Coppering - Plates vs. Tape?

[bartley]

10 hours ago, Nirvana said:

Found this DIY for oxidizing copper.

Indeed, all of these processes, including the use of selenium blackening, involve the oxidation of copper to copper ions (for example copper sulfate).  I did outline the chemistry under the thread "blackening brass". The different effects depend on what chemical species replaces the copper be it sulfur  or selenium or other metals.  Modelers do not need to know the chemistry of course but there are some important practical consequences.  Firstly, aged copper contains an oxide surface coating  and, since it is copper which needs to be oxidized, you must remove this oxide coating before any of these processes will work efficiently. There are a variety of ways of doing this. Secondly, since copper is being removed, none of these processes should be prolonged unnecessarily .  You are "etching" the surface of the copper or brass and are thus destroying fine detail.

 

John

[rhephner]

Regarding how well the copper tape sticks, I've had trouble getting mine to stay put. It's not the most adhesive stuff in the world. Admittedly, I've done little to prepare the surface as suggested. I usually fix the issue with a dab of CA at the ends.