Finally, I got something I like, although it is still just an experiment. This pendant is an image transfer on a thin piece of white Premo clay. I sealed the transfer and after it dried, I painted on the conductive paint. Next I glued on the quickly-done, home-made bail and put more conductive paint around the base. I thought that the bail would also get covered in new copper so it would blend seamlessly into the "frame" but for some reason it didn't. In addition, I was hoping the copper would build up enough around the bail to give it a secure hold. The bail seems to be tightly attached to the frame, but because the clay is so thin, when I pushed the bail back and forth to test the strength of the bond, it started to pull the frame away from the clay. When I do this for real, I will make the clay thicker, the frame wider, and I'll figure out a better bail. (I added a bail because it is difficult to suspend an object in the bath when there is no hole in it.)
Anyway, I really like that I could use an image transfer without getting any discoloration caused by the blue plating solution. Although I got very little discoloration on the white back of the piece, sealing the image is a must. Now to go experiment with Liver of Sulfur, something I have never used before.
A word of caution when electroforming. The blue solution is a kind of acid. Even though I was being careful, one of the wires caught on something as I was removing it from the piece and it flipped a tiny little splash of the solution uncomfortably close to my eye. Since it seems to be a mild acid, it didn't burn my skin, but I imagine it could do nasty things to an eye. So, WEAR A SPLASH PROOF EYECOVERING. Mine was sitting right there on the table.....
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