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Copper Plating Concrete
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]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
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
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