TUTORIAL: SILVER ELECTROPLATING COPPER FOR DAGUERREOTYPE
Author’s Note: This is an archived page kept live for reference. I am constantly working to learn more and improve my processes and as such, my electroplating methods have evolved. At some point, I hope to make a new video and article to discuss updates and changes to my methods. Until then, the information on this page remains useful in helping anyone who may want to attempt and experiment with the process.
The following is a transcription of my process notes for electroplating pure silver onto copper plates for use with the Becquerel and mercurial daguerreotype processes. This guide is meant as a supplement to the accompanying YouTube process video which provides a visual of all of the steps below.
INTRODUCTION AND PRELIMINARY NOTES
I’ve recently become enamored with the daguerreotype process and have been focusing on exploring Becquerel daguerreotypy. Upon setting out, I was unable to acquire professionally made electroplated or clad plates and decided to set out to learn how to electroplate my own plates in my home studio. I have since been asked about my electroplating process by a number of new and seasoned daguerreotypists so I have decided to make this process video and guide to show others how I do it.
I can recommend this method for anyone starting out with the process who is in need of plates and unable to find them commercially. The plates can be produced to a quality allowing adequate final surfacing and polishing to be used as a starting point and the method will deposit a layer of silver thick enough to allow for multiple reuses of the plate after wiping/ re-polishing which you will be doing a lot of as you get started. I cannot guarantee that your results will be as perfect as professionally electroplated plates or clad plates, but with dedicated attention to the process and practice, I believe it can come quite close. With that said, it is still worth getting professionally electroplated plates and clad plates when they are available to compare and find what works best for you.
Note 1: I am currently in the process of completing my laboratory setup for the mercurial daguerreotype process. This method of electroplating works well with the Becquerel method, which is inherently more forgiving. I have not yet tested the plates with mercurial daguerreotype using either iodine sensitization alone or with bromine so if using this for those processes, your milage may vary. I will test my plates with both mercurial methods once I’m fully set up to do so and will update this document with my results.
Note 2: SAFETY - If you are setting out to work with the daguerreotype process (or a seasoned veteran), you should already be well acquainted with handling hazardous materials. Electroplating requires its own specific and serious safety precautions beyond that of daguerreotypy alone. The process described here uses hobbyist grade electroplating solutions that are commercially available and demonstrated to be safe to use with appropriate safety precautions. With that said, the solutions still contain small amounts of potassium cyanide (KCN) and silver cyanide (AgCN)— much smaller amounts than are used in professional/ industrial plating operations but even in smaller volumes, both are serious compounds that if ingested can cause very serious damage to the body and can cause death. A dedicated space should be prepared for this process in an area inaccessible to children or animals. If performing this process indoors, it is critical that your darkroom or laboratory be set up with proper ventilation— specifically a vent hood that the plating tank can be placed directly under or one which can be moved to the tank location (as is the case with my flexible vent hood seen in my YouTube video). I would not consider a ceiling level vent hood adequate for this process because from the position you are standing, your face will be between the vent hood and the plating tank. Ceiling level vent hoods draw fumes up past your face on their way to being evacuated through the system. This creates an opportunity for you to inhale gasses produced during the electroplating process which you do not want to inhale even in trace amounts. If you do not have appropriate ventilation, the process can be performed outdoors in open air although if the outside temperature is too cold or too warm, you may have to take additional steps to maintain a working temperature for the solutions.
Silver Electroplating Copper Plates for Daguerreotype at Home
EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS
Below are links to the equipment and materials that I use and can recommend from experience. I’m listing out everything that I use or have used to make it as easy for you to replicate my results as possible. In some places, I list multiple options to choose from since you can choose a variety of tools that will all do the same job.
These links were recorded at the time of writing and are not checked beyond that. If a product is no longer available or is not available in your location, just aim to find a similar product. I am not affiliated with these links or the sellers of these products and I do not receive any compensation from their sale.
Voltage Rectifier - This device is used to regulate voltage and amperage as required for proper plating.
Copper Sheet - Quality semi-polished copper sheet to cut down into plate sizes. I recommend starting with 24 gauge and possibly going thicker after you’ve mastered the process. 24 gauge is a good balance of thickness that will resist deforming but is easy to cut and saves cost.
Pure Silver Anode - The silver anode provides the source of silver for plating and replenishes silver in the plating solution.
Stainless Steel Anode - The stainless steel anode is used in the silver strike process to establish strong adherence of silver to the copper plate.
NuShine II Grade S Metal Polish - High quality metal polish that will help achieve a mirror polish on the copper plate prior to plating.
Carbon Black - An alternative to Lamp Black that produces less of a micro-oily residue on the plate. You can also use the same Lamp Black that you may already have for the daguerreotype process.
Salt Shaker - Used to hold the Carbon Black or Lamp Black.
Nylon Stocking - Place this over the mouth of the salt shaker before attaching the top to create a filter for filtering out coarser grains of Carbon or Lamp Black.
Jeweler’s Saw Set with Bench Pin - Used to cut copper to plate size.
Copper Wire (16 gauge) - Used to hang the plate in the plating tank during electroplating.
Popsicle Sticks - A cheap and easy method for handing the plate in the tank via the copper wire and supporting the anodes in the plating solution.
Fine Tip Sharpie Marker - For drawing out the cut lines on the copper sheet.
Ruler - For measuring out the dimensions of the plate size to cut.
Screwdriver - Any metal screwdriver can work. This is used to round down the edge bur after cutting the copper plates.
Polishing Support Block - Any solid block of adequate size can work for this. Linked is a circular block similar to what I use in my process video. You can also use a thick sheet of acrylic or anything with a little weight and a flat working surface. If using wood, make sure that the top working surface is flat without irregularities that might cause the plate to deform or not be held flat.
Double Sided Tape - For fixing the plate to the polishing support block.
Drill or Impact Driver - Any good drill or electric impact driver will work. This is used to drill to small holes for hanging the plate in the plating tank. I use a Milwaukee M18 Fuel battery powered impact driver but any basic drill will work.
1/16-inch Drill Bit - Used with the drill / impact to drill the holes for hanging the plate in the plating tank. I use these Milwaukee bits with my driver. Any 1/16 bit that fits your chosen drill or driver will work.
Sander / Polisher - Orbitals, random orbitals, and 1/4 sheet palm sanders and polishers can all work well. Two that I can recommend from experience are:
DeWalt (DWE6411K) 1/4 Sheet Orbital Palm Sander (non-random) - Being non-random, this will require a little more attention to alternating plate orientation to avoid swirls but I find that it’s easier to get abrasive materials for 1/4 sheet sanders and it's easy to attach any cut polishing material. Being corded, these are less expensive than battery operated sanders.
Milwaukee 5-inch Circular Random Orbital Sander - This is a battery powered random orbital sander that uses a nice hook and loop system that makes it easy to attach sandpaper. This may be preferred by those who want to go cordless. Random orbitals also make it a little easier to avoid swirl marks on plates.
Sanding/ Polishing Abrasive Material (fine grits) - Below are multiple options to choose from. Choose low grit sandpaper to match your preferred tools for polishing:
Low Grit Sanding Disk Set (5-inch circular) - For common random orbital sanders and circular disk sanders and polishers with hook and loop system.
Med-low Grit 1/4 Sheets - already cut to size for common 1/4 sheet orbital and random orbital palm sanders. Can also be used by hand.
Low Grit Sheets - larger sheets to be cut down to 1/4 sheet size. These are the finer grits that increase the mirror surface during copper polishing. Can also be used by hand.
Complete full sheets, med to fine grit - Just another set of the complete range of grits that can be cut down to 1/4 sheet size for palm sanders.
Fine Polishing Materials - You can choose and experiment with various fine polishing materials:
100% Cotton Velvet - Tried and true material for polishing. Can be wrapped around a circular applicator pad or cut to 1/4 sizes and backed with felt for palm sanders. 100% polyester Microsuede/ Ultrasuede is also a great alternative to velvet and collects less polishing residue.
Felt Sheets - To be cut down and used to back polishing material used on a 1/4 sheet palm sander to provide a softer padded polishing surface.
Applicator Pad (5-inch circular) - can be used for application of the NuShine polish. For common random orbitals and circular disk polishers using the hook and loop system. You’ll need to wrap this in a fine polishing material.
Pyrex Dish - Used to hold the distilled water holding bath.
Seamless Glass Vessel - This is used as the plating tank. Vessels made of plate glass glued together may work but I do not know the effect the plating solution may have over time on the adhesives used to make them.
Windex Glass Cleaner - This can be used as a wet polishing medium as an alternative to water. Alumicut is also a good alternative albeit sometimes difficult to find due to stock and shipping restrictions in some areas.
Denatured Alcohol - Used to clean polishing residues from the plate after surfacing and before electroplating.
Acetone Nail Polish Remover - Used to clean polishing and tape residues from the plate after surfacing and before electroplating.
Dish Soap - I use Dawn dish soap but any dish soap that cuts grease and oil will work. Used to clean the plate before electroplating.
Cotton Balls - Used to clean polishing and tape residues from the plate after surfacing and before electroplating.
CUTTING COPPER PLATES
The first step of the process is to cut down your copper sheets into the plate size that you will use. Before beginning, I’d recommend watching this YouTube video which does an excellent job of describing how to position and cut copper using a jeweler’s saw and bench pin.
Attach a blade to the jeweler’s saw with the teeth of the blade pointed down. Attach the jeweler’s bench pin to your work surface using its supplied clamp.
Leaving the protective film that comes on the copper sheets in place for the whole cutting process, use a ruler and marker to draw out the dimensions of the plate size you wish to cut.
Position the copper sheet on the bench pin.
Create a starting groove by drawing the jeweler’s saw blade up (opposite the direction of the teeth). This will provide a groove in the correct position and make it easier to start cutting without breaking the blade or inadvertently moving the blade out of place. Again, the YouTube video linked above does an excellent job of demonstrating this and the following techniques.
Cut the copper along the drawn lines. Consult the above liked YouTube video and my process video for tips on making the best straight cut possible.
Once you’ve cut the plate to your working size, use a metal screwdriver to round down the edge bur along each edge of the cut plate. Do this by running the shaft of the screwdriver along the cut plate edge at about a 45 degree angle with moderate pressure.
Next, you will need to drill two small holes for hanging the plate in the plating tank. I use 16 gauge copper wire which corresponds to a 1/16-inch drill bit. Use a felt tip marker to mark where you want to place your holes. Then, place the cut copper plate on the back of the bench pin or a wood block to protect your work surface from the bit and drill a hole in two of the corners of the plate. I drill the holes in the top edge of the plate held in the vertical position.
SURFACE FINISHING THE COPPER PLATE
In order to achieve the best plated silver surface that will polish down to the mirror surface required for daguerreotypes, you will need to surface and polish the cut copper plates to a mirror finish.
Remove the protective film from both sides of the copper plate.
Inspect the plate for which side you want to polish. Most copper plates will have one side with a little better surface and an alternate side that likely shows more lines and marks from the factory machining process. Choosing the cleaner side reduces the surfacing and polishing time to achieve a mirror surface.
Apply double sided tape to the side of the plate you determine to be the back and stick the plate to the center of the polishing support block.
Select a sandpaper grit to begin. With the plates I get and have recommended above in the materials list, I generally start with 600 or 800 grit. If your plate is poorly finished (avoid poorly finished plates as a good starting point) you will need to start with a coarser grit. Fix your chosen grit to your palm sander, orbital sander, or random orbital sander (whichever you’ve chosen to use) and spray one or two light sprays of Windex on the paper. If using plain water, apply a bit of water to the paper. Same goes for Alumicut, WD40 or any other lubricant. The paper should be wet but not saturated or running.
