Hi All well I have finished diggin gout my flooded studio space and
now have an unheated storage unit with 15 minutes per wind up of
electricity to work in and no not in warm area of country in cold
Pittsburgh lol
My question is this all I have to use for materials are 3 spools of
brass wire and a pound of lead free pewter since my saws are gone I
have shells for cameos but no way to cut them so they sit aside for
now ( I only saved 12 cameos and they are going to fla for a nov
gallery show)
I had an idea about and braiding or weaving the wire hand hammering
the brasswire into bracelets to sell to earn the cash for my saws and
tools and supplies I lost (all my last cash went to replacing safety
gear )
how can I treat the brass so it isn’t turning peoples skin green?
Will a coat of polyurethane do the job? I have a one quart can lol
anyway as I always say keep going keep trying and never give up!
how can I treat the brass so it isn't turning peoples skin green?
Yes, you could use the polyurethan to seal the surface of the wire.
You could also use Johnson’s paste wax for floors or a car wax. I
think that these would be easier to apply. Do you know how to round
braid with four strands? That would be a different look from a flat
three braid and is not hard to do.
how can I treat the brass so it isn’t turning peoples skin green?
Teri, I use something like Jax Black (or anything with selenious
acid in it). It turns the brass black (or dark), you rinse it,
rub off however much of the black you want to, with damp pumice
(then rinse and dry), and after that it really doesn’t affect (my)
skin much at all. I wear a wide nickel-silver ring a lot of the
time and it doesn’t color my finger at all, even in the humidity
and heat (on the rare occasions we get any…) of upstate New York.
This treatment is also nice for creating shadows in recessed areas.
etc. Don’t let any metal sit a long time in the Jax Black – then
the “color” will just flake off. But it’s tight otherwise.
Personally, I don’t believe in lacquering or similarly coating
jewelry. If worn frequently (as I do), it only starts to peel and
look dreadful (in my opinion) and needs to be re-done.
No I do not know how to round braid with four wires but I can learn Thanks I have a can of johnsons I use to polish up my shell cameos
to seal them to prevent moisture loss just wanted to be sure it would
work on metals.
I also have after fussing and hammering for four hours a workable
plan for a fast cheap fun item for teens so crossing my fingers and
toes if it works I will let you know via link to photos
There is a product called “Staybrite” brass lacquer that might work
for you. We have never used it, but saw it in the Woodworker’s
Supply catalog [ http://www.woodworker.com ].
Good luck to you.
Dale Molloy
Molloy Studios
Fall River, MA
)
Thanks I have a can of johnsons I use to polish up my shell cameos