MeshPL
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Making a permanent silver mirror
So, I decided I will silver the inside of the jar to create an interesting looking flower pot. The chemistry here is well explored and rather easy to
do. standard Tollens solution should succesfully coat a jar with silver, provided it was throughly degreased, cleaned and washed with HNO3 and treated
with SnCl2, (this reportedly helps). However the resulting layer of silver will be thin and not really durable. What I plan to do next is to etch some
kind of inscription in silver using HNO3 and something like cotton swab and later spray transparent lacquer on the silver to protect it a bit. While
this should work, I am really not sure how durable will that be and wanted to ask you, if I can expect a long lasting result or will the silver
quickly oxidise/scratch/fall off?
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Maroboduus
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The back of my old CRC manual has a section on 'arts and recipes' .
This includes, on pages 2784 through 2786, Brashear's process, and the Rochelle salts process for silvering mirrors.
These are quoted from MILLER'S LABORATORY PHYSICS, Ginn & company publishers.
They procedures both involve a few things that might not be obvious, like that some of the solutions to be used should be prepared and stored for a
certain length of time before use. and drying the glass with 'prepared chalk'
I can post these if needed, but I think they may be available somewhere like google books, and if you've got an old CRC manual or access to one you
should check there . Don't know how common MILLER'S LABORATORY PHYSICS is, but there's probably other interesting stuff in there.
I have no scanner, so if anybody else has a copy and wants to scan the 'arts and recipes' section it would likely make a fine addition to the
sciencemadness library. Come to think of it I haven't even checked to see if an old CRC isn't a;ready there ready for the reading.
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Sulaiman
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might it be easier to draw in paint the clear areas before depositing the silver ?
Paint pens and permanent markers, nail polish and 'correction fluid'/tipex come to mind.
Remove with a solvent after silver deposition.
google what is used for masking when etching glass ....
[Edited on 2-10-2016 by Sulaiman]
CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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CharlieA
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You might try to find out how commercial mirrors are protected from the silver tarnishing. By commercial mirrors I mean for example those used in
furniture and home decorating. I'm sorry, but I don't know the answer.
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MeshPL
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@Sulaiman that's also a good idea, I might try that, but I'm not sure which way is better.
What considers industrially made mirrors, they were made simmilar way to what I want to do. Howevr additional layer of copper and chemical activetor
were added to increase durability. Nowadqys, aluminium vapors replaced colloidal silver to a high extent, but I'm not able to make a suitable vacuum
chamber.
I have no acces to MILLER'S LABORATORY PHYSICS, but I will neverthe less try to find a good source on silver mirrors. Brauer preparative inorganic
chemistry has a section on silver mirrors, but it doesn't include a way of making the mirror more permanent.
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careysub
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There is a large body of literature available on mirror slivering outside of chemistry texts. Kits are readily available, and it is well known in the
amateur telescope making community:
https://books.google.com/books?id=UN_gJSexgrwC&pg=PA123&...
A second surface mirror (one in which the reflective surface is viewed through the glass) is preserved simply by applying a backing paint of some
type. Front surface mirrors (as used in telescopes) are more difficult to protect, but benzotriazole is used for this purpose.
This company provides kits and instructions:
http://angelgilding.com
This page features backing paint:
http://angelgilding.com/other-supplies.html
Googling "Brashear silvering" brings up lots of results.
About that which we cannot speak, we must remain silent.
-Wittgenstein
Some things can never be spoken
Some things cannot be pronounced
That word does not exist in any language
It will never be uttered by a human mouth
- The Talking Heads
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MeshPL
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Obviously, I could paint the inside of the jar. But I preferably need both sides reflective. A transparent lacquer would be good, if not too thinly
applied, don't you think? Also, I know what kind of lacquer to use, but I do not know, what kinf of paint would be the best one to use, and I have
worries that applying it correctly may be hard to do, compared to spraying a generous amount of lacquer inside the jar and letting eventuall excess
drip out.
I know that there are also transparent paints for glass, but if they are much different from lacquer is a different question.
[Edited on 4-10-2016 by MeshPL]
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careysub
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A clear acrylic spray or fixative would be an obvious choice, Krylon has a number of probably suitable products.
About that which we cannot speak, we must remain silent.
-Wittgenstein
Some things can never be spoken
Some things cannot be pronounced
That word does not exist in any language
It will never be uttered by a human mouth
- The Talking Heads
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MeshPL
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Ok, now I'll hope I find suitable lacquer and buy some cheap silver (compared to most noble metals silver is cheap and I don't need much).
I think I finally found a way to use my chemistry knowledge to produce something of less than subjective and actually quite unique artistic value. I
may give the resulting jar as a gift to be used as vase.
Thanks everyone!
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