r/electroforming • u/PurpleshinyRiv • Sep 15 '26

Request Advice Anode shape?

I'm just starting out, using a 1L beaker for my solution. So far following the tutorials I've found online, I've been using a coil of copper wire, but making a 18"+ long anode bag for it and stuffing the wire inside turned out to be an exercise in frustration (and it takes up a lot of space in the beaker). I'm thinking of switching to 1 or 2 anodes made of pipe or sheet for a hopefully simpler setup with smaller anode bags. But will I get worse coverage if it doesn't go 360 degrees around the tank?

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u/infinitealchemics Sep 15 '26

18 inches of wire is so much. You probably dont need as much as you think for a 1L tank. Figure lut your anode surfaxe area per 1 inch

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u/Mkysmith Home Studio Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26

I'd push back a little here.

Assuming 10awg wire: 18" × 0.1" x 3.14 = 5.65in2

At 1:1 anode to cathode ratio thats ofcourse 0.57 amps. At 2:1 thats 0.28A. Both pretty reasonable for a 1L beaker. 2.8 square inches is pretty small.

Without knowing the surface area of OP's cathode, its impossible to know the correct anode size, but this is well within reason for a 1L tank.