Author Topic: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage  (Read 4999 times)

Lewis

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SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« on: August 21, 2015, 12:35:28 AM »
I have recently my SilverTron Elite colloidal silver generator which I am very pleased to have. It feels and looks well made and functions a treat. I wasn't initially aware of 'SilverTrons' when I began online searching for colloidal silver generators and the often confusing and conflicting explanations that I found on other sites undermined my confidence in what to believe and in what to get. It was only after a couple of weeks that I chanced upon Kephra CSCG forum and from there the SilverTron. It was a breath of fresh air to read thru Kephra's articles and his replies/explanations to forum member posts, I felt here is the best explanations and information regarding colloidal silver production. It is so wonderful to get the benefit of Kephra's Scientific/Electrolysis experience because it is incredibly useful for anyone else who doesn't have that knowledge. So a huge thank you to Kephra for sharing, truly much appreciated, and for that reason I am chuffed to now own one of his machines.


So far I have made 20 - 30 batches of colloidal silver having first made up some sodium carbonate electrolyte and some inverted sugar for reducing. I have been having one problem that any thoughts on would be most welcome. Many of the batches are not reducing to a really clear yellow but instead can have a little cloudy/pearliness to their yellow, especially when viewed down on, altho held up to the light behind they can still look clear and yellow.


I had been having trouble cleaning the jars due to the small neck size, but yesterday I found brush that seems to make it easier to clean. I then made 5 batches, all with 20 drops of Sodium Carbonate to 1 liter DW, the first one turned out perfect (Ma 7, Voltage between 10 and 20), it reduced to a very nice clear yellow. The next batch I thought I'll up the Ma to 15 and adjusted the cathode depth to keep the voltage between 10 and 20, I could see the silver oxide streaming off the bullion bar, however on completely after filtering thru a Hario coffee filter and reducing with 3 drops of inverted sugar and a little heat like the previous batch it changed to a somewhat cloudy/pearly yellow. I don't yet have a stirrer/hotplate so the batches were done cold. As per a post by Kephra where he attached a pic of a run done cold with a stirrer, the glass jar of my runs had the same patch of dark silver oxide on the bottom under where the bullion bar was. I did several more batches yesterday, dropping the Ma down to 5 or 6, but all with the same cloudy result. I am forming the opinion I need a magnetic stirrer and the chances are that would solve this issue.


Currently I have a new batch running and have reduced the sodium carbonate to 8 drops for 1 liter of DW in case I was putting too much in, I have set the Ma to 4 and keeping the voltage to 15-16. I also heated the DW first to a nice warm 'hold in the hands' temperature, I did this in the small chance that it offers some convection currents that provide a little more water movement that the previous cold batches I had done. So far the batch is almost half way thru and is so far showing no sign of any brown silver oxide falling away from the bullion bar or accumulating under the bullion bar on the bottom of the jar which is what I'd noticed on all of yesterday's batches, this is giving me some hope that this batch will upon reducing be an improved result. For this run I will also not run it thru the paper filter in case that is contributing some contamination, instead hoping that the combination of heated DW, reduced sodium carbonate (8 drops instead of 20) and Ma set to 4 will make the difference for a good result without a stirrer.


I still remain perplexed on why my first batch done cold yesterday turned out looking clear yellow and great. I didn't take note of the exact voltage other than between 10 and 20, altho the Ma was set to 7. I also filtered this thru the Hario paper coffee filter (and the subsequent batches thru the same filter yesterday).

Offline kephra

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2015, 01:57:38 AM »
Quote
Many of the batches are not reducing to a really clear yellow but instead can have a little cloudy/pearliness to their yellow, especially when viewed down on, altho held up to the light behind they can still look clear and yellow.
Did you make invert sugar?  I really suggest clear Karo instead if you did.  If you don't have a stirrer, keep you current low for best results.
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Lewis

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2015, 02:50:34 AM »
Yes I did make own inverted sugar. Here in New Zealand I am not aware of Caro, however if I can find it I will get some.


The latest batch just finished. This initially appeared very promising; 1 liter, 8 drops sodium carbonate, heated the water first, Ma 4 and voltage kept mostly between 15-16V dropping towards 14V at the end of the run. On completion of the run I poured the still warm and totally clear IS into a fresh clean jar with 3 drops of inverted sugar in it and heated it to reduce to colloidal silver it unfortunately still has a cloudy aspect to it, also shows the color more amber than yellow when looked thru into the light. Yesterday's one lucky run was clear yellow, not amber not cloudy, just clear yellow. In this result today I was impressed that the jar's appearance remained perfectly clean, with no brown fall off observed during the run or seen on the bottom of the jar afterwards so at least that is an improvement on my runs without the benefit of a stirrer.


