Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum! This is an interactive Bulletin Board on the topics of Sign making, design, fabrication, History, old Books and of coarse Letterheads, Keepers of the craft. The Hand Lettering Forum features links to resources, sign art history, techniques, and artists profiles. Learn more about Letterheads at https://theletterheads.com. Below you'll see Mchat has been added as a live communication portal for trial, and the Main forum Links are listed below.
Hi to you all good people from this nice place, well let me tell you that I am quite the curious type of person, and I like to find out how things works...
BUT I have the bad luck of not finding pure tin, eather that or the HCL is too weak...
but I can get my hand on Stannous Chloride in powder or crystal form, what would the best combination of g/L for a Sensitizer solution?..and do I need alcohol in the mix?..
I gather that you are making a self made tinning solution for tinning glass in preparation for making mirrors.
The adding of alcohol is as a surfactant (wetting agent) the keeps the water film from drawing together during the tinning preparation.
Pat
Yes patrick I am trying to make a tinning(sensitizer) solution for home made mirrors, But I just can´t seem to get it right...! the tinn that I can get my hand is not pure so the HCL is not doing a very good job...but I can get my hands on Stannous Cloride in crystal form, I wonder what is the right gram to litter of Di watter is?...if you check the link the guy also mention that led can also be use for a sensitizer solution, I am going to try that also...
I'm not certain, but you may find that tinning with lead may result in a darker or less bright mirror.
I use stannous cloride in crystal form and it works perfectly every time. But if the crystals discolor or turn light yellow
they are past their shelf life and should not be used.
Too weak of a tin solution will slow the build up of silver. Too strong and the pattern of how you rubbed it into the glass may
appear at sometime in the life of the mirror.
I see numerous old mirrors from the 1920 to 1950 era and some are still very bright and clean, others show a very distinct
wiping or sweeping ghost of a bubbly discoloration pattern that must have been caused by the silvering man during the tinning procedure.
I think purchasing technical grade tin chloride (stannous) is the way to go. Making your own adds the possibility of unseen contaminates that could effect the
life of the mirror in months or years to come.
Pat
PS: Another thought is that rather than dissolving tin into the acid, the tin may only be exposed to the acid fumes and only the white powder oxide would
be collected. I'm not really sure how tin chloride is manufactured, but you should find out everything before attempting it on your own.
Last edited by Patrick Mackle on Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Why not just by some pre-made tinning solution...it's not that expensive, and it pretty darn good stuff.
If you are having a tinning problem, I am of the observation and belief that prior to the tinning of your glass, you should "polish" your glass as smooth as possible with Cerium Oxide, just like the big boys in mirror manufacturing do.
The use of a buffer to facilitate this is more desirable than by using your elbow grease and doing it by hand.
I am also no longer a believer in using Bon-Ami, Pumice, or Alumina Powder, in "abrading" the glass in the Silvering of glass.
In the painting of things...it is desirable to lightly abrade the surface for paint to adhere. But we are not painting here, we are plating.
In the silvering of glass...it is "I believe" more advantageous to make the glass as smooth as possible, to assist the tin and the silver to adhere via a chemical suction like action.
Whenever confronted with a stubborn area on the glass that did not plate out, a re-polishing of the glass with a focus on that portion that initially refused to plate, has for me, always resulted in total coverage of the silver.
Tin and tinning are important in the process of Silvering, for sure, but no more important than the proper preparation of the glass. All constitutes in the procedural Silvering chain need to be of strong linkage.
Let no step become the weak link in your silvering, and your outcomes will brighten all the mirrors of your life.
Thank you guys, for your helpful tips... I actually buy the premade silvering chemicals from a familly owned company that we all know here, but I am also the curius type of guy and like to know how things work...
"I am also the curius type of guy and like to know how things work... " well said and a wonderful preoccupation. It would also be worth knowing Sarah King who with her husband has a business supplying these various needs. I'm not actually sure how to find her through this tech stuff as I just have her phone number at work which isn't within reach right now
The only problem we have found with making your own tinning solution with stannous chloride crystals (pre fab) is that the crystals change size and shape with changes in ambient humidity so your tinning solution is a different strength every time. We have found that making your own stannous chloride is not worth the effort - the commercial guys have a much purer setup and their crystals last much longer so we buy it from them.
I feel very doubtful about the chemistry involved in trying to sensitize the glass with lead instead of tin. Many people have tried many things but everyone decides in the end that tin works best. I'd love to know if you succeed in using lead.
As to the streaky mirrors, Pat, I think that might also have been caused by some over zealous house maid who decided to dust the back of a mirror when the backing paint was not in good shape. Don't dust the backs of your mirrors - or vacuum them. Just let them stay dusty.
Sarah King wrote:Thank you friends for your kind words.
I feel very doubtful about the chemistry involved in trying to sensitize the glass with lead instead of tin. Many people have tried many things but everyone decides in the end that tin works best. I'd love to know if you succeed in using lead..
I will be trying the lead method soon and I will post my findings...Mrs King your products are top quality and the best deals in the internet if you check the others distribuitors, but having the chemicals shiped to nicaragua its very inconvinient because of the time its takes and the price of shipping, I already have made my own reducer formula(diluted formaline) if I could find a sensitizing formula then I will be very very happy buying your silver and activator formulas...
ah I just built my own silvering gun using 2 chinesse touch up guns, I will post pics of them very soon....
I actually buy the premade silvering chemicals from a familly owned company that we all know here, but I am also the curius type of guy and like to know how things work... 
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads