Despite all the flaws with Tesla's (TSLA) novel Cybertruck, not limited to it not being faster than a Porsche, accelerator pedals that can slip off, a critical design flaw that can affect its use in winter weather, and other critical flaws that can occur after delivery, it is still a polarizing hunk of metal that some people want.
But for those who are unsatisfied with the Cybertruck's fridge-like characteristics, there are ways owners can alter its looks, including $6,500 color film from Tesla. However, one YouTuber used science to make a Cybertruck look a tiny bit more obnoxious and mimicking precious metal in the process.
YouTuber Zack Nelson, better known as JerryRigEverything is known for his informative videos on tech including teardowns of popular tech products.
As part of a series of videos revolving around electroplating; a process where electricity is used to coat something in a layer of metal. Here, he turned a stainless-steel Cybertruck Foundation Series into a machine that looks like a gold bar with wheels attached to it.
According to Nelson, gold plating the vehicle requires $60,000 of pure, 24 karat gold, which came in the form of a purple goo-like material.
Pure gold is notorious for being very soft and malleable, and so, most commercially available gold jewelry such as rings and chains are made of 18-karat, or 14-karat gold; which are combined with metals like copper or silver for strength.
In the video, the YouTuber showed the three stages of electroplating the Cybertruck.
First, he used an electro cleaner to make the flat, stainless-steel panels of the truck hydrophilic; making the material attracted to water molecules, which helps keep the exterior of the truck conductive to electricity.
Next, he used an acid to soften the surface of the panels to allow them to put on a first layer of gold. The acid helps to break through layers of chromium oxide in order for the gold to actually stick to the panels.
Finally, the plating started with a mixture of cobalt and 24-karat gold. Here, Nelson used a platinized titanium brush with a little bit of the gold 'goo' on it and a magnetic negative copper electrode to plate the Cybertruck.
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At that stage in the process, the Cybertruck looks as if Nelson is 'painting' on gold with a brush; as the stainless steel panels absorbed the gold onto its panels and gave itself the yellow-gold look at almost the blink of eye.
Although Nelson makes the whole process look easy, it requires a lot of skill, patience and more patience for a method that has lots of reward. All in all, it took three people in total four days, having to start and restart the process a few times.
Additionally, given the surface of the Cybertruck itself is bare metal, professional installers laid on a protective layer of paint protection film to protect the gold from any scratches, bird droppings or any other materials that could cause the metal to corrode.
How you can win the Cybertruck
Nelson's video was sponsored by Ridge, the accessory company known for their wallets. According to Ridge's website, they will be giving away the truck in a sweepstakes later this year.
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