Summary for copper plating concrete Discussion
Copper plating concrete is discussed as a difficult fit for standard electroplating, because cementitious substrates present adhesion and process challenges. Dave Mune asks about plating concrete and says he has reviewed basic plating references and understands the general principles, but needs a practical way to handle the substrate. In response, Ted Mooney suggests that if the goal is to stay with electroplating, a brush plating vendor may be worth contacting because brush plating is already well developed and avoids reinventing the process. However, he says electroplating is probably not the best technology for this application. Instead, he points to a decorative metal spray process designed for concrete and similar materials, which he says is pretty much ideal, and also mentions chrome-look or chrome-like paints as another visual alternative. The thread therefore steers the questioner away from conventional plating and toward purpose-built decorative coatings.
July 1, 2008
Q. I would like to copper plate cementacious substrates. I have just put down the Canning Handbook, Surface Finishing Technology, and have a grasp of the basic principles .
The question is: given the nature of concrete substrates there are many challenges to get over.
Firstly let’s get past electroplating; that will not work in the normal sense.
The coating is purely decorative, but must adhere; given the micro structure of cement surfaces light etching with HCl will provide plenty of mechanical bonding.
I would like to hear from any one who has any suggestions here.
I am thinking either a graphite or powdered metal pre-coat and using a conductive sponge of say carbon fiber, dipping the sponge into a acid copper sulphate
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] solution and wiping it repeatedly over the surface. Of course a current source would be connected to the substrate surface and to the carbon fiber sponge . only low current is required as the contact surface is only the 6 inch square?
Alternatively Iron powder being added to the surface layer of the concrete when it is cast and using a non electrical process to deposit the copper ?
Dave Mune
mfgr of decorative concrete – Cebu, Philippines
A. Hi, Dave. If you elect to stay with “electroplating” your description of the process isn’t bad, but you might contact a “brush plating” vendor, because this technology is very well developed and you don’t really have to reinvent the wheel with your own sponges.
But I don’t think electroplating is the best technology for this particular situation. There is a decorative metal spray process that is made for applying to concrete and similar substrates, and it’s pretty much ideal; please try the search term “concrete metal spray”. There are also very shiny paints that go by the term “chrome-look paint” or “chrome-like paint”. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
July 1, 2008
A. You might try electroless plating. Your concrete will need a coating of what’s referred to as activator. It’s comprised of a palladium colloidal solution. This will follow a proper etching. The palladium collodial coating will need a chemical cleaning to remove the outer shell and expose the metal. This is usually a solvent solution. Electroless copper can then be deposited. The process has been around forever and is very common in printed circuit manufacturing. This is how copper ultimately finds a way to be plated to epoxy FRP which you find in motherboards etc.
John davis
– Bloomington, Minnesota, usa
December 31, 2014