Hi Kerry, One other ingredient of the stripping solution is
potassium (or sodium) silver cyanide (for silver), as there must
be silver ions in the bath to make it work. I didn’t find
anything about other components in my books, but the cyanides
should be the main parts. As I am working for 8 years now right
in front of a 7 litres bath of gold stripping solution
containing 1 kilogram of potassium cyanide, with the smell of it
in my nose despite of the ventilation, I don’t think the cyanide
is accumulative, otherwise I’d not walk around any longer.
About shop safety in general: Most important, I think, is to get
aware of possible dangers and to keep being so. Getting used to
the handling of hazardous stuff and to working with dangerous
machines is likely to reduce the necessary attention, with fatal
results sometimes. There are stories about workers bypassing
safety devices just out of laziness (lack of imagination plays a
roll here, doesn’t it?). Perhaps it’s a good idea to sit down and
write a list of the possible dangers in one’s workshop, to get
any data sheet on chemicals and to read instruction manuals
before setting up and starting a machine. Keep those
in a place where you will find them again, and read
them over just when you think of it, at least once a year.
regards, Markus Ellermeier Am Wachth�gel Lindenstr. 5 D-56865
Walhausen
Thanks for you comments on working with Cyanide… It’s very
reassuring to hear read that other people are working safely with
the minimum of safety gear. I guess I was a little paranoid
about it after the safety equipment manufacturers made such a
song and dance over all the equipment I’d need.
How do you dispose of the sludge that accumulates on the -ve
terminal? I use a stainless steel beaker with the -ve connected
straight on to the side. I get a deposit of silver around the
edge of the tank and I wondered how I should store it or dispose
of it.
I tried reversing the wires and trying to ‘plate’ it out but
ended up plating out what looks like copper. I guess that the
copper in the sterling silver is plating out but not the silver.
Ionic chemistry is not a strong point of mine. I had intended
filtering the solution out and scraping the sludge off the beaker
and melting it down if that’s possible (whilst wearing protective
gear of course).
As for general safety. I think you are right, fear is a good
protector. I also agree with your point that it is important to
remind oneself of the potential danger to avoid complacency. I
keep in mind the story of a caster who used to strip his
castings and ended up dying after biting his fingernails after
handling salts. I won’t even lift the lid on my beaker without
wearing gloves and mask.
Thanks for your help.
Netter Gruss,
Kerry
| Website - http://www.bennie.demon.co.uk/ |
| Hand made Celtic and Scottish Jewellery, Katunayake, Creagorry, |
|Isle of Benbecula, Outer Hebrides HS7 5PG Kingdom of Scotland |
|Tel:44 1870 602677 Fax:44 1870 602956 Mobile:44 85-005-9162 |
How do you dispose of the sludge that accumulates on the -ve
terminal? I use a stainless steel beaker with the -ve
connected straight on to the side. I get a deposit of silver
around the edge of the tank and I wondered how I should store
it or dispose of it. >>
Netter, We send all of our depleted plating/stripping solutions
to a smelter. They will dispose of it for you and pay you at the
same time…What a deal! Ken
Thanks for your note on waste stripping/plating solutions. I
removed the sludge which had the feel of modelling clay about
it, melted it down and ended up with a nice bright button of
silver.
When I have time, I might test it and see how pure it is.
Once again, thanks for your help.
Kind regards,
Kerry
| Website - http://www.bennie.demon.co.uk/ |
| Hand made Celtic and Scottish Jewellery, Katunayake, Creagorry, |
|Isle of Benbecula, Outer Hebrides HS7 5PG Kingdom of Scotland |
|Tel:44 1870 602677 Fax:44 1870 602956 Mobile:44 85-005-9162 |
