ATM Silvering check list: please help

[Bob Prabowo <BOB@bahana.co.id>]

Hi guys,

Last night I prepared a checklist of steps to be taken for silvering a
miror (mine is 13"). The referrence I used is Tex book (Martin's
method).

Would you guys who have experiences in silvering a mirror take a look at
this checklist please? Any advice, correction or additional steps that
you suggest I should take will be appreciated. I hope I'll be able to
finish my mirror soon, though I don't know when that'll be (balancing
the Foucault shadows is really difficult. I need more practice).

BTW, the reason I made this check list is because I think the process is
rather long, I do not want to miss or forget to do anything. And I know
me, I'm a kind of careless and do forget certain details sometimes,
well, often. 
For instance, when I remade my polishing lap, I forgot to use the
beeswax though I've prepared it and put it nearby. Then when I've done
pouring the pitch on to the tool I realized that I hadn't covered the
paper dam with rouge.

I also have a question regarding the ratio of chemical to water in the
silver solutions (Solution A, B, C and D). Tex book says: "Distilled
water to make 1000 ml". 
Does it mean that I should add 1 l of distilled water to, say, 60 grams
of silver nitrate, then 1 liter water to 90 gr amonium nitrate, and so
on? I think it will be too much water. So how much water should I use?

I apologize if the message is too long.

CHECK LIST

Procedure:

Clean the mirror
        1.      Put on the gloves
        2.      Wash thoroughly with strong detergent, if there's pitch
on the mirror use turpentine to remove it;
        3.      remains of Rouge must be removed with soap and if it
stays remove it with rubber eraser;
        4.      clean the chamfer using the eraser;
        5.      eraser particles then washed off without rubbing the
mirror.
        6.      wash again with detergent, rinse with tap water then
rinse with distilled water;
        7.      swab the surface with nitric acid; 
        8.      swab the back and sides with nitric acid
        9.      rinse thoroughly with distile water
        10.      keep the mirror in distilled water
 
All equiptments should be terated the same way

        Prepare the solution
        1.      Put on goggles
        2.      Measure (50 ml per 15 square inch) Solution A and put it
into a beaker;
        3.      Measure an equal volume of solution B and add it slowly
to the beaker, stirr vigorously
        4.      Add an equal volume of solution C and continue stirring,
if it hasn't turned brown add more drops of solution C until it turns
brown.
      5.   (Solution D is prepared a week earlier)

Depositing the silver 
        1.      Remove the mirror from distilled water; (or if silvered
face up, throw the distilled water) and immediately without letting the
mirror dry
        2.      Put it into the silvering solution; (or if silvered face
up, pour the silvering solution onto the mirror).
        3.      Add solution D into the mixture;
        4.      rock the mirror gently to keep the solution mud from
depositing on the mirror; 
        5.      leave it there for 15 minutes, minimum

Polishing
1.      After 15 minutes, dispose the silvering solution for recycling
and rinse the mirror with distilled water
2.      Check the thickness of the deposit, if the filament of a bright
lamp is hardly visible, then it's sufficient; 
3.      if it's too thin, prepare second silvering bath;
4.      Dry the mirror (do not rub it), hold the mirror in nearly
vertical position;
5.      Wash it with a small quantity of strong alcohol
6.       After it's dry, put a small amount of Rouge on a chamois;
7.      rub the surface with figure 8 strokes

 ======== end of check list====

thanks in advance for your advice,

Bob P. Sumitro
Jakarta, Indonesia

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