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Acrylic Mirror Sheet: Silver Sprayed on Tannin-Treated Acrylic
Silver from a chemical bath barely sticks to acrylic: tannin in plain water gave no bond at all. Philips' Ponjee and Verwijlen (US 4,639,382, 1987) found that tannin dissolved in water mixed with an organic solvent such as ethanol makes the silver hold firmly, without etching or clouding the acrylic. The sheet is dipped for a minute, sensitised with a weak stannous chloride spray, then silvered by spraying the silver solution and the reducer together. In the patent's cross-cut test, no squares of silver came off.
The picture: our diagram.
Intermediate
2 hours
Instructions
1
1
Dip in tannin solution for one minute
Dip in tannin solution for one minute
Make a solution of 2.3–5.0 g of tannic acid per litre in water with 15–60 % ethanol by volume. Dip the acrylic sheet in it for one minute.
Materials for this step:
Acrylic Sheet1 pieceTools needed:
Tannic Acid
Ethanol - Lab Grade, 95%
Distilled Water
Glass Trays
Graduated Cylinder
Balance Scale
Rubber Gloves2
2
Rinse with water
Rinse with water
Rinse the sheet with water.
Tools needed:
Distilled Water
Wash Bottle3
3
Spray with stannous chloride for 12 seconds
Spray with stannous chloride for 12 seconds
Spray the face to be silvered with a solution of 0.1 g stannous chloride and 0.1 ml concentrated hydrochloric acid per litre of water, for 12 seconds. Rinse off the excess with water.
Tools needed:
Stannous Chloride
Hydrochloric AcidDistilled Water
Water Spray BottleWash Bottle
Chemical Splash GogglesRubber Gloves4
4
Spray silver and reducer together
Spray silver and reducer together
Atomise two solutions onto the face at the same time: silver nitrate with ammonia in water, and formalin in water. The patent gives no strengths: as required. Ours: a twin-nozzle spray gun.
Materials for this step:
Silver Nitrate1 as requiredTools needed:
Ammonia Solution - 25-28%
Formaldehyde Solution (37% Formalin)Distilled Water
Twin-Nozzle Spray Gun
Fume Hood (Ducted)Chemical Splash GogglesRubber GlovesMaterials
2- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 as requiredPlaceholder
Tools Required
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