We all know plenty about Copper Plating, but what we often don’t know a great deal about is where the process originated from. I bet you would be interested to learn that it was not at all intentional, but was, in fact, a complete mistake!
Where did Copper Plating come from?
This happy accident occurred centuries ago in 1724, when Thomas Bolsover, a Sheffield cutler, was mending the handle of a silver knife. He was doing so with the assistance of a copper coin under the pressure vice but got a little distracted and the two metals both became heated. Due to their heating, they fused together, the silver completely hiding the copper. This mistake led Bolsover to experiment with other methods of retaining silver and copper together in unity whilst also being one, workable material, and this worked. This was Bolsovers happy accident, as this was the beginning of the Sheffield Plate. Dying in 1788, Thomas Bolsover was regarded in his obituary as the first inventor of plated metal, though sadly not the most well known.
All About Copper Plating
Copper Plating is not only undertaken for functional purposes but for decorative purposes, too. Often used for road mending techniques, medics and in telecommunications, it really is a multifunctional plating technique. This is due to it being an excellent conductor, has a good ability to shield against electro magnetic interference and radio frequency interference, along with it having excellent levelling properties. Copper plating is highly thought of in the medical world due to the fact that it naturally kills bacteria, thus making it a great protection against infections and diseases, so often also used in laboratory settings, too.
