I work in sterling silver and gem stones. I would love to gather
tips from other jewelers on how they attack this problem.
There is a new product out by Stuller Called Silver Glory item
54-1000 will solve this issue.
Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
Try some of the new silver alloys that are tarnish resistant. There
are plenty of resources on the internet and in the Ganoksin archives
that detail the working properties and tarnish resistance of these
alloys.
You can call Stuller and Rio Grande for more info on what they
carry.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com
Hi Michele,
The age-old quandry. love the color of silver but hate the
propensity to tarnish! You weren’t specific regarding your tarnish
problem, ie.
storage, use, display, so I’ll throw out some ideas that address
some of those issues.
My suggestions:
-
Use one of the tarnish-resistant sterling alloys. I like
Argentium, but am trying out Stuller’s sterlium plus. There are
others and advocates will share why they like a particular alloy. -
If using standard sterling, be sure to prevent fire-scale or
remove it. Following the final polishing step, wipe down with
Goddard’s polishing/cleaning cloth. It seems to slow tarnish. -
When storing sterling, keep it from contact with air - seal it
up. My personal experience has not been very good with coatings for
pieces that will be used/worn. -
Several methods help by trapping the components of air that cause
Zip-lock type bags that are specifically made to keep sterling from
tarnishing and are effective for a couple of years. Anti-tarnish
strips that work for a while. “Pacific cloth” bags and wraps help if
the object is completely covered and enclosed in a sealed container -
silver chests work on this principle.
No doubt others will respond and I’m curious to read their hints.
Judy in Kansas, where weather forecasters are predicting a real
freeze tonight. we’ll see.
Try FIRESCOFF the pink one, apply with a brush, dont use the spray
as it is very expensive. It is an excellent flux and firestain
protective.
For large, or small work, I use 1\2 acetone, 1\2 meth spirit, and
1\2 borax 1\2 boracic acid, mix well. Do not use any where near a
naked flame, 2 coats to metal away from flame and when dry, almost
instantly, carry to hearth and solder.
Very good for large Silversmithing.
Oh yes, use your usual flux where you want to solder first.
David Cruickshank
Australia
Try Argentium. Regular sterling will tarnish much quicker than
Argentium or other anti-tarnish sterling alloys.
Michele
Hi Michele,
silver will always tarnish. Sulphur is the culprit.
A good ten minute soak in pickle removes oxides. But underneath this
may be firescale. Good torch control keeps firescale to a minimum.
I ensure that all firescale is removed before polishing.
However, customers and sulphur in the air tarnish silver.
The best thing to remove tarnish is a JCR ionic cleaner, they ship
worldwide from Australia now.
I am just a customer of JCR.
In 30 seconds a piece is cleaned beautifully and the gems are
cleaned as well. It is the only cleaner safe for all gems even pearls
and solid opals.
After my benchmate this is probably the most useful equipment I
have. After the initial purchase the running cost is about 50 cents a
week.
Ok any chemists out there who can tell me what produces the dark
finger prints some customers leave on jewellery? Also why do some
people turn silver black very quickly.
Richard
Xtines Jewels
ProtectaClear by Everbrite
Brilliant stuff. You can get a spray or dip. I’ve started dipping my
filigree pieces and chain maille in it. Then just use a can of
compressed air, or even a hairdryer on a cool setting, to blow off
any bubbles, and hang up to dry.
Cath Bilson
Banksia Creations
I use the nano ceramic electro plating on all my silver and bronze
and copper pieces. Works well and resists scratches and prevents
tarnish and makes the piece hyper allergenic which is a Big plus
when working with bronze and copper. It is sold through Legor.
Richard- We all have sulfur in our bodies. Some more than others.
For me it’s a dietary thing. If I have eggs for breakfast or beans
for lunch, within an hour or so I can leave dark fingerprints on
silver.
I learned that when I was a young starving liturgical silversmith
and had to eat a lot of beans and eggs for protein. In a pinch you
can use eggs or your own blood to oxidize silver when out of liver of
sulfur. I know. I’ve done it.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com
I spend about 4 months on stage selling. The rest of the year I need
to keep my jewelry pieces from tarnishing as much as possible. I
found a slick way to do this. I had a kitchen vacuum sealer. I threw
my pieces individually with a piece of the anti tarnish black paper
stuff into a bag and sealed them up. I was still able to see what the
piece was, and it made it easy to put into a file type box. Saves a
lot of time and trouble when the new season starts up. I quick wipe
with a silver cloth and I’m good to go. Would work for those pieces
you don’t wear often or back stock until needed.
Aggie
Richard,
One reason for some customers tarnishing their silver quickly, may
have something to do with their consumption of onions/garlic. All
the onion family ofplants are high in sulphur, and not only does it
exit the body via the breath, but also through skin pores via sweat.
Black finger prints also due to this? I suspect so.
Helen
UK
What if you have to repair a piece? Doesn’t the plating make that
impossible, especially when using a ceramic product?
Jeff Herman
I spend about 4 months on stage selling.
Are you selling jewelry, or something else? People don’t often
mention selling from stage, I’m curious now!
Elaine
CreativeTextureTools.com
Ok any chemists out there who can tell me what produces the dark finger prints some customers leave on jewellery? Also why do some people turn silver black very quickly
I am a chemist, but I have no idea, My wife turns Argentium black,
sterling holds up much better for her. I wish I knew!
What if you have to repair a piece? Doesn't the plating make that impossible, especially when using a ceramic product?
It is not really a plating they call it e coating. It is a
ceramic/binder product applied in a similar fashion to plating that
is then fired at a low temperature( 275F) to cure the binder. It has
a very good ability to seal and protect the work. It has much better
abrasion resistance than most plating and seals the surface better
than spray or dip lacquer or clear coats.The binder can be broken
down by heating to about 450F if I remember correctly. So for most
jewelry type items in a repair situation this is not too big a deal.
It’s main drawback is it costs about $1000 $2000 to get set up to
apply the coating. The brand name is Kilar made by Legor, Rio sells
it here in the US
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep80qj
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
Jo,
Is the sulfur in the yolks or the whites of the eggs…
Janet in Jerusalem
Yolks only!!
john dach
Ok any chemists out there who can tell me what produces the dark finger prints some customers leave on jewellery? Also why do some people turn silver black very quickly I am a chemist, but I have no idea, My wife turns Argentium black, sterling holds up much better for her. I wish I knew!
Might it be the acid in the skin? You could always test with some
litmus paper.
As a kid I used to rust the handles of my school cases (the handles
were pressed steel), in about a month. I was also deadly to plants. I
used to have very acid skin.
Regards Charles A.
I have had no problems doing repairs or reworking of pieces after
plating them just have to replace them over.