First check and make sure your anode and cathode are not touching in the beaker. If you are using a conductive bus bar, make sure your anode is not touching it. Next, confirm that your lead wires are correctly set up: The red lead wire (+) clips to your copper anode wire, and the black lead wire(-) clips to your cathode/your design. If these are reversed, your design will not plate. An easy way to remember is this mantra: “Red to Red (Copper), and Black to Black(Graphite)”, as you connect the red lead wire to the red copper anode, and the black lead wire to the black graphite painted cathode.
If the problem is not fixed, then your issue might be due to any of the following:
-The conductivity of your design is not strong enough, and needs more layers of conductive paint.
-Your suspension wire has a coating or anti-tarnishing agent on it, as most craft wires found at hobby stores carry. Only use bare copper wire (which is included in your kit).
-If corrosion is present on your lead wire clips, anode, suspension wire or bus bar, then you will experience connection issues, as current will be blocked from flowing to your piece. Scrub down all your components clean of any solution exposure corrosion and try again.
-Your power supply or lead wires may be faulty. Contact the manufacturer for troubleshoot advice. If you are using the Cu MiniForm power supply, refer to the troubleshoot manual, or contact me.