I have a pendant that I made in 14 kt. white gold that has many
places that I cannot reach with a polishing wheel. Does anyone have
some thoughts for me as how I can remove the dark oxides that spoil
the finish either chemically or other?
Sam Shaw
artistjewelermetalsmith
You have probably tried the usual pickle and discovered that it
doesn’t work with white gold. The method I use is to paint it with
an active (soldering) flux and heat it until the flux melts, but not
enough to melt any solder. Try it first on some scrap. The hot flux
does a good job of removing the discolouration.
IHTH
Regards, Gary Wooding
HI SAM! Long time no see! (See you at SNAG I hope!)
About your cleaning issue:
I was thinking the tiny polishing tips that fit in a flex shaft.
They come in 3 grits going all the way up to “high shine” and can
reach into the smallest of places.
Also, I don’t know if you have a magnetic tumbler, or access to one,
but you might consider one that has the tiny “needle” like steel shot
in it? I have found that the tiny needles will clean into the
smallest of spaces, but they can get stuck inside tiny areas, too, so
you have to make sure you can get them out.
I got my polishing points thru a local Jeweler’s Supply house that
get them supplied to them by Grobet. They start on page 8 of their
catalog. Here is a link to Grobet’s newest catalog:
http://www.grobetusa.com/catalogs/jewelry05catalog.pdf
There are several different types, but I just love the tiny “points”
because they can get into almost everywhere, can fit right into the
flex shaft without needing a special “holder” and I can sharpen them
on an old file or just on sandpaper to make them really tiny tipped.
Good luck! Cannot wait to see the finished product!
Tracy