[Amps] Silver plating

[Roger]

Steve Thompson wrote:
> Clock restorers use something that works the same for resilvering 
> chapter rings and other brass parts. Basically it's silver nitrate 
> and salt. They also usually use a 'finisher' powder which (I 
> think) is to neutralise acidity. I'm told sodium bicarbonate works 
> fine for that.
>
> Somewhere I have an old HR or QST article describing how to plate 
> using spent photographic fixer. Probably not so easy to come by 
> these days.
>   
Actually there's lots of it around, just difficult to get due to the 
hazardous associated with it. That and there is a "replacement" system 
where you just place a couple of "bricks" coated with a material that 
replaces the silver in the spent fixer. The photo finishers are then 
paid for the silver.  Last I knew the guys who came up with that made a 
bundle, but I've not had anything to do with that industry for nearly 15 
years.  I did my own B&W where the chemicals were cheap, but the paper 
was expensive.  With color printing it's the paper thats cheap, but the 
chemicals are expensive.  Bout $3.00 USD for the chemicals to do *one* 8 
X 10 or even 16 X 20 while for B&W the paper ran bout 50 cents a sheet 
while a quart of chemicals would do 100 to 200 8 X 10s.  depending on 
when, if, and how you used replentisher.  Fixer was cheap!  Developer  
was not bad.  Stop bath ran a longggg time.

At any rate there would be plenty of silver to put a useful coat on a 
tank coil several thousandths thick which is more than enough even at 
HF. OTOH the difference in resistance between pure silver and copper for 
that length and diameter is not a great deal.  BTW as it ages Silver can 
get to look pretty crappy too.

A final note, they call it hazardous, but the stuff makes a great 
fertilizer additive for the flower beds. Contains IIRC Sodium Sulphate.

73

Roger (K8RI)

> Steve
>
>   
>> The product is call Cool-Amp, $30 for a 2 ounce jar.  Electricians use 
>> it on buss bars.  You take a wet rag, rub it on, and rinse.
>>
>> David
>> KC2JD/4
>>
>>     
> ......
>   
>>> BTW there is a chemical mix that will flash plate by just wetting it and 
>>> then rubbing it on the copper. It is hazardous, but nothing like the 
>>> plating chemicals.
>>>
>>>       
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