Antiquing a sculpted silver pendant

Intend to carve a wax with dimension… after pouring, I would like
to ‘antique’ in other than black…that is, would like to use ‘1’ of
the following colors; red, blue, yellow, etc to fill in the lower
areas (antiquing like process)… Thought of using, ‘Ceramit’…
Wondered if anyone had done a similar situation… Is there a better
product to do this with (suggestions???)… After applying Ceramit,
wiping it off the areas to be highlighted, would it stay on after
drying?..Thanks…Jim

After applying Ceramit, wiping it off the areas to be highlighted,
would it stay on after drying?

Jim, I’ve used Ceramit for a few things - the easy answer to your
question is yes. Ceramit is basically colored epoxy resin, and it’s
tenacious after it cures (it doesn’t “dry”, it’s two part, and it
cures). It can be difficult to wipe off, sometimes - the wiping can
wick up material where you don’t want. It’s also very brightly
colored, usually. Like crayons… But it’s a good product in
general, I think.

Like John says…it wicks. For a relatively thick liquid its
capillary action is remarkable. I had the unhappy occurrence of
ceramit seeping thru an eye-invisible open seam behind a shrouded
diamond and the stuff migrated uphill(apx 2-3mm) and coated the
pavilion. I didn’t notice it until after curing…a super pain to get
it off.

So, depending on circumstances, it’d be better not to rely solely on
gravity to keep your ceramit in place while curing. Some sort of
physical boundary, cloisson, would be beneficial. For example if
you’re putting the stuff between ribs on a rope-like pattern, I think
you’ll get a fair amount of seepage along the ‘trough’. You can stone
it once its hard but who wants to?

What ultimately worked for me was to mix it up, walk away from it,
then apply just before the stuff kicked hard, ticklish.

Thanks Guys,

Have used the product several times… understand the slow drying…
moves!!! so in antiquing… it would move toward to the ‘bottom’ of a
sloped side even with a very small item…thought I would antique,
put in a ‘toaster over!!!’ that was heated… figure about 10
min… THEN After it is dry, maybe the next day, polish off the high
spots with Tripoli, etc… what do you think??

Jim

So, depending on circumstances, it'd be better not to rely solely
on gravity to keep your ceramit in place while curing. Some sort of
physical boundary, cloisson, would be beneficial. For example if
you're putting the stuff between ribs on a rope-like pattern, I
think you'll get a fair amount of seepage along the 'trough'. You
can stone it once its hard but who wants to? 

But then you can’t obtain the antiquing effect…ie, ‘washed over’,
clear in some areas, etc…if I correctly understood… you mean
‘not’ to apply until it is quite hard?

Jim

But then you can't obtain the antiquing effect..ie, 'washed over',
clear in some areas, etc 

What I’m saying is the stuff doesn’t always stay where you put it.
Something like a groove (in the rope example) will tend to increase
its capillary action because it has a narrow channel to follow. With
LOS you polish away and you can get a graduated intensity look
because you have changed the surface of the silver and can feather
it, but (varyingly translucent) Ceramit is a coating that has an
edge. It doesn’t act like bondo for auto body work, it doesn’t want
to feather because when it gets real thin it wants to peel. You may
be able to airbrush it for a graduated look but that will require
multiple coatings including a clear coat over the exposed silver
portions. I think you can count on longevity problems there. You
couldn’t “wipe it” and get that transitional appearance you desire.

if I correctly understood... you mean 'not' to apply until it is
quite hard? 

No.

Its an epoxy. There are three stages. Between the stages of very
liquid(freshly mixed) and totally hard there is a short amount of
time that it transitions. What I found to work in the example I gave
about the diamond was to apply the stuff just as its about to change
from liquid to solid. It starts getting thicker but its still
apply-able with a brush or stick. Its pot life. It has a certain
amount of time to go from liquid to solid and if that time is spent
as a liquid on the piece you increase the likelihood of wicking.
What I did was to bake the goop, frequently checking its consistency
with a toothpick. BTW, when the stuff is hot its apparent viscosity
is very different from a couple minutes later once its cool, tricky
tricky. I ultimately guessed the timing based on the wrinkliness when
I dipped into the hot pot. When I thought it was about to kick over
to hard I applied it to the piece. But I was dealing with a somewhat
unique circumstance.

The instructions say it can be cured at room temp but I had zero
luck with that. I HAD to bake it, which lowers its viscosity, just
aggravating the wicking unless you time its application correctly.
All in all, ceramit is something I’ll avoid in the future. I’ve heard
a lot depends on the age of the can you have and that even new
purchases sometimes are old cans. NOT the way to predictable results.

so in antiquing.. it would move toward to the 'bottom' of a sloped
side even with a very small item 

Sometimes it goes uphill if the situation is right.

