Re: New (old) bottle cap idea

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "David Speck by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dspeck-at-relex-dot-com>

Mike,

I wonder if that was the only formula for silver plating.

I remember from back in analytical chemistry (1971) that we did a silver
mirror test for aldehydes or ketones
(probably ketones).  The mix involved fructose and silver nitrate and
something else.  I don't remember any
mention of explosive byproducts.

Similarly, I've read of the sugar and silver nitrate mixture (with a
"secret ingredient", perhaps urea) which
was used extensively to silver Christmas ornaments in Germany since the
1870's.  Not once in my extensive (20+
years) Christmas collecting experience have I heard mention of explosive
byproducts from the silvering
process, and hundreds of thousands of ornaments, if not millions, were
made in cottage shops.

We'll have to look around further to see if there are alternative
mixtures that might not have dangerous
byproducts.

It also occurred to me that they might still make "Aquadag", trade name
for aqueous dispersion of graphite.
This grey-black material was used for years to coat the inside of CRT.s
as part of the acceleration system.
It allowed old picture tubes to retain a very healthy charge even after
the power was turned off.  Granted it
was a DC application, but I have also seen the same material used on the
interior of the glass emitter stems
of good quality plasma sculptures.  These carry RF at reasonable current
levels, and I bet that it would
support a pretty heavy current of applied thickly enough.

Anyone have any of this material left on a shelf anywhere??

Dave

Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "Ted Rosenberg by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Ted.Rosenberg-at-radioshack-dot-com>
>
> Mike, all:
> As a science project back in Geek High School, AKA Bronx High School of
> Science, NYC, I followed those instructions to the letter from the Handbook
> of Chem and Phys.
>
> It worked very well. Silver Nitrate, 28% Ammonium Hydroxide as I recall.
> Distilled water of course.
>
> However,one super important caution!!! (Actually WARNING)
> A by-product of this particular process is Silver Fulminate. Make sure all
> precipitates, after the silver deposits out onto the glass, are thoroughly
> dispersed with plenty of water and down your nearest main  sewer (EPA was
> not a factor back then).
>
> Because if the Silver Fulminate dries, it goes BOOM when struck. It's a
> brownish, fine material. More powerful than Mercuric Fulminate which is used
> in cartridge primers.
>
> SAFETY First...really.
>
> Ted
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
> Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 2:33 PM
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: New bottle cap idea
>
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> <Hollmike-at-aol-dot-com>
>
> Hi all,
>   Well, there is one way I know of to achieve a 'perfect' metal coating on
> the
> surface of glass.  I have done this to the inside of a polyethylene bottle
> even
> with acceptable results.   It is the age old mirroring process that has been
> used for more  years than I could tell you.  It goes back at least to the
> 13th
> edition of the Hanbook of Chemistry and Physics(CRC) and probably many years
> before that.
>   It is probably beyond the ability for most to obtain all the necessary
> chemicals, but for anyone interested, who has access to such, it would
> certainly be an option.  One could mirror both the inside and outside of the
> bottle and would have a decent cap.  It would no longer be a SW cap, but
> rather
> a Leydon jar cap.
>    The big pain would be the preparation of the glass.  It must be
> scrupulously
> cleand and then etched to insure good adhesion of the silver to the glass.
>     If anyone is really interested in making such a cap, you can contact me
> offline and I will scan and send the instructions for it.  Of course, there
> would be more to making a good reliable cap in this manner than just the
> mirroring process, such and coming up with a way to insure a reliable
> connection to the inside of the bottle, but I have an idea that would work
> for
> that as well.
> Mike