since I want to try and use the copper as my final finish I'd like to get it as shiny as possible. Like chrome, but copper!

 

[Nubby]

When I took my frame in last year, they had a nice copper color, looked like this. But it cost more and I was already set on red. Probably a good alternative to copper plating.
View attachment 116744

Looks sweet! A very nice alternative to a bronze or gold paint. Would also look amazing as a candy on a brushed surface.
I'm looking for a finish more like chrome, but copper if that makes sense.
This has a bit more of a bronzed look to it, and I'm looking for bright copper.

 

[RustyGold]

...the disadvantage with powedercoating if you're doing a chop is that you have to have bare metal, so no filler allowed :x Better ace those welds!

Check out Lab-metal...it comes in two flavors, regular and hi-temp. You just need to have a convo with your PC to see what temp he cures at to see if you need to go with the spendier hi-temp.

I worked with plating for several years in semiconductor manufacturing...given the types of chemicals and the temps, agitation, etc that are needed to get good finishes, it isn't really practical for a DIY setup. Probably better off taking it to a chrome shop or places that do industrial finishes.

 

[Indyjps]

Well Hello.

The copper plating I did was using source copper that was likely not pure. The caswell kits are pricy but deliver good results with proven chemicals and process and most important good instructions.
I was having fun in my thread, but it didnt produce a show quality finish.

 

[Fv2]

I have a bike I've been working on for a while, I plan to copper plate the frame.
From all the diy methods I've seen, most say if you do one layer and let it air dry then do another layer and repeat. You can usually get it durable enough to polish to a shine.

I'm going to test different methods before I go full scale, just to see what works best for my goal.

 

[RivNut]

You do realize that that green thing that stands in New York harbor, Lady Liberty, is made of copper. Take a look at all of the copper domes on churches and government buildings.

 

[Fv2]

You do realize that that green thing that stands in New York harbor, Lady Liberty, is made of copper. Take a look at all of the copper domes on churches and government buildings.

There are chemicals available, some in spray cans that will prevent oxidation on copper.
You can keep copper clean with cleaning, much in the same way as cleaning brass.
For my plan, I intend to let it oxidize a bit before I seal it.

 

[RustyGold]

Everbrite!

everbrite test

 

[horsefarmer]

https://www.wbay.com/content/news/B...dome-is-getting-its-shine-back-510776871.html

Wow, was going to post this as a cautionary tale, but video actually says they covered the copper with linseed oil and it turned black! Then Everbrite saved the day!