I feel perhaps my 500ml runs were more successful than my 1000ml runs. So I will next try a 500ml run and see how that goes.


Should I try to go below a Ma of 4? What do you think would be the most ideal current to aim for.


Many thanks

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2015, 03:07:48 AM »
Are you sure your water is pure.  It must be steam distilled or deionized water.
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Lewis

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2015, 03:51:37 AM »
The water goes by the name of 'Pure Dew' and is steam distilled, I believe the purest available here. It is possible it is a bad batch, but saying that when I did the first run yesterday using my new brush that made cleaning the jars a lot easier, the first run came out great after reducing, clear yellow, even tho it was a cold run and left some dark fall off residue in the jar. This latest run done at Ma 4, was impressive in that no brown fall off was observed during or after in the bottom of the jar, it appeared perfectly clean after the run. I also rinsed off with DW before using the jars, but still a cloudy/pearly result,not clear.

Lewis

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2015, 05:41:32 AM »
I just made another batch, this time 500ml, again at Ma 4, 13V - 14V, preheated the water. I noticed a small amount of falloff on the bottom of the jar after the run, and when about to use the eye dropper of inverted sugar I noticed the top half in the eyedropper appeared cloudy (it may have been fine bubbles introduced to the viscous syrup from the in/out of the dropper over time). Anyway I went to my original made up bottle of inverted sugar which was still clear and used a little of that just in case. However, upon reducing it still turned a white cloudy like previous batches. Perhaps it is a bad batch of distilled water, I will get another and hope it is from a different batch.


If anyone is producing colloidal silver in New Zealand, I would appreciate knowing what you using as a reducing agent and indeed what brand of Distilled Water you using.


many thanks for any input

Offline kephra

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2015, 11:39:35 AM »
The fact that you get good results sometimes and not others means that there is something different with some runs.  Perhaps some residue left in your glassware for example.

What are you using to clean your glassware?

Another note:  Avoid fluorescent light and sunlight while reducing the silver.  One time I made a batch of colloidal silver, added my reducing agent and set the bottle on my deck rail to reduce in the sunlight.  It turned milky.
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Offline cfnisbet

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2015, 02:42:44 PM »
Another note:  Avoid fluorescent light and sunlight while reducing the silver.  One time I made a batch of colloidal silver, added my reducing agent and set the bottle on my deck rail to reduce in the sunlight.  It turned milky.
Totally agree with this one.

I ALWAYS produce my colloidal silver in subdued light, i.e. daylight with the curtains drawn, or low-power incandescent light bulbs. Once the run is under way, I leave the room in darkness, or sit watching the computer screen in the dim light.

Further to previous comments on this thread, use 1 ml per litre of 1-mol electrolyte. Maybe a little more if your DW has been standing unsealed (and therefore absorbing CO2 and becoming acidic in the process). This has been the only cause of turbidity in my colloidal silver, the lack of sufficient electrolyte when making colloidal silver with glucose/fructose reduction.

Offline RickinWI

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2015, 04:42:50 PM »
 Hello Lewis,

I just read your thread & your "milky" colloidal silver could be the result of a number of things but I think the most likely cause is what cfnisbet just mentioned. That is that for what ever reason you do not have enough electrolyte. Could be that your drops are a little small or your electrolyte solution is a little less than 1 Molar.

Here's what I would recommend:

1. Until you nail down your process stay with the smaller 500 ml batch size. After you get things perfect you can then scale up to larger batch sizes.

2. Use 13 drops of your electrolyte solution for the 500 ml batch (equal to 26 drops per Liter).

3. Make your IS at room temp of about 25*C (77*F). If your DW is a little cooler than that then warm it up just a touch, but not over 85*F (30*C). After your IS batch is complete then add your reducer with no additional heat. It should fully reduce all on it's own. If not then you can add heat but I think the more heat, the more turbidity when using a sugar type reducer.

4. Stay at 4 to 6 mA until you get a stirrer. (If you think you would ever like to be able to make higher PPM colloidal silver then you should invest in a heated stirrer. [They are available on Ebay for under $120] If not then a regular stirrer will do just fine. You can usually find those for under $60.)

If you do these things and still come up with too much turbidity then you can look into getting some "Karo Light Corn Syrup".  It isn't available in Europe either so I think people use "Lyle's Golden Syrup" in case that's available in New Zealand.

FYI: the "milky" result you have been describing is what we commonly refer to as turbidity. If using a sugar type reducer the 2 biggest factors are not enough electrolyte & too much heat (IMO).
« Last Edit: August 21, 2015, 05:24:11 PM by RickinWI »
So many VARIABLES & so little TIME.