Begin to sand the surface of the copper in slow controlled motions. You may find that there is a recommended direction or pattern recommended for your type of sander. Reapply Windex or lubricant as the surface becomes dry. A little bit of dry sanding between applications of the lubricant is fine.
After achieving an even sanding of the surface, move to progressively finer grits. With each change of grit, rotate the plate 90 degrees and aim to reduce and remove the sanding lines from the previous grit. Rotating the plate makes it easier to see the previous lines and further randomizes the sanding pattern which helps you eventually arrive at a mirror finish. This takes time so don’t rush. In my process video, I used a granular approach selecting many consecutive grits. Some people choose to use larger jumps in grits with longer sanding times i.e. 600 grit, 1200 grit, 2400 grit, 5000 grit, 7000-10,000 grit. This can work equally as well. Using more consecutive grits however can make it slightly easier to reduce and remove the sanding lines from the previous grit in less time, although time spent ends up being the same taking into account going through more changes of sandpaper. In some cases, finer grits of sandpaper will wear out faster than coarser grits so you may find a need to replace the paper before completing that grit’s sanding period. If the paper feels totally smooth (compared to when new) or is gunked up, it may be worth changing it out to a fresh piece of the same grit and continue sanding until you are happy with that round of sanding. Aim for a final grit of 7000-10,000. Once you’ve completed the final grit (anything between 7000 - 10,000 should be good) you should already have a decent mirror finish on the plate and be able to easily see your reflection.
Remove the sandpaper from your sander and attach a foam applicator pad (in the case of a circular orbital sander) or in the case of a 1/4 sheet palm sander, attach a piece of felt followed by clean velvet/ Ultrasuede (brand)/ microsuede over the felt.
Using a gloved finger, apply a small amount of NuShine II Grade S metal polish to the plate surface and rub it into the surface of the plate. It will usually darken down from white to a medium or dark grey as it’s rubbed into the plate.
Polish the plate with the NuShine. You may choose to do two applications of the NuShine. After the NuShine polishing, you should see a further improved mirrored surface.
An optional step after the NuShine polishing is to throughly wipe the plate, apply Carbon Black or Lamp Black to the plate surface (filtered through nylon stocking to filter out coarser grains) and polish the plate with that, rotating the plate 90 degrees at least once. I’ve found no need to change the polishing material on the sander for this step but you may wish to (just don’t use the same material again with NuShine on another plate).
CLEANING THE COPPER PLATE
Before moving to the electroplating process, it is critical to thoroughly clean the plate after surfacing and polishing. Leaving residue on the plate surface will prevent even plating and ruin the plate. If you get holes or uneven plating due to residue, you will never be able to polish the silvered plate to a perfect mirror finish for daguerreotype. Ideally perform the plating using gloved hands to prevent oils from your fingers from depositing on the surface during cleaning.
Remove all of the double sided tape from the back of the plate. You can use a blade to lift the tape if it’s difficult to get off but avoid gouging the back surface and avoid dropping the plate.
Using denatured alcohol and cotton balls, clean the polished front surface of the plate, followed by the edges, followed by the back of the plate, in that order. You use this order so as to not carry residue or debris from the edges or back of the plate to the front polished surface. Be sure to thoroughly clean the edges and the two holes in the corners of the plate.
Using acetone nail polish remover and cotton balls, clean the back of the plate to remove residue from the double sided tape. You can also clean all surfaces of the plate in the order described in the previous step.
After cleaning the plate with denatured alcohol and acetone, wash the plate in hot running water and clean with dish soap. You can use a cotton ball to clean the surfaces and edges.
WATER BREAK TEST
The plate needs to be essentially chemically clean or as close to it as possible with no remaining residue from the cleaning agents including the dish soap. To confirm that the plate is adequately clean of all residues, perform a water break test. If the plate is completely clean, water will sheet from the surface without breaking or beading. This test should ideally be done with distilled water but can be done with clean tap water. Just be sure to do a final rinse in distilled water to remove any minerals from the tap water before moving on to electroplating.
Dip the plate into cold distilled water or allow clean cold tap water to lightly run onto the plate creating a meniscus.
