Harper's Electricity Book for BoysAdams, Joseph H. (Joseph Henry)
Science
Harper's Electricity Book for Boys
Adams, Joseph H. (Joseph Henry)
Electricity -- Juvenile literature
Twist a piece of fine copper wire about part of the object to be cleaned
and plated; then dip it in the acid and rinse off in clean warm or hot
water, and rub the surface briskly with a brush dipped in the liquid.
Dip it again several times, and rinse in the same manner; then, when it
is bright and clean, place it in the bath, twist the loose end of the
wire around the negative rod, and start the current flowing, taking care
that the object is thoroughly immersed.
Tarnished gold or silver articles may be cleaned by immersing them in a
hot solution of cyanide of potassium; or a strong warm solution of
carbonate of ammonia will loosen the tarnish on silver, so that it can
be brushed off. Corroded brass, copper, German-silver, and bronze should
be cleansed in a solution composed of sulphuric acid, three ounces;
nitric acid, one and three-quarters ounces; and water, four ounces. This
soon loosens and dissolves the corrosion; then the article should be
brushed off, dipped in hot water, and rinsed. Then replace it in the
solution for a minute or two and rinse again, when it will be ready for
the plating-bath.
Corroded zinc should be immersed in a solution of sulphuric acid, one
ounce; hydrochloric acid, two ounces; and distilled or rain water, one
gallon. It should be well brushed after the acid has bitten off the
corrosion.
Rusty iron or steel should be pickled in a solution of sulphuric acid,
six ounces, hydrochloric acid, one ounce, and water, one gallon. When
the rust has been removed, immerse the object in a solution composed of
sulphuric acid, one pint, and distilled water, one gallon. Before the
acid is added to the water dissolve one-quarter-pound of sulphate of
zinc in the water; then add the acid, pouring it slowly and stirring the
water.
Lead, tin, pewter, and their compounds may be cleansed by immersing them
in a hot solution of caustic soda or potash, then rinsing in hot water.
Take great care if caustic is used, as it will burn the skin and tissues
of the body. Do not let the fingers come into contact with any cleansed
article, because the oily secretions of the body will stick to the metal
and cause the coat of deposited metal to strip off or present a spotted
appearance.
The Plating-bath
The object to be plated should not touch the bottom or sides of the
plating-vat, and it should be far enough away from the anodes to avoid
any possibility of coming into contact with them. It will not do to
place the anode and kathode too close together, as the plate will be
deposited unevenly; the thicker coating will appear on the parts
closest to the anode. Neither should they be separated too far, as the
resistance of the cell is thereby increased, and of course this means a
waste of energy. The knowledge of how to arrange the anode and kathode
is a matter to be learned by experience, but by carefully watching the
deposit it will not be a difficult matter to determine the proper
positions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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