Electroforming for jewelry

– this is an individual course

Cost: 600 euros

Duration: 2 days – you can schedule the two days at any time of the year.

Lesson hours: 8 hours

Required skills: no prior knowledge of electroforming, goldsmithing, or ceramics is required.

Class schedule:

– On the first day, the lesson runs from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
– On the second day, the lesson runs from 10 a.m. to 11,30 a.m. and from 4,30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

How to enroll: if you are interested in booking a course, please send an email to info@lucatripaldi.com with three preferred dates and times for scheduling a Zoom call. If you are in a different time zone, kindly consider this when suggesting your availability and include your city. The call will last no more than 10 minutes and serves to introduce ourselves, provide details about the course topics, and agree on the dates.

Notice: the individual courses focus exclusively on electroforming techniques as applied to jewelry. They do not cover porcelain objects such as pots or sculptures. For these, you should attend the group course “Porcelain Bowls and Electroforming”.

Introduction:

Electroforming is a galvanic technique that uses electricity to coat any material with copper, provided it has been pre-treated with a conductive paint. This method allows you to introduce new details and textures into your jewelry designs. It requires minimal investment in equipment, produces no odors, and it is easy to do at home.

Program:

– First day from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m: at the start of the lesson, samples of electroformed rings, pendants, and earrings, crafted from materials like organic botanical forms, stones, metallic fabrics, resins, and porcelain, are displayed to explore the potential and limitations of electroforming. Once the desired shapes and materials to experiment with are agreed upon, the objects are prepared for the galvanic bath, depending on the effects to be achieved. This includes how to treat the various materials, how to prepare the conductive paint, and how to apply it. The prepared pieces will dry overnight before being electroformed.

– Second day in the morning from 10 a.m. to 11,30 a.m.: after learning how to calculate the required amperage for the power supply, the prepared pieces are immersed in the galvanic bath. It is then verified that each piece is electroforming correctly. Since depositing an adequate layer of copper on the pieces takes several hours, the lesson resumes in the afternoon once the desired thickness is achieved.

– Second day in the afternoon from 16,30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Electroformed pieces are removed from the galvanic bath, finished, and treated to prevent oxidation.

Student will receive all the technical information needed to replicate the techniques at home, including links to purchase the necessary materials.