Important: Safety Warning
This page contains a formula or preparation using substances now known to be dangerously toxic, such as arsenic, mercury, lead, or cyanide compounds. Exposure to these substances can cause severe poisoning, permanent injury, or death.
In addition, 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.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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Solvent for Silver
Nitroparts oil of vitriol. Used for dissolving the silver from plated goods, &c. It dissolves silver at a temperature below 200°, and scarcely acts upon copper, lead, and iron, unless diluted. (See Nos. 3716, 3720, and 3721.) The silver is precipitated from the solution, after moderately diluting it, by common salt, and the chloride reduced as directed in Nos. 3214 and 3215. wash the powder in spirits, and dry it. Or:
An exceedingly fine silver dust may be obtained by boiling recently precipitated chlorido of silver with water acidulated with sulphuric acid, and zinc. 3218. Το Frost Polished Silver. To produce a frosted surface on polished silver, use cyanide of potassium with a brush. The silver should not be handled during the process, but held with pliers made of lancewood or boxwood. The proportion should be 1 ounce dissolved in pint of water. It is very poisonous.