Withdraw the plate and inspect polished surface as you tip the plate and allow the water to run off. The water should uniformly sheet off the plate without breaking or beading and should leave only a thin uniform film of water on the polished plate surface. If the water breaks or beads, cleaning is not complete and you must resume cleaning with soap and water followed by distilled water rinses until the polished surface of the plate passes the water break test.
PREPARING THE ELECTROPLATING TANK AND EQUIPMENT
You should have everything set up in place and ready to go before beginning the electroplating process. Prepare your working surface with enough space for the electroplating tank, the pyrex dish of distilled water, and the voltage rectifier. You will need a way of hanging the plate in the electroplating tank. There are many advanced and professional methods for doing this. I use a simple and cheap method using popsicle sticks.
For the anodes, tape two popsicle sicks together with only a small gap between them the thickness of the anodes. This will be used to hold the anodes upright in the electroplating solution. Place across the top of the electroplating tank.
A single popsicle stick can be used to hang the plate from two copper wire hooks. This should be placed across the top of the electroplating tank an inch or two away and parallel to the sticks for the anodes.
Cut two pieces of 16 gauge copper wire and shape into hooks that can be placed through the drilled holes in the plate and then hung onto the single popsicle stick.
You may want to tape the popsicle sticks into place on the outside of the electroplating tank to prevent them from moving around when the terminal wires to the voltage rectifier are connected. With the tank empty, it would be a good idea to test the setup and make sure everything stays in place before moving on. Insert an anode and hang the plate onto the single popsicle stick in the tank. With the rectifier turned off and no voltage flowing, connect the positive terminal of the rectifier to the anode and the negative terminal to one of the copper hooks holding the plate. Make sure that everything stays in place and doesn’t move around with the weight of the terminal wires hanging on them. If all looks good, use a piece of masking tape to mark the fill line for the electroplating solution which should be a little above the top edge of the plate. Disconnect the terminals and remove the popsicle stick with the copper and set aside, making sure not to drop it or allow anything to touch the polished surface. You will use the popsicle stick as a handle when it comes time to introduce the copper plate into the electroplating solution.
SILVER ELECTROPLATING - SILVER STRIKE PROCESS
Warning: NEVER introduce any acid to the electroplating solution. Acid will react with the plating solution to produce hydrogen cyanide gas. Always use gloves when handling solutions.
Because of natural conductivity, silver will begin to plate onto copper in the electroplating solution even without applying current, a reaction called “immersion plating”. However, immersion plating is counterproductive to quality electroplating because the reaction is weak and will result in a weak bonding of the base silver layer to the copper. This is like building a skyscraper on a foundation of toothpicks. The weak bond in immersion plating can cause the final silver layer to flake from the copper surface which will ruin the plate and inhibit the daguerreotype process. In order to prevent immersion plating and establish a strong foundational bond of silver on the copper, we employ the Silver Strike Process wherein the copper plate is first introduced to the electroplating solution for a short time at a higher voltage than is used in the electroplating process. A stainless steel anode is used in place of the silver anode in order to reduce the available free silver in the solution from plating too heavily.
With nothing connected to the rectifier terminals, turn on the rectifier and set the voltage to 5-6V.
Turn off the rectifier.
With your ventilation system turned on, position the stainless steel anode in the tank, held in place by the two taped together sticks. The copper plate hanging on the single popsicle stick should be set safely aside and ready outside of the tank.
Fill the tank with the electroplating solution to the previously marked fill line.
Note: I use my solution at room temperature which for me indoors in Southern California is generally between 60-68F. It’s been recommended to me that the ideal temperature for electroplating silver is around 60F. If you’re in a warm room, you may want to employ an ice bath to cool your solution. I cannot speak to warming the solution in cold environments and would recommend researching before applying heat to any cyanide-based solution.With the rectifier turned off, connect the positive terminal to the stainless steel anode via the clip on the insulated terminal wire.
Take the popsicle stick with the copper plate hanging from it in your hand. Only touch the popsicle stick.
