Can you plate something other than steel wool with your old fixer?

[Sully75]

I have a batch of spent fixer that I'd like to dispose of.

I've heard you can throw some steel wool to sop up the silver, but that doesn't seem too fun.

I was wondering, can you silver plate something else just by leaving it in your old fixer? Some other steel thing? Would you have to polish it up to a fairthewell to do it?

Thanks!
Paul

 

[markbarendt]

As I understand it the magic of steel wool is the wool; it has lots of surface area.

A mild steel bar would work it would just take longer, much longer.

 

[removed account4]

copper flashing, aluminum foil, iron nails
shine it up well to get the electrons
free of oxygen/tarnish and it will work well.
you get a black sludge, nothing shiny like silver

 

[Kevin Kehler]

I crumple aluminum foil and then un-ball the foil before dropping in a bottle. I leave for a week under the sink and then use a somewhat porous dishcloth (which is not used for anything else) to strain. Done.

I think there is a massive sticky on this subject in this section.

 

[Q.G.]

You can silver plate a copper coin, just by dipping it into old fix. That trick goes down well with kids.

 

[thisismyname09]

I've coated a few pennies in silver before. I also tried, somewhat successfully, coating a copper heatsink that is now in my computer with silver (because silver has better thermal conductivity than copper, and also tarnishes slower). It's not really silver looking, though, so I think it's just covered in tarnished silver. I think I'll try it again some time but with silver nitrate instead of used up fixer.

 

[CBG]

Someone mentioned zinc powder recently and also that some other metal powders would work. The powders would offer large surface area for the reaction.

 

[phaedrus]

Pennies come out silvered, the drain just blackened. BTW, CBG, zinc powder is a high explosive. I doubt you can get it today without alerting the authorities. As a child interested in chemistry, I once devastated a room in my parent's basement with it. Ages ago ...

 

[CBG]

phaedrus, this is the thread that mentioned zinc powder www.apug.org/forums/forum37/77763-spent-fixer-steel-wool-whats-supposed-happen.html. Glad you mentioned the potential dangers. Can you recommend any plate-able metal powder that would be less "interesting"?

 

[thisismyname09]

If aluminum foil works, aluminum powder should also work. You may have trouble getting that, too, though, as its a component for making thermite, if I remember correctly.

 

[AgX]

The OP intention is not to get silver out of fixer (to re-use the fixer or to save the precious silver) but to plate some metal for the sake of the new silver surface.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

May be you can plate your bronze guitar strings. Silver have a very unique tone , I advise everyone to pick a big piece of silverware from the very edge and hold like a cymbal at your hand and than hit it with your one hand when you are very closely listen with your ear.
You can hear this unique dry cracking voice when you bend a tin stick.
Old Turkish cymbals and american cymbals have silver in them and you can understand from sound close to your ear. You do not need to bang it , slowly.
Bronze acoustic guitar strings welcome silver treatment.

 

[AgX]

I doubt silverplating bronce wires will change their their acoustic characteristics, conducting electric ultrahigh frequency might be another matter.