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How to Make Rolled Aluminum Foil Look Like Brushed Stainless Steel

Making rolled aluminum foil look like brushed steel can be accomplished through the process of electroplating. During electroplating, two metal conductive objects are placed in a specially formulated solution and connected to an electrical power source. An electric field is created that allows the surface of one object to coat the surface of the other. The object receiving the coat assumes the physical characteristics of the other object. Knowing how to do this will let you transform simple aluminum foil into brushed steel -- or at least make it look that way.

Things You'll Need

Steel-plating solution
Foil
Stainless steel
Work gloves
Goggles
Beaker
Wall-mounted power adapter

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase steel-plating solution from an online electroplating-kit retailer or from your local arts and crafts store.
- 2
  Put on work gloves and goggles to prevent eye or skin contact with the solution.
- 3
  Pour the steel-plating solution into the beaker, using enough to fully submerge the rolled aluminum foil. Make sure the beaker is large enough to accommodate the foil and the piece of brushed stainless steel without either touching.
- 4
  Connect the positive-charged alligator clip and the negative-charged alligator clip to the rolled aluminum foil. Put both the foil and stainless steel into the beaker, but make sure the clips aren't touching. Plug the wall adapter into the power outlet.
- 5
  Allow both pieces to remain in the beaker until the rolled aluminum foil assumes the physical characteristics of the brushed stainless steel. This can be monitored by looking through the beaker or occasionally removing the rolled aluminum foil from the beaker for visual inspection.

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