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Silver Conductive Paint: Silver Powder in Polystyrene and Benzene, Dried at 25-75 °C (NBS Circular 468, 1947)
A silver paint that conducts once it dries at room heat, with no firing, so it can go on plastics and be used to fix leads and draw conductors. Fine silver powder is held in polystyrene dissolved in benzene.
Source: Brunetti and Curtis, Printed Circuit Techniques, NBS Circular 468 (1947), Table 2, the column for thermoplastic plastics: 70 % silver powder, 20 % methacrylate or polystyrene resin, 10 % ketones, benzene, toluene or ethylene dichloride, dried at 25 to 75 °C. This is the polystyrene version. Ours: precipitated silver ground fine as the silver powder, and benzene of the four solvents. Picture drawn by Youblob.
Beginner
1 day
Instructions
1
1
Dissolve 20 g polystyrene in 10 g benzene
Dissolve 20 g polystyrene in 10 g benzene
For 100 g of paint: put 20 g polystyrene and 10 g benzene in a jar, close it and let the resin dissolve, stirring now and then. Ours: benzene, one of the four solvents NBS names. Fumes: work in the open air, gloves and goggles.
Materials for this step:
Polystyrene20 g
Benzene10 gTools needed:
Balance Scale
Glass Jar
Borosilicate Glass Rod
Nitrile Gloves
Chemical Splash Goggles2
2
Grind 70 g silver powder fine and stir it in
Grind 70 g silver powder fine and stir it in
Grind 70 g silver powder fine and stir it into the resin solution until even. NBS asks for at least 50 % silver for a brushed paint; this one has 70 %. Ours: precipitated silver as the powder.
Materials for this step:
Precipitated Silver70 gTools needed:
Balance Scale
Mortar and Pestle
Borosilicate Glass Rod3
3
Stir well, keep the jar closed
Stir well, keep the jar closed
Stir the paint thoroughly before each use, and keep the jar closed so the solvent does not evaporate and thicken it.
Tools needed:
Glass Jar
Borosilicate Glass Rod4
4
Brush on and dry at 25 to 75 °C
Brush on and dry at 25 to 75 °C
Brush the paint on and dry it at 25 to 75 °C to drive out the solvent. It then conducts. Brushing is ours; NBS also names spraying and screen stencils.
Tools needed:
Fine Brushes
Drying Oven
Oven ThermometerMaterials
3- 20 gPlaceholder
- 10 gPlaceholder
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Tools Required
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