Offline kephra

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2015, 06:14:00 PM »
Quote from: cfnisbet
I ALWAYS produce my colloidal silver in subdued light, i.e. daylight with the curtains drawn, or low-power incandescent light bulbs. Once the run is under way, I leave the room in darkness, or sit watching the computer screen in the dim light.
I have led lighting, which does not produce any ultraviolet.  Fluorescent lights do produce UV, as does sunlight.  UV is the worst as it has the highest energy. 
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

Offline Argentum

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #10 on: August 21, 2015, 06:28:02 PM »
I've issues with turbidity when the glassware I was using wasn't clean enough. Now I only use distilled water to rinse out the glassware once the batch is moved to storage containers. Then dry with a clean paper towel.

Then, before the start of a new batch I use distilled water to again rinse out the glassware. Usually 3 to 4 times before filling for the run.

If I get some plate-out on the glass I use a little 3% hydrogen peroxide to remove it. Then rinse multiple times with distilled water.

Note that I use a Ball 1 qt (950 ml) canning jar for the cell. That, the ring and lid are dedicated to my colloidal silver making. They aren't used for anything else.

Argentum


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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #11 on: August 21, 2015, 10:13:16 PM »
A minor point, I keep two one-and-a-half litre cafetieres for making Ionic Silver Oxide only. These are never used for reduced colloidal silver and I keep them away from my reduced colloidal silver. I have a complete set of glassware and filtration items which have never touched colloidal silver.

Lewis

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2015, 10:53:50 PM »
I can now report success!


Firstly thank you all very much for your responses and suggestions, this is wonderful support within this excellent forum - very much appreciated!


Regarding the light, I was being very careful to do the runs away from any strong light.


Glassware; I was getting pretty fastidious about cleaning following an old post from csnisbet where he stressed to even rinse in DW after cleaning, so I was reasonably sure cleanliness was not a problem.


What I did notice was the inverted sugar (I made up following internet instructions from sucrose, citric acid and DW). My first runs using this as a reducing agent seemed to be a little turbid and increasingly so as time went on. One of my last 'dud' runs I returned to observe the reduction about 4 minutes after adding the drops of inverted home made sugar, I noticed a cloudiness was forming in the top half of the jar almost like a lattice. my initial response was to assume the lack of a stirrer was causing the turbid reduction response, due to the reaction occurring unequally from to the lack of circulation of the solution. The next run I manually stirred constantly once the inverted sugar was added. However I still got the same turbid result. At this point I felt my home made batch of inverted sugar was not working as it should, perhaps the recipe I used was wrong, perhaps the citric acid I used from the pantry was too old and had degraded. I then tried to find Caro syrup but it seems unavailable in New Zealand. Unfortunately the supermarket was out of Lyles Golden Syrup which csnisbet had previously reported excellent success with in the UK, the local brand 'Chelsea Golden Syrup' only had made from cane sugar on the ingredient list so I was wary that perhaps it wouldn't be inverted and was just sucrose with colorings added. But luckily there was a South African brand 'Illovo' which had on the ingredient list "pure cane sugar partially inverted to fructose and glucose, water, salt". I did another run with 10 drops sodium carbonate, Ma 4, 20 ppm, 1 liter, DW preheated, once again the output from the SilverTron Elite was perfectly clear, no falloff from the anode or on the bottom of the jar. It appeared so clean that I didn't even pour it it into a fresh clean jar, I just added 3 drops of the ILLOVO golden syrup which is quite dark and within 2 minutes a beautiful clear yellow colloidal silver, the yellow is a little darker than light yellow I believe from the golden syrup being dark. So all along it appears my own batch of inverted sugar was the problem. Anyway I am so pleased to have got it sorted. Many thanks to the support and responses to my posting. For some reason I were unable to upload the pic of the result even tho it was 25kb.


Offline RickinWI

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2015, 02:55:18 AM »
  Hi Lewis,  Glad to hear that things are looking better. I think you may be able to improve things even further if you follow the instructions I posted in reply #8 above.

If you try AT LEAST 22 drops of ELectrolyte per Liter in combination with no heat at all I predict it will turn out an even lighter color of yellow with even better clarity.
So many VARIABLES & so little TIME.

Lewis

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Re: SilverTron Elite - first impressions/usage
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2015, 04:10:58 AM »
Hi RickinWI,


Many thanks for your experience and suggestions. I have another batch going currently with 15 drops of electrolyte added to 1000ml DW. I had previous been using about 20 drops but reduced it back in case that was in some way causing the turbidity issue before I realized that was being caused from the home made inverted sugar, however 10 drops seemed to work fine once I changed to the 'golden syrup', the result turned out very clear. Anyway this run has 15 drops and I will increase it again in the following run. Thanks again for suggestions.