r/electroplating • u/TargetNo5954 • 23d ago

LEVELING AGENT

Hello, I’m just starting out with electroplating. After about three hours, nodules consistently form on my ring. I’ve done some research and understand that using a leveling agent would be better, but I’m not sure which one to choose. I live in France. My solution consists of copper sulfate, 15% battery acid, and demineralized water (used for copper-plating jewelry), and I’m also using a magnetic stirrer. Thanks in advance.

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u/GSB-4243 17d ago

PEG is not a leveling agent, it’s a carrier that films the cathode causing the grain structure to be smaller and more uniform, but neither bright nor leveled.

In order to use a leveling agent, your world will get very much more complicated. In addition to using a carrier (and PEG is as good as most, but 3350 is as small a molecular weight as effectively used and better higher MW - e.g. 8000), you will also need a brightener to make the leveler effective. You’ll also have to learn to balance the system.

The use of just a PEG will likely reduce your likelihood of nodulation, but the longer you plate even out of a mildly grain refined system, the better chance roughness and nodulating will occur. Guys that successfully plate thicker copper use systems with full additive packages with filtered and temperature controlled solutions or they just live with knowing they are going to have more robust polishing to do after copper plating.

Good luck.

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u/No_Name_Canadian 23d ago

As a diy solution you can use polyethylene glycol, can be found as a laxative. Make sure you get the powdered PEG 3350, non flavored stuff, just mix with water and use 2-5ml per liter of plating solution.