Anyone have any good ideas to remove hair from gold chains? (Other
than burning it out of course.) We got one in the shop today that
literally looks furry it’s so bad. My boss suggested Drano, but I
thought it might be a little harsh considering the damage bleach
alone could do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bill
Moran
Anyone have any good ideas to remove hair from gold =
chains? (Other than =
burning it
out of course.)We =
got one
in the shop today that literally looks furry it’s so bad. My boss suggested Drano, but I =
thought
it might be a little harsh considering the damage bleach alone could =
do. Any advice would be greatly
appreciated. =
Thanks.
We used to remove embedded hair from combs, brushes, hair rollers,
etc. by soaking them in a solution of ammonia, water and mild
detergent for about half an hour. The gunk literally floated off,
and whatever was left was easily removed with another comb. Then
everything was rinsed off in plain water and came out clean as a
whistle. If you do soak the chain, try brushing the hair out with
an old toothbrush afterwards.
Bill, Try Red Devil Lye. This drain opener is pure sodium hydroxide
without the damaging additives and can be found in grocery stores.
It is HARSH. use with caution. One or two tablespoonfuls boiled in a
quart of water should do the trick. If not ad a bit more. Lye
dissolves organic material effectively and is a great way to clean
jewelry prior to repairs. Just be careful to avoid use on sensitive
stones (pearls and aggregates especially) and NEVER let it get near
your eyes.
Bill, We use red devil lye. I take a 600ml pyrex beaker, fill it
half full of water and add about a tablespoon of lye. Toss in any
gold jewelry as long as there are no stones in it, diamonds are ok,
let come to a simmer and leave it for about half an hour. Don’t let
it boil because it can foam up and over the edge of your pot, landing
on the burner and you won’t hardly be able to get near it. Check on
it to make sure you don’t simmer out all your water, I have done that
a few times. If you do, let it cool, add more water, bring back to a
simmer and all will be fine. The lye will eat hair, skin, lotion,
dirt etc. We do quite a few repairs in our shop. As we go over the
repairs anything that looks caked up or hairy goes directly into the
lye pot. Lye is caustic so it can irritate the skin and eat small
holes in clothing, so use appropriate care when handling. It’s not
anywhere near the danger of many of the acids we use in the shop.
Lye is sold at most grocery stores. My grandmother used to make soap
out of it.
Anyone have any good ideas to remove hair from gold chains?
(Other than burning it out of course.)
Maybe Nair, or some other type of body-hair removal cream? I’m not
sure what it would do to the gold, but I suspect if it’s safe to put
on skin, it wouldn’t hurt the metal.
Here’s some more info on your Red Devil Lye. It is sold as drain
opener. An interesting use is one Jurgen Maerz the Platinum expert
told me about. A very concentrated and heated bath will eat the
platinum investment off platinum castings. And this investment is the
hardest of any to remove. I haven’t tried it on regular castings but
it is less dangerous than some of the acids used right now.
Anyone have any good ideas to remove hair from gold
chains? (Other than burning it out of course.)
Potassium hydroxide, lye will eat any organic matter. If you retip
and did not clean well enough and there is carbon behind diamonds and
the stones look black and dirty, lye will remove the carbon, works
best with an ultrasonic cleaner. Richard in Denver