Connect the negative terminal of the rectifier to one of the copper hooks holding the copper plate.
With both terminals connected, turn on the rectifier. Voltage is now flowing.
Smoothly and evenly immerse the copper plate into the electroplating solution for 30 seconds or until the plate takes on a slight whitish color. Generally do not exceed 1 min or you will risk burning the plate at this higher voltage. The plate just needs to take on a whitish color but does not need to be perfectly uniform.
After 30 seconds to 1 minutes (once the plate becomes whitish), remove the plate from the electroplating solution, disconnect the negative terminal from the hook, and place the plate into the pyrex dish containing clean distilled water. Power off the rectifier.
Leave the plate in the distilled water for 45 seconds to 1 min (a little longer is fine).
SILVER ELECTROPLATING - THE ELECTROPLATING STEP
With the rectifier tuned off and during the time that the plate is disconnected and in the distilled water bath, disconnect the positive terminal from the stainless steel anode. Remove the stainless steel anode from the electroplating solution, rinse in clean tap water and set aside in a clean place to dry.
With the stainless steel anode removed, replace it in the electroplating tank with the pure silver anode and connect it to the positive terminal of the rectifier.
Make sure that the negative terminal of the rectifier is not touching anything and turn on the rectifier. Turn the voltage down to 2V (if you’re reusing solution and the plating has slowed, you can use 3V — generally do not exceed 3V).
Turn the rectifier off.
Remove the plate from the distilled water and with the rectifier still turned off, connect the negative terminal back to one of the copper hooks holding the plate.
Holding the popsicle stick, turn the rectifier back on (it should now be set to 2V).
Smoothly and evenly immerse the plate back into the electroplating solution.
Monitor plating for 10 minutes.
Advanced tip: If you find that during plating, the amperage reading on the rectifier drops by a notable degree from the starting amperage, you can agitate the silver anode by gently rocking it in the solution by wiggling the insulated terminal wire. Gentle agitation of the anode should raise the amperage back to the starting amperage which maintains consistent flow of electric charge through the plating process.After 10 minutes of plating, remove the plate by lifting the popsicle stick, disconnect the negative terminal, and place the plate back into the distilled water bath. At this point you should find the previously polished plate surface to be a uniform matte white (the back of the plate will likely be less uniform because it wasn’t polished).
Turn off the rectifier and wait 1-2 minutes.
After 1-2 minutes, remove the plate from the distilled water and with the rectifier still turned off, reconnect the negative terminal of the rectifier to one of the copper hooks holding the plate.
Holding the popsicle stick, turn the rectifier back on (it should still be set to 2V).
Smoothly and evenly immerse the plate back into the electroplating solution.
Monitor plating for the final 10 minutes. The same tip for agitating the silver anode to maintain consistent amperage applies here as well.
After the final 10 minutes of plating, remove the plate by lifting the popsicle stick, disconnect the negative terminal, and place the plate back into the distilled water bath. Turn off the rectifier.
Electroplating is now complete and you have a thoroughly silver electroplated plate with the previously polished surface appearing as a uniform matte white color.
Note: You may be asking why we are doing this process in two 10 minutes steps rather than a single 20 minute step. Do not be tempted to do this in one 20 minute step. The longer the plate is in the electroplating solution with current flowing, the more likely it will be to burn and ruin the plate. The pause between the 10 minute plating periods helps avoid this.
Your plate is now ready for polishing for the daguerreotype process. Rinse it in fresh distilled water and allow it to dry. You can use a blow dryer to speed dry it. Store the plate somewhere safe until you’re ready to make a daguerreotype.
Note on polishing for daguerreotype: When you polish the plate, do not use NuShine on the silver surface produced using this electroplating method. Even though we have a thorough and fairly thick silver layer, for some reason I have found that NuShine can cut straight through the silver and expose the copper which will ruin the plated surface and send you back to the start. I recommend surfacing and polishing the plate to a silver mirror finish using only rottenstone, red iron oxide (rouge), and lamp black as is common practice in traditional daguerreotypy.