"Can someone advise and/or direct me to a book on basic electroforming?"

Sure. The book to get is - Electroplating and Electroforming for Artists and Craftsmen, by Lee Scott Newman and Jay Hartley Newman, Crown Publishers Inc., New York, 1979, or by General Publishing Co. Ltd. in Canada.

The general proportions for an electrolyte for copper electroforming deposit are: copper sulphate (clean, not agricultural grade) 150-250 grams/liter of distilled water, concentrated sulfuric acid 45-75 grams/liter of distilled water, and thiourea .005 grams/liter (This is given in error as .05 in the book. A friend called this "pixie dust" - it should be added in very very very tiny amounts until the plating responds with a brighter look -then stop adding it). The reason for a range of proportions is that variables like the object size to anode size, voltage, current density (amperage/area), temperature, and agitation will all affect the resulting surface and rate of deposition. That's why it will take practice and experimentation. Keep track of your actual proportions and When you get a good result measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte with a hydrometer (available cheaply at aquarium supplies or automotive battery type) and the Ph (acidity) with wide range testing paper from a good chemistry supply, or if you are more careful than I, for total accuracy - titration. My bath is at Ph 6.1 - maintain the solution by adding acid or water. Water will evaporate.

If you do production you will need to eliminate sludge with a filtration method or microporous bags around the anodes (a hassle). Except for the anodes and the objects to be plated, all the materials in contact with the solution should be non-conductive and acid resistant - plastic, wax, glass. Avoid other metals than copper to prevent contamination.

The DC power source may be a dry cell, car battery, battery charger, or transformer with a rectifying bridge added. You'll need a reostat or length of resistance wire to control the amps and wide range ammeter (0-10 A) to measure it in series from the negative pole. A current tester is useful.

Suspend the objects on thin copper wires because they will quickly become thick with plating. If the objects are to be held on hooks as with loop bails you will need to motorize and move the assembly back and forth to keep the parts from attaching (plating on) to the suspension wires.

other stuff: rubber gloves, alligator clips, fuse box to save the rheostat, 1/8"-1/4" dia. copper wire for "bus bars" (to suspend the objects from, and carry the current to the suspension wires), and to attach the copper sheet for anodes. The anode suspension wires dissolve fast, so use thick wire and shield them with plastic tubing and/or wax. Keep baking soda/water solution handy to neutralize acid spills. Still interested?