> All right, so I did manage to get some pure silver coins at a coin shop > nearby (.9999). I set it all up with the guide Marshalee sent to me. I > am not using a multimeter, therefore there is no measurement of the > current being done currently. I do have a question and it is how much > of the silver coins much be submerged? The way I have put it together > (using Scotch tape, not touching the water), I have about 1/3 of the > coins in the water (to prevent the clips from touching the water).
It'll work that way. You will surely have as much wetted surface area as a few inches of wire would provide. > I seem to recall reading somewhere that at least 4" of silver needed > to be in the water, does that make any difference? Maybe in the amount > of time I let it run? It's based on area. The area is proportional to the length for wire electrodes, which is why they'd give you a figure like 4". Your area depends on how deep you can set your coins. More area will deposit silver into the water sooner than less area, yes. > And if yes, how long should I keep it running to get decent CS, say > around 18-20ppm? "Decent CS" is anything that's pure and that works. You don't need 18- 20 ppm. Anything around 5 to 10 ppm is fine. Anything much above 13 ppm or so gets harder to do reproduceably and requires more careful control than your setup allows. Be satisfied with making and using more, lower concentration CS and you'll incur less hassle and expense. The details of your setup are different from everybody else's, so we can only make *very* approximate guesses of how long you need to run. Instead, it might be better to look for recognisable signs that your process is "done." If you get a meter and monitor the current, plotting current versus time will give you a curve that rises slowly at first, gets steeper, then starts to flatten out. About the time it starts to flatten out it's gotten about has high a concentration as you can easily get. The CS you made is still usable. All you did was waste a little silver making bigger particles. You can use the approximate shutoff time for your next batch if you keep everything about your setup as constant as you can. Watch your electrodes. The one connected to the positive wire from your battery or batteries will start to get dull, maybe even turning a sooty grey or black. If that's happening you know for sure you're getting product. It'll stay that way until the end of the run, so it doesn't tell you much about your progress. The negative electrode will start to turn grey and dull, too, but it will be a lighter, medium grey. It will start to accumulate little fuzzy tufts of silver particles. The longer you run the more will accumulate. You're not really getting the brew any stronger once the fuzzies get obvious. Get an el-cheapo laser pointer from the store. Shine it through the brewing vessel. You may have to dim the lights. If you can see the beam, you have what is called Tyndall effect. It indicates you have particles of silver in the water. Compare it side-by-side with a similar container of distilled water and you'll see what I mean. With a better controlled CS generator design, you can make good CS with almost no Tyndall effect. With your simple generator, you'll be able to see the beam. Even if it's quite dim, you've got a good brew. Remember, Maryau, at the level we're talking about you will *not* know exactly how many ppm you've got, how big the particles are, the ratio of particulate to ionic content, or any of the subtler parameters that the serious researchers around here enjoy mapping out. What you *will* have, is a "colloidal silver" preparation that, if it has even a slight tyndall, any taste, even a faint yellowish tint, will definitely be worth experimenting with to see what it will do. Want a simple demonstration? Go out and buy a dozen carnations or pick some of your favorite flowers from the garden. Split the boquet and put it into two vases. Fill one with distilled water, the other with your CS. (Fill a third with your tap or well water... that would be an interesting comparison!) Let us know how they all look in a few days. <grin> Believe me, it's not difficult to make "good" CS. It *is* difficult to make it carefully enough to predict exactly what you've made. The good news is, the exact properties don't matter. Simply use enough to see an effect. Keep the questions coming! Be well, Mike D. [Mike Devour, Citizen, Patriot, Libertarian] [[email protected] ] [Speaking only for myself... ] -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: [email protected] Address Off-Topic messages to: [email protected] The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down... List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
