[TheForge] Fw: Electro-plating and Electro-forming Resources

[Howell Steve]

 Phlip, Magnus would do well to learn of the Pre-Incan Moche' tribe.
National Geo had a great article on them awhile back. They were a special
bunch, with their own "decapitator" god.

from Allperu.com:

 
The Moche, who lived on the coast of northern Peru, invented the process
between 200 B.C. and A.D. 600. Europeans did not discover the process of
electroplating until Sir Humphrey Davy's experiments in the late 1700s.



THE MOCHE CULTURE
Kay Sanger, Christine Sellin y Karen Mack del Fowler Museum of Cultural
History 
"Two thousand years ago, while the Roman Empire was expanding its influence
in Europe, the Moche people in Peru were developing a remarkable
civilization. The Moche lived along a 250-mile stretch of Peru’s north
coastline in a series of fertile valleys with rivers flowing from the Andes.
Their civilization flourished from about A.D. 100 to 800. "Each of the
valleys contained large ceremonial centers with pyramids and palaces. The
most massive of these structures, the Pyramid of the Sun, rose 135 feet
above the Moche Valley and covered more than 12 acres, almost as large an
area as that of the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. It was the largest
man-made structure on the South American continent.


In metallurgy, too, the Moche excelled. They fashioned sheets of precious
metals into large ornaments and used lost-wax casting to create intricate
pieces, some with movable parts. Skilled technicians created metal alloys
using gold, silver and copper, and they developed a method of electroplating
gold onto copper, many centuries before the discovery of electricity.
(steve's note- the process purported to use an alkaline based system using
crushed seashells for part of the formula. These 'solid gold' objects were
reported to have fueled the conquistador's fantastic visions of 'ElDorado'-
solid gold cities)

Moche artists also created fine woven textiles, carved stone ornaments,
inlaid bone and wood pieces. The sheer volume of elaborate artifacts created
by the Moche indicates that there must have been a large corps of full-time,
highly skilled artisans who were supported by a wealthy elite class.

Recent archaeological discoveries, such as the royal tombs found near the
village of Sipán, have shown that a few of these elite were astoundingly
rich. They were surrounded with opulence supplied by a cadre of craft
specialists, and when they died, they were buried with their incredible
wealth.


This created a need for the artisans to produce new luxury articles for the
next rulers. The continuing demand for elite goods helped nurture the
flourishing of arts and technology in Moche society.

The Moche civilization collapsed near the end of the 8th century A.D.,
perhaps as a result of a series of natural disasters that occur periodically
in the area - earthquakes, severe drought or heavy El Niño rains.

.





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Medical Solutions
USA, Inc. and are intended only for the addressee(s). 
The information contained herein may include trade secrets or privileged or
otherwise confidential information.  Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing,
copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may
be unlawful.  If you received this message in error, or have reason to believe
you are not authorized to receive it, please promptly delete this message and
notify the sender by e-mail with a copy to Central.SecurityOffice at shs.siemens.com

Thank you