Fired Silver Paint: Precipitated Silver and Flux in Polyvinyl Alcohol with Ammonia (Gray, Erie Resistor 1954, Ex. 1)

A paint for putting silver electrodes on ceramic, glass or mica. Fine silver powder and a little ceramic flux are held in polyvinyl alcohol dissolved in water, with a trace of ammonia to make the wet paint conduct. So a capacitor can be measured while it is being painted. On firing, the silver becomes a film held on by the flux. The silver settles, so stir while painting. Source: Robert B. Gray, US 2,695,275 (Erie Resistor, 1954), Example 1. Not given: how the silver was precipitated, which flux, the form of the ammonia, and the firing heat. Ours: precipitated silver made by reducing silver chloride with zinc, bismuth subnitrate as the flux (one Gray names), and strong ammonia water. Picture drawn by Youblob.