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.
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Tin and Cadmium Amalgam
Similar properties to tin and copper amalgams belong to the compound amalgam of tin and cadmium, which are fused together in the proportion of 2 to 1 and mixed with warmed mercury in excess, which latter is removed 3550. Dentists' Amalgam, or Gold Stopping. The dentists, in preparing and using this, commonly proceed as follows: A little pure grain-gold is heated in a bright iron ladle (or capsule), and enough pure mercury added to render it of a doughy consistence at the temperature of hot water. When it has become cold, the excess of mer. cury, if any, is removed by pressure in a piece of chamois leather. In using it, a little of the amalgam, as hot as can be borne, is kneaded in the hand, and at once pressed into the cavity of the tooth, where it gradualby pressure when cold. (See No. 3549.) ly hardens. It is an excellent and durable 3545. Amalgam for Silvering Glass Ornaments. The silver coating of glass beads and those large sized glass ornaments now in fashion, is produced by shaking within them an amalgam composed of 8 parts bismuth, 5 of lead, 3 of tin, and from 7 to 9 parts of mercury. (See No. 3538.) A mix ture of 2 parts each tin and bismuth and 1 of mercury, when powdered, is used for painting as imitation silver bronzes. stopping, and is, perhaps, preferable to all others, except the diamond tooth cement (see Index) for filling up cracks and cavities in the enamel, particularly of the front teeth, on account of its color and the ease of its application.
3551. Dentists' Amalgam of Silver is used in the same way as the last; but its color is less natural, and is apt to be blackened by the sulphur in the secretions of the mouth and the food. (See No. 3535.) 3546. Amalgams of the Alkaline Metals. The amalgams of the alkaline metals are remarkable for their hardness, and Zinc are also employed as tooth cement, 3552. Dentists' Amalgams of Tin though the metals sodium and potassium but are inferior in color to, darken sooner, themselves are quite soft at the ordinary and possess less durability, than that of temperature. One per cent. of sodium in silver. mercury produces an amalgam which is liquid, but still quite thick, and per cent. of potassium renders the mercury still more 50. A very hard compound is that consisting of 200 parts of mercury, 10 of potassium, and