Using electrolysis to strip plated items

[SteveevetS]

Using peracetic acid (Vinegar 5% & H2O2 3%) electrolyte to strip a silverplate dish. The solution came from the other silverplate stripping, that was used after electrolysis to get the slimes into solution. Turns out copper acetate is percipitating the copper as the reaction occurs. I have to keep scraping the cathode off for, the copper in the solution is percipitating on it.

 

[Martijn]

The solution came from the other silverplate stripping, that was used after electrolysis to get the slimes into solution.

? This scentence is unclear to me. What are you saying?

I thought we made it clear you should not use vinegar in recovery and refining.
Why continue anyway?

 

[Martijn]

The blue color is copper in solution. Electrolysis will electrowin it out on the cathode, and if reactivity permits it will cement(precipitate) out on any more rective metal when electricity is off.
After reading about it, try tap water. And a silver plated anode and cathode.

You made a copper cementing vinegar battery. Not a silver stripping cell.
Which is great to learn how to 'deal with waste'.

Study and read a lot, ask and present your plan before you go and copy another youtube 'tutorial' please.

 

[Martijn]

Using peracetic acid (Vinegar 5% & H2O2 3%) electrolyte to strip a silverplate dish. The solution came from the other silverplate stripping, that was used after electrolysis to get the slimes into solution. Turns out copper acetate is percipitating the copper as the reaction occurs. I have to keep scraping the cathode off for, the copper in the solution is percipitating on it.View attachment 65155

if your positive is on the red wire, you are stripping silver from this wire and using the spoon as a cathode?

 

[SteveevetS]

? This scentence is unclear to me. What are you saying?

I thought we made it clear you should not use vinegar in recovery and refining.
Why continue anyway?

after I stipped some silverplated items I used the peracetic acid to see if I could get the other metals into solution and it worked with the copper & I am not sure what else went into solution.

 

[SteveevetS]

The blue color is copper in solution. Electrolysis will electrowin it out on the cathode, and if reactivity permits it will cement(precipitate) out on any more rective metal when electricity is off.
After reading about it, try tap water. And a silver plated anode and cathode.

You made a copper cementing vinegar battery. Not a silver stripping cell.
Which is great to learn how to 'deal with waste'.

Study and read a lot, ask and present your plan before you go and copy another youtube 'tutorial' please

I also, took a silverplated spoon to peracetic acid and will post my results later.

 

[SteveevetS]

if your positive is on the red wire, you are stripping silver from this wire and using the spoon as a cathode?

Yes, the Anode is the red aligator clip attached to a copper wire, that is attached to the silverplated dish and the Cathode is black aligator clip attached to the SS fork

 

[Yggdrasil]

I also, took a silverplated spoon to peracetic acid and will post my results later.

I'm a bit confused by your use of Peracetic acid?
Du you consider Lemon juice as Citric Acid?
The strength of your so called Peracetic acid is on par with Lemon juice as Citric acid.

We had a discussion e few years ago with respect to Peracetic acid at high concentrations.
The issues here is that it is highly unstable and may decompose explosively besides its other bad properties.

 

[SteveevetS]

I'm a bit confused by your use of Peracetic acid?
Du you consider Lemon juice as Citric Acid?
The strength of your so called Peracetic acid is on par with Lemon juice as Citric acid.

We had a discussion e few years ago with respect to Peracetic acid at high concentrations.
The issues here is that it is highly unstable and may decompose explosively besides its other bad properties.

I seen the thread. Both sides made good arguments. The concentrations are low. Taken a day to strip the silver off of the spoon. Worked well IMO. Stripped the silver off of the spoon without a bunch of sludge or NOX or acid that will burn through your skin.

 

[SteveevetS]

Using peracetic acid (Vinegar 5% & H2O2 3%) electrolyte to strip a silverplate dish. The solution came from the other silverplate stripping, that was used after electrolysis to get the slimes into solution. Turns out copper acetate is percipitating the copper as the reaction occurs. I have to keep scraping the cathode off for, the copper in the solution is percipitating on it.View attachment 65155

Here are some photos of the process...
The brown sludge is what I was trying to get to into solution seems like just the copper went into solution.

 

[Proffshuggarn]

This feels like an overambitious reverse kind of "overkill".
Is it now I can say:
-Time for more coffee?

 

[SteveevetS]

This feels like an overambitious reverse kind of "overkill".
Is it now I can say:
-Time for more coffee?

I mean I guess it is what you say it is, can't change people's minds. But, I can arm you with information for, there isn't a lot out there on this subject.

 

[Martijn]

Yes, the Anode is the red aligator clip attached to a copper wire, that is attached to the silverplated dish and the Cathode is black aligator clip attached to the SS fork

Ah, i did not see the dish attached to the wire, that indeed is correct. you can however see that something is cementing on this copper wire.

 

[SteveevetS]

Ah, i did not see the dish attached to the wire, that indeed is correct. you can however see that something is cementing on this copper wire.

I believe what you are seeing, is the insulator of the solid copper wire. I only wanted the areas contacting the cunductable areas of the wire to be exposed.