Oxidizing silver with Clorox

Jewelry Discussion
1

I accidentally oxidized a silver ring I was wearing with Clorox. Has
anyone actually used Clorox to oxidize Sterling Silver?

Many Thanks,
Nancy Helmer
St. Louis

2 
   I accidentally oxidized a silver ring I was wearing with
Clorox. Has anyone actually used Clorox to oxidize Sterling Silver?

some people want the rather grayer, less even, sort of smutty look
that chlorine bleach can give, rather than the darker more dramatic
blacks and blue-blacks you get with liver of sulphur. I don’t happen
to like what bleach does, but that’s just me. I know folks who use
it in their work. Certainly, it’s cheaper than LOS…

Peter

3

I did once. I had nothing else and wanted to see how a heavy link
chain would look oxidized. I had bleached a pair of denim jeans a
long while ago, and I remembered that the bleach I diluted in a
bathtub full of water had turned my silver ring black. ( At the
time, I was not amused.) The chain I oxidized is still black, but I
had to polish the outside of the chain that comes in contact with my
skin, because my skin turned black too. I don’t know if I "oxidized"
the chain, but some kind of chemical reaction definitely took place.

Gail Middleton
Brooklyn, NY

4

Sure bleach will oxidize silver by removing everyting but the
silver, alloyed or not. chlorine will result in solder joint
porosity and weakened metal structure… This also applys to gold
and I have repaired several rings that went to heck because the
patrons wore them in hot tubs and swimming pools… also laundry
chores can have a devastating effect. Ringman John

5

I have been using a solution called Tech-ox “P” for almost 20 years
with great results. It’s a hydrochloric acid and tellurium mixture
that gives a beautiful “natural” oxide on antique silver I’ve
repaired. It’s pretty tough stuff to remove but more permanent than
liver of sulfur. I paint it on and neutralize the item in a container
of baking soda and water, then rinse at the sink. You can order it
from Technic: 1 Spectacle St., Cranston, RI 02910, 401/781-6100.

Jeffrey Herman, Silversmith
Herman Silver Restoration & Conservation
PO Box 72839
Providence, RI 02907
401/461-6840
Fax: 401/461-6841
E-mail: jeffherman@silversmithing.com
Web: Silver Repair, Restoration, Silver Conservation, Preservation, and Silver Polishing