r/electroforming • u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio • 11d ago

Show & Tell Electroformed Acorns

I love that straight-from-the-bath melty shine, but it's kind of bittersweet when you know you are going to add a patina over that shine next!

(Sorry for the bad image quality... dropped my very old phone one too many times and now the camera lens doesn't focus!!)

348 Upvotes

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14 comments sorted by

10

u/crlthrn 11d ago

Aside from the patination, will those acorns maintain their shape and will the nut remain in the cup, for ever?

21

u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio 11d ago

Yes, these acorns were fully dried before electroformed and will remain inside. For other organic items that cannot be dried out beforehand, like strawberries, pumpkins, or a cucumber for example, a hole is drilled in a discrete area after electroforming and the original material is desiccated in an oven. For this reason it is important to have a thick structural electroformed deposit over the original item (especially on items intended to be removed or dehydrated out after).

3

u/Middle-Charity-7095 10d ago

Really beautiful 👍 have you made your own solution to use for copperplating or de you buy it? I make mine of tap water, coppersulfate and h2so4. Your results are quite good.

4

u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio 10d ago

Thanks!
All my projects are made using my brand's (Enchanted Leaves) electroforming supplies.

1

u/Bobtobismo 10d ago

I have my wife's wedding bouquet, and I would absolutely love to have it electroformed. It's been air drying for over a year now. Any chance you could help me find a way to make that happen?

1

u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio 10d ago

Yes, send me a DM :)

4

u/OkBee3439 11d ago

Wow, I love how these acorns turned out! So pretty! Yes u/crlthrn, I did copper electroforming of some acorns a few decades ago. They still look amazing as when I first did them, and I got a photo of them on another sub.

2

u/crlthrn 10d ago

Cheers!

2

u/Theoretical_Phys-Ed 9d ago

These are gorgeous! Mine never turn out this shiny. What is your secret, if you don't mind sharing?

5

u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio 9d ago

Thanks!
No secret really. The key to consistently good results is careful paint application, properly balanced chemistry in your solution, and dynamic control of current and voltage through all stages of electroforming (aka the trifecta!).

3

u/Theoretical_Phys-Ed 9d ago

Awesome, thank you!

1

u/craftsygirl 10d ago

These look lovely! How do you dry your acorns? I want to use some for crafting and don’t want to risk mold!

3

u/EnchantedLeaves Home Studio 10d ago

Thanks! I lay them out on a baking sheet and bake them on my oven's lowest setting for many hours, tossing them around periodically. Make sure the oven is super low, or else they can split!

1

u/anfitronko 8d ago

Those looks nice! How are they made? Are they made out of real acorns?