Don’t know about an alcohol alternative. You could check the MG Chemicals site. You could also opt for handpainting, especially if you thin the paint down. That would produce a lot fewer fumes. Or you could get a small activated carbon blower filter, spray inside a box, of hand paint then place the item(s) into a box with the filter.
I just realized that this solution I mixed ate all my sacrificial copper and that is why I have such a dark solution. It may be just a super concentrate that I can thin out with vinegar.
I may not have lost my solution at all! Yeah team! Let’s see if I am right.
I am thinking of another effect that can be done with electroplating. Just like lost wax the plastic forms the matrix then you burn it out at a temperature that will burn PLA but not melt the metal.
I thinned a bit of a glass full and added some vinegar and it looks very hopeful. I just can’t believe what that tiny 6v 200 milliamp power supply did.
This is getting totally interesting. Modern kitchen chemistry!
I have just spent eight days trying to get my internet back. I kept some notes on my experiments making electrolytes and testing home made electroplating paint.
I ended up getting the last one that Ender5r suggested.
Here are my cut and pasted notes and laments. It is a long read but might be of interest to some.
On second thought I’ll wait till I do an experiment with my Amazon electroplating solution as suggested by Ender5r. I am anxious to see if I can make it work. But I am afraid to try it. When I am in a period where everything is going wrong I wait till later. I am still suffering with the after effects of internet withdrawal syndrome.