Oxidize Gold?

HI!

I made up a 14 Kt. pendant for a gentleman, 4 years ago or so,
it had some polished raised areas and he wanted it black in the
recessed pattern areas. I used a black lacquer. Well, he never
took it off, to bed, in the shower etc… Said he only took it
off for chest exrays. A retired physican. Well of course that
didn’t last. So any suggestions?

I am an enamelist, but this piece won’t hold up in kiln for the
kind of enamel I usually use. Fired at 1450 degress F… It
would be all firescale and the whole thing would take too long to
clean up. I got the old lacquer off.

Epoxy? The recessed pattern is too fine to get in there with
any tool, except gravers, can I scratch it up to give it more
tooth to hold the epoxy? Need suggestions. Quick, as I told him
I would do it this week. Thanks in advance, Pat

Pat,

There is a product made by Vigor, simply called “oxidizer”. It
works great on gold and silver, producing a chemically antiqued
surface on the metal. It is very black, and stays put (just keep
it out of the ultrasonic). I use this product regularly, and am
very pleased with the results.

Good Luck,

Heather Sickler
Intrica Fine Jewelry
@intrica

A product called "Silver-Black will also work on gold although
it won’t give a really deep black. I believe I got mine from Rio
Grande, There is also a two bart epoxy sort of lacquer called
Chem Black which is carried by Swest. It’s a deeper black but
won’t last forever. If there is something better I’d like to hear
about it too. Jerry in Kodiak where the bears are beginning to
come into town since they put an electric fence around the dump.

Pat,

There is a product made by Vigor, simply called “oxidizer”. It
works great on gold and silver, producing a chemically antiqued
surface on the metal. It is very black, and stays put (just keep
it out of the ultrasonic). I use this product regularly, and am
very pleased with the results.

Good Luck,

Heather Sickler
Intrica Fine Jewelry
@intrica

Dr. E. Aspler
aspler@ganoksin.com
Managing Director
Ganoksin Jewelry Co.,Ltd

Webmaster Ganoksin Online

ICQ # 864 5224

Pat, Birchwood-Casey manufactures a gun-engraver’s liquid called
"Gold Oxidizing Solution". It will turn anything other than 24k
a rich shade of black. This product is also useful for oxidizing
stainless steel. Look for this product in local high-end gun
shops - or search for it in Yahoo under “Birchwood-Casey”. Hope
this helps you meet your deadline!

In friendship, Peter

P.S. I enjoyed your pictures of glasswork. Your idea of adding
a sketch of side dimensions is excellent.

Pat, I haven’t had a lot of experience with this except to say
only thing that ever worked for me in the long run was , is,
black rhodium ( plating ). I am getting requests for this a lot
lately…I believe most of the commercial gold jewelry is
darkened with this product…

Terry Parresol

Hello Pat, Use iodine. It won’t come out for anything but heat,
more than his chest would like. Have fun. Tom Arnold P.S.
Clean the piece and dry it well before you apply the iodine.

Hi Pat ! There are a number of commercial gold oxidizing agents
available; I know Rio carries one they call Black Max, but I’m
sure you could find something very much like it in any local
jewelry supply house for less. Rio’s price, if I remember is in
the $10-$15 range for a small bottle (pint, maybe?).

Laura Wiesler
Towson, Md.

Hi Pat,

Rio sells a product called Gun Metal Black that leaves a shiny
black finish. You have to heat it to 170 F. and plate it on with
a stainless steel anode. It wears well in a recessed area. Need
good ventilation. Some people refer to this as black rhodium, its
not. You may not be able to get it this week, it is a hazardous
material and must be shipped ground.

Mark P.
WI

I use Black Max, an oxidizing solution for gold available from
Rio Grande. I heat the piece gently, apply the black max in the
area with a brush, and use a broken saw blade in those areas to
cause a chemical oxidation of the gold alloy. It works very well
on 14 and 18k gold alloys.

Rick Hamilton
Richard D. Hamilton
USA
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
http://www.rick-hamilton.com

Pat,

Vigor makes a product of hydrochloric acid and tellerium oxide
which when applied to the gold will flow nicely into all of your
little nooks and crannies. Heating the gold will then allow this
to oxidize. Rinse, lightly sand the raised areas and polish.
Oh, if I remember right, the last time I did this, I had to do a
quick dip into my pickle to get a nice black color. BTW, be
careful of the fumes, your stomach may be used to the acid, but
your lungs were never designed for the stuff.

Hope this helps.

Sharon Z.

Pat - you’ll find a chemical additive, called “Smut” that’s sold
by Gesswein Co. It is added to the gold plating solution (we have
a 'dedicated" solution/beaker) and then plated ‘on’ as usual. It
can be weakened to create a beautiful ‘antique’ look (on satin
finishes) that you’ll see only on antique jewelery or
strengthened to create a dark black. Good luck. Kim-Eric.