Author Topic: a couple of questions regarding silver production  (Read 4256 times)

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
a couple of questions regarding silver production
« on: June 01, 2017, 05:36:12 PM »
With the SilverTron Elite, if you are not using a stirring device, what is the maximum milliamp setting you can use with a silver rod and what is the maximum setting if you are using a silver bar as available from the SilverTron store? Does the gauge of the rod matter?

I started using my SilverTron Elite with a hot plate stirrer and I can't remember ever making a batch without the stirrer on, so these are two things I was wondering about .

Art


Offline kephra

  • The older I get, the better I was
  • Administrator
  • Participant
  • *****
  • Posts: 8883
  • Likes: 286
  • Illegitimi Non Carborundum
    • My World As I See It
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2017, 05:42:51 PM »
That depends on temperature and the amount of submerged anode area.  In general, without a stirrer, you can increase the current until you detect 'smoke' coming off of the anode.  Start at 3 ma and go up from there.  With a stirrer you can go the full 15ma even with just a wire anode.

Without a stirrer of some sort, you will get plating on the bottom of the flask underneath the anode.  This should be removed with peroxide before it becomes an opaque mirror. 
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2017, 05:47:39 PM »
Looks like I will have to do a little experimenting. What size silver rod comes with the Elite now?

Art

Offline kephra

  • The older I get, the better I was
  • Administrator
  • Participant
  • *****
  • Posts: 8883
  • Likes: 286
  • Illegitimi Non Carborundum
    • My World As I See It
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2017, 05:54:23 PM »
The wire electrodes are 12 gauge (0.08, 2mm)
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2017, 06:23:04 PM »
Thank You.

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2017, 08:57:32 PM »
Kephra,

I am currently experimenting with production without stirring and I need you to describe what you mean by the term "smoking".

I am using a moderately used  12 gauge rod for my anode to make 20 ppm in a liter of water. The rod is maximally submerged. I am using a copper cathode. At 9 ma I see a constant and growing tail coming off of the bottom of the anode. At 8 ma I see the same thing to a slightly lesser degree. At 7 ma I see what I would describe as a tail coming off of the bottom of the anode. At 6ma I see a shorter tail that does not appear to be growing and seems to stay fairly short. All of these tails seem to be trailing down toward the bottom of the beaker. My water temperature is 69.1 degrees F. I have the voltage set at the 19~20 range.
At 5 ma, it looks like no visible tail coming off of the bottom of the anode, but the previous test at higher ma showed a visible pile of particles building up below the anode. On further inspection it looks like there is a very faint tale that appears to be moving straight to the bottom of the beaker. So far it looks like 3 or 4 ma is going to be the limit at this water temperature.

Can you give me your input. What I am trying to establish is a general starting point for someone who has just opened their SilverTron and plans on running it without a stirrer/hotplate and will be using either a 12 gauge rod or a silver bar for their anode.
Thank you.

Art
« Last Edit: June 01, 2017, 09:28:29 PM by Art »

Offline kephra

  • The older I get, the better I was
  • Administrator
  • Participant
  • *****
  • Posts: 8883
  • Likes: 286
  • Illegitimi Non Carborundum
    • My World As I See It
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2017, 05:22:58 PM »
Art,

Start at 3 mA,  if processing at room temp with no stirrer.  If made hotter, like using a hot water bath or a hot plate, you can increase the current.  Convection currents from the heat will keep the solution more uniform, but that should be done in pyrex (borosilicate) glassware, or using a water bath around a mason jar.

Even at 3mA with no stirring, you will get silver oxides falling from the electrode.  This can't be helped.  The concentration of silver ions in the diffusion layer simply reaches the solubility limit.

Going below 3mA is ok as long as you can keep the voltage up but that becomes increasingly hard.

Gently swirling the jar every few minutes also helps keep the mixture more uniform.

Here is a photo of a batch colloidal silver made at 3mA at room temperature with no stirring.


« Last Edit: June 02, 2017, 07:41:30 PM by kephra »
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2017, 07:58:08 AM »
Thank you, Kephra.

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2017, 04:55:43 AM »
Having always used a stirrer since my very first batch of ionic silver, I never realized how much more efficient it seems to be with a stirrer and definitely faster since you can increase the ma level right on up there.

Experimenting the last few days has shown me two things. One, I don't like using rods unless I have a stirrer. Two, if I don't use a stirrer, I would definitely only use a silver bullion bar to make colloidal silver. The bar just seems much more efficient and is definitely my preference over using a rod.

Kephra, do you sell larger bullion bars than what I have or is a larger bar just overkill?

Art

Offline kephra

  • The older I get, the better I was
  • Administrator
  • Participant
  • *****
  • Posts: 8883
  • Likes: 286
  • Illegitimi Non Carborundum
    • My World As I See It
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2017, 11:58:19 AM »
Quote
Kephra, do you sell larger bullion bars than what I have or is a larger bar just overkill
?
I do not have any larger bars. 

You could double up and use two bars side by side for the anode, but I believe it will be overkill using a stirrer, and perhaps marginally better without one.
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Offline Art

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 1487
  • Likes: 54
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2017, 07:57:03 PM »
Okay, one bar it is. Thank you!

Art

Offline WayneInPHX

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 396
  • Likes: 6
  • Witty saying goes here... Ok--> "42"
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2017, 06:44:55 PM »
Kephra,
...So far it looks like 3 or 4 ma is going to be the limit at this water temperature.


You are close to Min limits for both current AND temp.  75F/24C Min,  (I) would go no lower than 4 or 5 mA.   My 2 cents.

Most of us don’t listen with the intent to understand.  We listen with the intent to reply.  -  From a TED Talk

"I've decided I'm not old. I'm 25 plus shipping & handling!"

Offline RickinWI

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 658
  • Likes: 6
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2017, 06:56:25 AM »
Kephra,
...So far it looks like 3 or 4 ma is going to be the limit at this water temperature.


You are close to Min limits for both current AND temp.  75F/24C Min,  (I) would go no lower than 4 or 5 mA.   My 2 cents.

Hi Wayne,  Just curious why you said you wouldn't go LOWER than 4 or 5 mA?
So many VARIABLES & so little TIME.

Offline WayneInPHX

  • Expert
  • Participant
  • ***
  • Posts: 396
  • Likes: 6
  • Witty saying goes here... Ok--> "42"
Re: a couple of questions regarding silver production
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2017, 08:35:31 AM »

You are close to Min limits for both current AND temp.  75F/24C Min,  (I) would go no lower than 4 or 5 mA.   My 2 cents.

Hi Wayne,  Just curious why you said you wouldn't go LOWER than 4 or 5 mA?
[/quote]

"Practicality.  Very low currents require lower cell voltage. There is no concrete lower limit providing you adjust all the other parameters to fit."  - KEP
It takes a LONG time to generate.
Most of us don’t listen with the intent to understand.  We listen with the intent to reply.  -  From a TED Talk

"I've decided I'm not old. I'm 25 plus shipping & handling!"