How do others store their Liver of Sulfur (sulfurated potash) to
extend the shelf life? I’m refering to the raw, bulk material, not
the solution made from it. I’m aware that light, moisture and
exposure to air quickly render it inactive. I’ve tried several
opaque household containers that seal tightly, but still find my
supply goes bad far more quickly than I want.
Walk in Beauty,
Susannah Ravenswing
Jewels of the Spirit
Germanton, NC
Break up the greenish cake into smallish pieces (about 1cm diameter
or less), and place them in an opaque plastic container that was
used for vitamin pills. These have a plasticised insert inside the
lid which is designed to keep moisture out when the lid is screwed
tightly. They usually also have a small bag of moisture absorbing
crystals. Every time you use some liver of sulphur, place the small
bag of crystals on your pickling plate for about 10 minutes to force
out any moisture before replacing it in with the liver of sulphur.
Needless to say, make sure that you have the lid screwed on straight
and tightly. I have kept liver of sulphur active for many years using
this method.
Regards,
Elizabeth Gordon-Mills
PO Box 32
Langhorne Creek
South Australia 5255
@Elizabeth_Gordon-Mil
How do others store their Liver of Sulfur (sulfurated potash) to extend the shelf life? I'm refering to the raw, bulk material, not the solution made from it
I’ve used Liver of Sulfur for years and have never had it last past
half a can. I seal the can up carefully and only open it when I
really need to. That’s the best I’ve been able to do. Maybe someone
else has a better suggestion.
Robin C. McGee
Rcmcgee47@comcast.net
I keep the L of S in the metal can it came in, open it quickly,
remove what I need, close it. Perhaps you have some that came in one
of those white plastic containers? Or you live in a part of the
country that is more humid than where I live? Ah yes, I see that you
do.
Here’s what I’d do – go to the Container Store and buy one of those
empty paint cans. Then go to the hardware store and buy a bag of
desiccant – a big one. Place the desiccant in the bottom of the
paint can, L of S on top (in another container, perhaps with holes in
the lid?) Make the paint can just big enough to fit all this.
The desiccant has to be removed every so often and dried out in the
oven.
Elaine
Elaine Luther
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com ™
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay
Susannah,
The tin container (looks like a very small paint can) that my LoS
came in worked great when the pieces where large. As I broke up the
clumps to a more manageable size, i.e., pea sized, and there was
more air in container, the pieces went bad quicker. The solution
was to bag up the tiny pieces in separate small baggies, putting all
of the baggies back in the container and using one bag at a time so
that even when I opened the container the remaining pieces weren’t
exposed to air.
This would have been more difficult if I hadn’t used a lot of the
LoS and had plenty of room in the container for the baggies. If you
don’t have a tin container with a top that pressure fits like a
paint can does, then go to a container store or hardware store and
buy one. It’s well worth it.
Also be careful when doing this to avoid direct skin exposure to the
lumps of LoS. I like to use old plastic and steel spoons for
various things in the shop. I reserve an old plastic one for LoS.
Mark them with a bold colors of paint so that they aren’t confused
with regular spoons.
Larry
dear susannah,
i have had a container of los for several years that still works
just fine. i put the original plastic container in a second plastic
container and then i wrapped it in two layers of plastic bags. store
out of light and heat and away from any silver.
cathy
My LOS came in a brown glass bottle, I am in Denver where there is
low humidity. Mine has lasted several years. I keep the cap on gently
tightened and I have had no problem. Once mixed it will last longer,
a couple days to a week, in a brown plastic bottle that hydrogen
peroxide comes in.
Richard Hart
I've used Liver of Sulfur for years and have never had it last past half a can. I seal the can up carefully and only open it when I really need to. That's the best I've been able to do. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion
I have been using the same bottle of lime sulfur for years. It is
just as strong as when I bought it 10 years ago. It works the same,
I paid less for it then a can of los and have not had any of it go
bad.
Tom
Hi Folks…
Not really about LOS…
About 4 years ago I got some stuff called Procraft Silver Oxidizer
through Grobet…Is alkaline sulphide based…
Mixed up a 50% and 25% dilution with distilled H2O…stored this in
small brown glass bottles… The source bottle I’ve kept tightly
closed, and then sealed in plastic bag…
Recently used the 50% on a silver plated pewter pendant mount in
conjunction with a Roman Coin…stuff worked great…gave me a nice
antiquie finish to the garish plate…
Stinky, though, so ya use with ventilation, avoid contact with skin,
etc…
Interstingly enough…the stuff also works to even out patina on
bronze Roman coins, too…
And before the collectors object to my blasphemy…these were
common coins from cherry picked lots that for some reason were deemed
not salable on their individual merits…usually because one side is
toast, or they had been over cleaned…
Look neat as pendants, though…
Gary W. Bourbonais
A.J.P. (GIA)
The problem with metal cans is that the liver of sulfur reacts with
the metal and causes it to lose strength. We had this problem until
we spoke with a chemist who now bottles our LOS in dark plastic
bottles which are sealed until sold. The LOS strength lasts much
longer.
Jackie Truty
Art Clay World, USA, Inc.
I live in one of the most humid places around (we get 12 to 16 feet
of rain a year) I bought a bottle of LOS (brown plastic with screw
on lid) several years ago from our local drugstore. It had been
around the store for several years and was about half empty when I
got it and it is still fine. I bought a bottle of the pre-mixed
liquid (arrived in a nearly clear plastic bottle) and even though I
kept it out of the light (file drawer) it didn’t last more than a
month or so before going clear and useless.
Chris
Ketchikan, AK