Impure silver from silver cell?
- Thread starter bes8718
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Not enough information to say.
What was the feedstock?
How long did it run and at what Amperage.
As much info as you can give.
bes8718
Active member
I put 300g of silver that I refined from sterling silver with nitric acid.
It ran for about 3 days and fluctuated from 0.5a - 0.7a
I used graphite as a cathode
You first refined it from Sterling?
How?
How have you set your power supply?
There are many threads on Silver Cells here, search and read them.
bes8718
Active member
Sorry should've said it better. Dissolved sterling silver in nitric acid then used copper to cement out the silver powder which I then melted down and used for the silver cell
Now we are talking.
Precision is everything in this game.
Could be a couple of things
1.)the lighting
2.) I found that you have to wash that graphite cathode then wipe down real well.
3.) try Washing the crystals with boiling water also You could try very a very dilute nitric acid wash ( 10:1 ratio)
Good job
What was the final outcome? The Cathod seems small for the size of the basket.
Bes8718,
How was the wire attached to the cathode , maybe the insulation is braking down?
How was the wire attached to the cathode , maybe the insulation is braking down?
bes8718
Active member
Drilled a hole into the graphite and put the exposed copper wire in then covered the outside with a resin and the put this silicone coating thing on it which turned from white to grey after this.
bes8718
Active member
Alright thanks. But would this discoulouration mean the silver isn't 999?
bes8718
Active member
I think next time I'll try without that coating haha
Dilute acid rinse and boiling hot water rinses.
If not make into shot rerun it with improvements to the cathode wire coating
If not make into shot rerun it with improvements to the cathode wire coating
bes8718
Active member
Will do, thanks for the advice
bes8718
Active member
One more thing, would I have to use a different electrolyte or is the same one still safe to use?
If it was me I would Cement it out or salt / HCl > lye + sugar method . It would be good practice
Lightspeed
Well-known member
Check your voltage across the circuit, eg cathode /anode with a dmm, just because the power supply is outputting 3.6v at x amps does not mean that voltage is actively running across the circuit in operation.
What you have shown i have experienced once in a S/S cell but was always toward the end of a run and was a voltage circuit error ot of spec.
Also change your anode filter basket material, use 2 layers, i cant tell from the pic if you have done this.
Do not play with the cell and do not disrupt the basket during process by lifting it out, keep the feedstock topped off until the run has completed. Monitor the circuit across the cathode/anode a few times daily to ensure correct operation parameters. only take out the anode basket to partially dismantle the cell to correct the circuit voltage, ideally when you have the cell circuit sorted you should not have to touch it untill the run is complete.
What you have shown i have experienced once in a S/S cell but was always toward the end of a run and was a voltage circuit error ot of spec.
Also change your anode filter basket material, use 2 layers, i cant tell from the pic if you have done this.
Do not play with the cell and do not disrupt the basket during process by lifting it out, keep the feedstock topped off until the run has completed. Monitor the circuit across the cathode/anode a few times daily to ensure correct operation parameters. only take out the anode basket to partially dismantle the cell to correct the circuit voltage, ideally when you have the cell circuit sorted you should not have to touch it untill the run is complete.
What was the original electrolite you have used?
bes8718
Active member
Hi there, thanks for the detailed comment, it has been very helpful.
This is the filter I used, it's not possible to use 2 layers as it would be too thick so I'm not sure if it's the write type of filter or not
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/27572221...ROz1zpMQJS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