All in all, ceramit is something I'll avoid in the future. I've
heard a lot depends on the age of the can 

Neil said it pretty well, but it’s hard to explain in words, too. I
use Ceramit periodically, not real often. The colors last just fine,
if they’re sealed, it’s the hardener that goes bad over time. I’ve
air cured lots of times, with maybe a bake afterward. It takes a
solid 12 hours to cure hard. The thing about wicking that Neil
mentions is one of the main drawbacks. If you paint a sculpture with
it, and wipe it with a rag, the resin will “jump” into the rag. You
won’t get nuance, it will wipe the metal clean. Like if you put a
drop of water on glass and touch it with a paper towel. You also
cannot put two colors next to each other when both are wet - the
second color will instantly bleed into the first, like marble cake.
It’s really best used in a cloisonne type situation, or when there is
plenty of time to paint-cure-paint-cure… They say you can polish
it, but it always comes out dingy, for me. The porosity picks up the
compound, and you can never get it out. Oh, and cured Ceramit is
easily removed with Attack, just like epoxy glue…

Good info… have had some of the same problems with the product…
i.e., the hardener going bad… have several colors …had them a
very, very long time… wonder if they have gone bad…how could I
tell? Any suggestions for another product that I can use to obtain
the antiquing look with other than black?

Jim

Any suggestions for another product that I can use to obtain the
antiquing look with other than black? 

hard fired enamel? We have enamelists here, hopefully they’ll chime
in.

Any suggestions for another product that I can use to obtain the
antiquing look with other than black? 

For a black that’s like barbeque paint - flat but a real black,
unlike LOS, use this:
http://www.ottofrei.com/store/product.php?productid=8377

wherever you might buy it. That’s how class rings and the like are
done. Put on, let dry, wipe off with acetone on cloth (don’t thin
with acetone, though), bake under a lamp and wipe it down again. It’s
tenacious and easy to use.

To my knowlege, for colors you have two choices that are really the
same - paint or resin. I used to do paintings on window panes with
Testor’s enamels - they worked really well. That is besides vitreous
enamel, and that is besides niobium or anodized aluminum and the
like. You could maybe try some dyes, but I doubt they’d last.
Jewelry doesn’t usually use those kinds of colors, much. If they do,
it’s usually either vivid primary colors that are plastic, which is
resin, or subtle nuance and higher-end work, which is vitreous
enamel, and which is also traditional. Enamel isn’t that hard to use
in it’s basic forms, but it’s fairly labor intensive (compared to
paint) and relatively expensive as a result.

Never worked with enamel… a little scared to… how about a
patina… do they come in reds, blues, etc??

Jim

how about a patina... do they come in reds, blues, etc?? 

Hi, Jim. Something in your post made me think this question is
directed towards me, even though I’m not a patina expert ;<} Lots of
people know lots more about patinas than I do, so feel free to jump
in there. But… “The Transition Metals” is what people call what
is essentially the center of the periodical chart. That is iron,
nickel, copper, titanium - I’m not going to look it up, but it’s
something like 60 metals/elements. One thing they have in common is
the property of forming colorful compounds, which is the reason why
fireworks and paint are what they are. Obviously, fireworks are
burning compounds, and paint is just the natural color of them.

So, that’s what patinas really are. Copper is associated with blue,
green and reds can be pulled out of it, too. Copper sulfate is, as
many know, the blue of peacock feathers. When you put patina
chemicals on metal, a reaction takes place that creates colored
compounds, and of course there’s art to it, too. The same basic
chemistry of transition metals colors too - chromium
being prominent in that.

So, the bottom line answer to your question is that most of the
silver compounds I know of are either white or black or black-ish,
plus they are easily soluble in water, which is a bad thing for a
patina to do. When you rust iron with oxygen, it is red. When you
“rust” copper you get green verdigris - the natural oxidation. When
you “rust” silver with sulfur you get black or black-ish. That’s
really it, but hopefully an understanding, not just an answer. In
order to do a true patina requires a reaction that creates colored
chemical compounds, and that just doesn’t happen with silver. Which
leaves applied finishes - paint, resin, enamel.

Jim,

I’ve gotten some really great colors on silver with Liver of Sulfur.
Here is an article I’ve written on the subject that gives many
recipes for achieving different results. It’s an interesting and easy
read, called Liver of Sulfur: Beauty and the Beastly Smell.

http://www.hollygage.com/pages/techniques_liverofsulfur.html

I hope this helps.
Holly

Holly,

http://www.hollygage.com/pages/techniques_liverofsulfur.html 

Scanned your site… great info… have you tried your ‘receipt’ on
Argentium Silver?.. As I understand, you can’t really control the
color?.. As I am not interested in ‘color’ only in the lower areas
of the item…can this be controlled by simply using a small brush on
technique?

Thanks,
Jim

http://www.hollygage.com/pages/techniques_liverofsulfur.html
Scanned your site... great info... have you tried your 'receipt'
on Argentium Silver?... As I understand, you can't really control
the color?... As I am not interested in 'color' only in the lower
areas of the item...can this be controlled by simply using a small
brush on technique? 

Most of my tests and recipes have been performed on fine silver and
sterling silver, however I don’t see why they would not work with
Argentium. I have applied a black patina of LOS on Argentium with no
problem. Maybe someone else can chime in here that has done more
extensive testing.

If your aim is to put the patina on only a few low areas, applying
with a brush (as described in the article) should be fine.

Holly