https://www.cgcsforum.org/index.php?topic=47.msg47233#msg47233More reducer is OK, less is usually not (wink). More gelatine is OK too.
Making higher PPM requires HEAT (140-150F) and adding the reducer and the gelatine if you're gelcapping at the BEGINNING of the run.
Processing cold (making 20PPM), the solubility limit of silver oxide in water (what you're making before it gets reduced) is only about 21-22PPM at room temp (NOTE: room temp is 75F and no lower) which is why you can't make greater than 20PPM cold.
Reducers reduce at "calendar" speed at room temp which is why you have to heat your 20PPM cold processed run if thats what you're doing to 140F-ish - to get the reducer to quickly reduce the IS you produced.
The high temp for higher PPM's guarantees the reducer reduces the produced silver oxide that dissolves in the water faster than its produced so you never coast over the wire. I might interject here that my observation is, though the above is true, there seems to be a 10-15 minute lag between production and reduction for higher PPM's owing to the perceived color change which I admit is a rather crude metric but its ballpark anyway (I've seen this both using Karo and Maltodextrin) but if your operating point isn't producing close to 40PPM IS over this quarter hour or so, you're good (wink). At 150F, the solubility limit of silver oxide in water is about 40PPM so not only does processing at the higher temp activate the reducer to reduce the produced IS quickly, it gives you some breathing room to guarantee you never coast over the wire.
If production of IS ever exceeds reduction for higher temp, higher PPM runs, to where you have over 40PPM of IS in solution, the excess WILL, just like for coasting over 21-22PPM with processing cold, precipitate out, NEVER reduce and eventually (which could be a long time given the tiny particle size) settle as a grey dust at the bottom of the container. Not good.
The above is just the current wisdom gleaned from this site. As things change or we learn more or better ways to do things I'll make sure Colin (cfnisbet, our admin) keeps the above post up to date.
