Re: [ATM] silvering vs mercury: Another Question: Silver removal

[Pete <lenses@adelphia.net>]

Hi all,
Silver won't stick well to glass without an adhesive bonding layer.
So, with chemical silvered mirrors, get some good sticky tape (clear 
packaging tape works well) and apply it to the mirror in small sections 
at a time and the silver will be gone very quickly.
Then use acetone to remove any sticky glue residue from the tape.
Finally just take a cotton ball with some polishing compound and water 
and lightly rub all over the surface to remove the last traces of silver.
Hope this is helpful,
Peter Nance, Jr.
lenses@adelphia.net

Kevin MIchael Zabbo wrote:

>I don't have a silver coating to experiment with, so
>I'll ask something about the removal of a silver
>coating.
>
>Will PC board etchant remove silver from glass?
>
>Kevin of Eastern Iowa
>Seeker of the Darkness
>
>--- Mark Holm <mdholm@telerama.com> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Not only is mercury toxic, but I have never heard of
>>anybody using it to
>>coat a front surface mirror.
>>
>>The chemicals needed for silvering are not too
>>exotic, but there are
>>some hazards.  The worst is probably nitric acid. 
>>Bad stuff if you get
>>it on your skin and don't get it off quickly.  Very,
>>very, very bad in
>>your eyes.  Also, it can start fires in rags or
>>paper if not diluted.
>>
>>Cleanliness is all important in silvering, as is not
>>doing any of the
>>work in metal containers.  Glass containers are
>>best, ceramic, or
>>enameled steel with no chips in the enamel or raw
>>edges will work.
>>Metal containers of any kind, except perhaps for
>>gold or platinum, are
>>no good.  Few of us have gold or platinum
>>containers, so practically,
>>metal is out.
>>
>>There are silvering instructions on line.  I don't
>>have any bookmarks to
>>them though.
>>
>>It is somewhat difficult to get the glass clean
>>enough for the silver to
>>stick reliably.  It has to be really clean.  The
>>instructions will give
>>some guidance.  Acetone will get off most of the
>>organic material (bits
>>of pitch and hand oils), but that isn't clean
>>enough.  The most common
>>method is after a couple of acetone rinses, rinse
>>once with distilled
>>water, then pour concentrated nitric acid on the
>>mirror and swab it
>>lightly with cotton wool soaked in concentrated
>>nitric acid.
>>(Afterwards, put the cotton wool in a large
>>container of water + baking
>>soda.  Cotton soaked in nitric acid is dangerous.) 
>>Of course you have
>>to wear rubber gloves and safety goggles.  After the
>>nitric acid wash,
>>rinse several times with distilled water and do not
>>let the mirror
>>surface dry out again until after the silver is
>>deposited.  Keep it
>>under distilled water and do not touch the surface
>>with your skin..
>>(The water must be distilled or deionized.  Ordinary
>>drinking water is
>>almost certainly not pure enough.)
>>
>>The nitric acid used for cleaning has to be fully
>>concentrated, or it
>>won't get the glass clean enough.  It is quite
>>reactive and corrosive
>>when this strong.  Like I said above, it is not
>>stuff to mess around
>>with.  Make sure you know what you are doing, and
>>have the right
>>equipment and materials.
>>
>>There are fellows on this list that have done
>>silvering recently.  It
>>has been a long long time since I did it.  When it
>>works right, it is a
>>pretty magical process.
>>
>>Mark Holm
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>ATM mailing list http://www.atmlist.net/
>>
>>    
>>
>
>
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