Important: Safety Warning
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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Silvering Hooks and Eyes
A patent has been granted in Bavaria, for the following method of silvering hooks and eyes made of iron ware. The articles are suspended in dilute sulphuric acid until the iron its surface over the vapor, and an immediato change takes place; the nitrate of silver is dccomposed, and gives place to metallic silver. When the material to be acted on is not very large, fasten it to the top of a bell-glass receiver with a bit of pitch or cement, and place shows a clean bright surface. After rinsing this over the capsule on the sand-bath; the in pure water, they are placed in a bath of a phosphorus vapor is by this means equally mixed solution of sulphate of zinc, sulphate of diffused, and not dissipated. A solution of copper and cyanide of potassium, and there phosphorus in sulphuric ether also answers; remain until they receive a bright coating of and a solution of gold (chloride) may be used. brass. Lastly, they are transferred to a bath This elegant process, as applied to wood and of nitrate of silver, cyanide of potassium and those substances which may be wetted with sulphate of soda, in which they quickly receive a coating of silver. 3609. To Plate Common Copper Buttons. Mix 2 ounces chloride of silver, 1 ounce corrosive sublimate, 3 pounds table salt, and 3 pounds sulphate of zinc, with water, into a paste. The buttons are cleaned, smeared over with the mixture, and exposed to a modthe solution of nitrate of silver, answers perfectly; but it is obviously limited in its application to those substances which will absorb an aqueous solution.