Etching silver?

[FVT]

Hi,

I'm desperately trying to get hold of a small amount of either Nitric Acid, or Ferric Nitrate so I can try etching some silver. Can anyone suggest a UK supplier? Someone's suggested MegaUK, but on their website it says you can only make a minimum order of £30

Are there any other options for etching solutions that don't sound quite so 'scary'?

Thanks,

F.x.

[methuselah]

I'm wondering the same thing. There doesn't seem to be a cheap alternative, here are some other suppliers:

www-camlab-co-uk
www-hswalsh-com
www-reagent-co-uk
v1-vitrumsignum-com

Perhaps etching copper then silver plating it is an option for you.

[methuselah]

I also found these recipes:

4 g potassium iodide
1 g iodine
40 ml deionized water (or more for more dilute etch)

Also try
10 ml ammonium hydroxide
10 ml hydrogen peroxide
40 ml methanol
on this site: www-finishing-com/140/75-shtml

-both untested by me though.

[FVT]

Thanks for responding Methuselah...I've had a look at your suggested links. Reagent seems like the best bet, although the courier service seems pretty pricey

Doesn't seem to be an awful lot of choice in the UK, especially if you want a very small amount to experiment with.

Not sure I'm brave enough to try the recipes you posted, but would still be interested to know if anyone has tried this?