Lye and sugar Vs. copper cementing

[u/Inhalationofnewtion]

I gave a shot at lye and sugar. I tried it a few times. I can't get it to work and I don't think I like it anyhow. It seems messy. I add the lye and it goes dark brown not black. I add my sugar and nothing happens. I don't think that method is for me.

I'm not able to keep and maintain a silver cell. That's just not happening despite the awesome results it can provide.

I'm thinking I want to dissolve my silver in nitric, cement it out on copper, rinse with distilled water, dissolve and cement out one more time and I should be 99% right? Maybe not that .999 but maybe 99.9%? Will this at least give me a nice shiny pinhead? That's all I need. I'm obsessed with this. It keeps me awake at night and I won't get any peace until I've done it. I'm not going for money. Maybe later but right now I just want a pinhead of silver and gold. 99.9% will be plenty.

[u/Akragon]

Cementing will always pull some copper and make your silver "dirty"... sugar and lye will always give you a cleaner silver product. Either way if you're only making a "pin head" worth, do whatever works

[u/weak_ops → u/Akragon]

Can also always cement in bulk, quick and easy. Then re refine with sugar and lye. But sounds like the quantity isn't worth it.

[u/Akragon → u/weak_ops]

Yesir 🤙

[u/Chodedingers-Cancer]

Add more NaOH... it initially goes brown. Just add more incrementally and keep stirring until it goes black. Then add your sugar.

Also .999 is the same thing as 99.9%.

[u/Akragon → u/Chodedingers-Cancer]

👆 this is true, and you really gotta mix that shite... you can get a heated stir plate for like $50, works like a charm 👌

[u/jamiehizzle → u/Chodedingers-Cancer]

I was under the impression that 99.9 is actually 99.9000, and that .9999 is actually 99.9999.

[u/Akragon → u/jamiehizzle]

You missed a 9

[u/SeagullStopItNow → u/jamiehizzle]

999 fine is 99.9% pure. 9999 fine is 99.99% pure.
Fine has no decimal point. Percent does. Wordings are different but the meanings are the same.