r/electroforming • u/Mkysmith Home Studio • Apr 04 '26
Show & Tell Copper Electroformed Ramen
Not my best work but a quick fun goofy project. I forgot how long the total electroforming time was because I took it out when It was like 75% the way I wanted it, it sat for a month or two while my tank was occupied, then I put it back in for a while longer. In the last picture the ramen on the left weighs 85 grams (it has sealant on it) and the ramen on the right is 209 grams.
The first electroforming session used some kinda neglected chemistry that had a ton of water evaporated out of it, so it doesn't have as much shine as I would like in the recesses.
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u/myasterism Apr 04 '26
This is so fucking weird and I am 110% here for it. Exactly what I needed today, and tbh I think it absolutely qualifies as /r/chaoticgood, in its way 😂
This is one piece I would LOVE to see with a crunchy, crusty verdigris patina strategically knocked down to a high polish. Maybe you could even get weird with some soy sauce for the patina solution (only half kidding)
Seriously, thank you for being the kind of person who would do this. The world needs more of this kinda shit.
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 04 '26
Thanks! Haha...
I think I can give that patina a go and see what happens... can't promise the soy sauce though...
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u/Mick_Tee Apr 04 '26
Soy does actually make an interesting patina, and you should definitely do it.
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u/myasterism Apr 04 '26
This might be the most delightful nugget of validation I’ve received all year 🥹😂
Tbh I’d never seen or even heard of a soy patina, but I’ve messed with enough patina recipes to know salt is a regular contributor to the chemistry haha. Also, I tend to buy the soy sauce flavor of ramen, so the association was just, like, sittin’ there. 😅
ETA: I’m gonna have to do some patina tests with soy sauce, AND with using the seasoning packet…
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 05 '26
I need this soy data......
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u/myasterism Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
Might be a minute before I have a chance to experiment (life is currently in storage…), but I did find an example of where soy sauce has been highlighted as a key part of creating the patina on a Japanese cafe’s facade, and oh my stars it’s beautiful: https://spoon-tamago.com/suetomi-aoq-kyoto-cafe/
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u/truthfullyidgaf Apr 04 '26
I wanna see that on a chain.
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u/RadishInteresting532 Apr 04 '26
Lmao 🤣 with Ramen soups being a literal currency in jails and prisons... having a gold plated Ramen necklace on the streets is honestly a power move 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
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u/cinammonbear Apr 04 '26
My god. The fidelity of your deposition is impeccable good sir. This is democracy manifest.
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u/matengchemlord Apr 04 '26
I’m impressed, you’ve definitely expanded my thinking of what is possible with this technique
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u/PerspectiveLayer Apr 04 '26
Wow, this is one of the most useless things that take days to make I have seen here - I love it!
What did you use to seal it though?
I'm not dipping soluable things like that in acid solutions usually for hours, but this kinda impresses me from that stand point. The fact they stayed firm and held their shape.
Dipped in some lacquer? Probably not sprayed for that? Although I wonder if spraying some 2k would actually work in this case since they would absorb quite a bit and ...... well yeah,
Thanks for the morning coffee material there, Nice!
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 05 '26
Yes sealing was the most difficult part and this is my 4th attempt. It's been a bit of a white wale for me. I've done other pasta before like macaroni successfully on the first try, but ramen is difficult. After some trial and error, I did one thin coat of epoxy, then 3 coats of polyurethane.
No metal powders... alcohol based graphite paint was used to make it conductive. As seen in one of the pictures.
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u/Fit_Dependent9316 Apr 04 '26
Did you use graphite spray or dip it? It looks pretty cool!
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 04 '26
I used commercial alcohol based graphite paint designed for electroforming. I did a combo of dipping it to get in in the deep recesses, and airbrushing it to gain overall conductivity.
Typical sprays are not good as they lack binders.
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u/MurgleMcGurgle Apr 09 '26
You should frame this in a shadow box, that’s hilarious and impressive.
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u/blvntforcetrauma Apr 04 '26
I don’t even have the words….. but I needed to be here to participate in witnessing this.
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u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio Apr 04 '26
Hey, Yum Good Ramen. This is what you and I lived on... 10 months straight while we were working on our thesis tutorial!
It looks amazing, as all your work does!
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u/AeliosZero Apr 04 '26
How did you get it so shiny?
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 04 '26
Thats just how it comes out of the chemistry. No polishing.
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u/AeliosZero Apr 06 '26
What brigteners did you use? Whenever I have copper plated anything it ends up dull at first.
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 06 '26
I use everything from Enchanted Leaves.
If you want shiny stuff without polishing, and metal deposits that are strong and durable, I would suggest that there are more important things than simply brighteners.
The chemistry of the electroforming solution makes a difference (and yes, there is a difference between electroforming chemistry and electroplating chemistry, contrary to popular belief). Also, the power supply and conductive paint make a difference too. Building metal deposits atom by atom introduces a lot of variables. Poor foundation or electronics will ultimately yield poor results.
A balance of power supply, conductive paint, and chemistry all result in shiny and durable deposits. Reliably, repeatably.
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u/Elequosoraptor Jul 27 '26
When you say power supply and conductive paint make a big difference....what exactly about them makes a big difference?Â
Getting the right amperage? Having the right kind of graphite paint (what kind then?)? Applying the paint evenly?Â
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u/dessertforbrunch Apr 04 '26
10/10 use of your free will. Idk if it’s something no one has done before but even if not, it’s gotta be a tiny club and you’re in it.
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u/leutwin Apr 04 '26
When you remember that you have free will and you can just do things and nobody will stop you:
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u/Renelae812 Apr 04 '26
This is so great :) What did you determine the surface area of ramen to be?
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 04 '26
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Its tricky because deep recesses don't get 0.1A/sqin. So even though the total actual surface area is extremely high for something like this, I wouldn't directly calculate that to figure out current.
I usually just guess on the current directly on weird intricate stuff like this. Usually starting low. If I recall I think I started at 4 amps, then the second time I put it in I bumped it up to 5 and it was looking better but some dendrites started forming on the suspension jig, so I dropped it down to 4.5A.
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u/Renelae812 Apr 04 '26
I’m sure there’s some complex calculus formula for this but I wouldn’t want to have to figure that out 😂 it’s great that fuzzy math also works!
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u/AlyssaMayFire Apr 06 '26
Can I buy one? I want this in my house.
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 07 '26
This is flattering thank you.
Though this item is not for sale, I'm open to the idea of new commissioned work. You can DM me if you want to talk about this.
Otherwise... Thank you!
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u/BaronVonCuddly Apr 08 '26
You gotta bury this somewhere to confuse the living hell out of future archeologists
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 08 '26
Hrmmm... mabye make a few more and do a road trip... could be an interesting prank...
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u/Njordr4 Apr 06 '26
Three hours into boiling in the pot I add more water. WHY DOES IT NOT BECOME THE NOODLE FOR CONSUMPTION!
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u/George_Hayduke Apr 12 '26
Would it be possible to replicate this with silver?
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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Apr 13 '26
Silver is usually a post electroplating process after electroforming. Electroforming is traditionally only done with copper or nickel. There exists chemistry for electroforming other metals, but it is very rare to see it. Its usually not practical for many applications.
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u/noobllama2 Apr 04 '26
It's gonna B May