Galvanoplasty

GALVANOPLASTY. - A process based on the laws of electrolysis, by means of which objects are reproduced by depositing a metal onto a mold that may be made of various substances (gelatin, gutta-percha, plaster, wax, etc.) and coated with graphite.

In this process the mold acts as the cathode and the metal as the anode; the thickness of the metal, which in the reproduction of statues, bas-reliefs, etc. will be deposited onto the mold, will therefore be proportional to the time the object has been kept in the electrolytic bath. The galvanoplastic method also finds applications for more properly industrial uses, such as typographic and cliché reproductions (the so-called galvanotypy, consisting namely in the metallization of clichés for large print runs), the construction of parabolic mirrors, of gramophone records and in dental technology. In the decorative arts, g. is used for gilding, silvering, and nickel plating. Among artistic reproductions, those reproducing the Hildesheim treasure, kept at the Musée de Cluny, are renowned.