Silver ?

[Silverclaws]

Does anyone know if silver is definately a water purifier ?

The reason I ask, is I have it in my mind to make a silver water flask, an exercise in silversmithing for a college project. I have pondered the benefits of silver for ages, and have even heard of a producer creating a water vase with silver pellets in the bottom, to purify the water poured into it to be latter tapped off for drinking water. So, many believe silver is a natural purifier, my question is, is it ?

To note, the water I draw from supplies out in the boonies, I do so via an MSR Miniworks, I then store it in a pewter flask, my idea was to replace the pewter flask with a home made silver flask and there take advantage of any further water enhancing properties the silver has to offer.

Also, of the silver, if it is a water purifier, is that pure silver as in fine silver, pmc, roughly 99.9% pure, or will sterling silver do at 92.5 % pure. The impure bit for strength properties is copper, 8.5 % ?

 

[silvergirl]

Don't know for absolute definate about purifying everything out of the water, but silver does kill most bacteria. It is in increasing use for treatment of wounds to stop infection.

And I wouldn't worry about the copper, studies (in india) have suggested that leaving water in copper vessels for 24hrs reduces to fractional the chances of catching diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

 

[British Red]

Sterling silver is anti microbial. Storing water in a silver flask (or even dropping a silver dollar in water) will NOT kill all nasties however!

 

[Toddy]

Ingestion of colloidal silver is a bad thing too...........the result is called Argyria.

There were a couple of local ladies who looked like this from taking it as prescribed.

http://rosemaryjacobs.com/rose1.html

Worth a read too, even if it does have an inbuilt bias.
http://www.silvermedicine.org/safetyinformation.html


cheers,
Toddy

 

[y0dsa]

Silver has also been incorporated into fabrics for similar reasons e.g., hospital fabrics for helping fight MRSA, see

http://www.qmc.nhs.uk/newsdesk/pressreleases/2008/02_Feb/050208.htm

or smelly feet, see

http://www.sweatguard.co.uk/silver-socks/silver-socks

No connection etc.

If you do go ahead with the project, remember to use pure silver solder eh!

 

[Goatboy]

I know that silver will "reduce" odour causing bacteria in clothing if incorporated, and I've always wanted copper worktops in the kitchen to be naturaly anti-bacterial. Cant afford it though.
GB

 

[Mikey P]

Problem with using silver as a flask is not enough contact between water and silver. When silver is used for antimicrobacterial tasks, it is usually powdered and held in a matrix or weave - this gives a high surface area for contact between silver and contaminants, etc. In a flask, you have a solid wall which does not offer the same area of contact.

Furthermore, whilst it has antimicrobacterial properties, it doesn't kill everything and, like antibiotics, works better with certain types of micro-organism.

Having said all that, it certainly won't make the water 'worse' and will probably have a minor improvement. Would need to be lab tested to prove.

 

[Silverclaws]

Good, I will go for it then, I plan to make a drum type canteen,(always wanted one of them) as I find this design the most useful, something I can sling over my shoulder as anything that can be slung leaving hands free, has the tendancy not to be left behind.

The idea of a canteen is not just for out in the sticks, but also with foreign travel, a decent water bottle at last, to my own design and manufacture.

Silver solder, I use hallmark quality silver and borax for soldering.