Cleaning Argentium Silver

Jewelry Discussion
1

Newbie here. I am making my first silver item after lots of practice
on nickle. I am using Argentium sheet and was under the impression
that it needed to be cleaned prior to fabrication. So I cleaned it
with water and a “dobie” pad. Afterwards I noticed that it actually
looked tarnished. So what did I do wrong? Be gentle (lol).

Thanks!

2

Karen,

Newbie here. I am making my first silver item after lots of
practice on nickle. I am using Argentium sheet and was under the
impression that it needed to be cleaned prior to fabrication. So I
cleaned it with water and a "dobie" pad. Afterwards I noticed that
it actually looked tarnished. So what did I do wrong? Be gentle
(lol).

Congratulations on your first silver piece! I’m a bit confused about
what happened. You cleaned with a dobie pad and water before
soldering? Or before forming? Argentium does darken during soldering,
especially the first time or two. Simply pickle clean, as you would
any other metal. Hope that helps! I’ve been told that the article
that I wrote for Art Jewelry magazine, Road Testing Argentium Silver
is a good basic text for learning to use Argentium Silver. The
article is on the ganoksin site, as well as mine.

Hope this helps!
Cynthia