Alright so this has been happening for quite sometime now. My ultrasonic will randomly put what looks like firestain on my piece sometimes and other times it looks like it got copper plated. What the heck is causing it?
Had that happen with snake chains, I blamed the clasp and extended processing time. Maybe pickle carryover.
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I have also noticed it once or twice, no idea what caused it. Would like to know though.
Hello Jonathan, This problem is usually caused by too much heat in your ultrasonic. There used to be a thermostat built in, so that when the solution got too hot, the heating unit would shut off. The new models of ultrasonic I have seen have no thermostat. Check the water temp, and shut off the switch in the ultra if it feels much hotter than it needs to be.
Another factor may be the solution you use. I have always used Dawn dishwashing liquid because there are no fumes that come out of the heated solution like there are with ammonia-based cleaning solutions. Use a liquid called Tarnex to dip any jewelry that has turned color. I buy a bottle of Tarnex and put it in a wide-mouth container so that I can use the steam cleaner clamp to hold onto the jewelry for a quick swish in the Tarnex. Rinse immediately with soapy water other than the ultrasonic solution, and the tarnish should come right off. Too many dips in the Tarnex, and then directly back into the ultrasonic will result in more oxidization of future pieces, because you have now contaminated the solution in your ultrasonic. Good Luck, Caroline
newfypal- A big No to Tarnex. Tarn-X Tarnish Remover Review and Other Silver Dips - WARNING!
As mice 42 says the kind of heat from an ultra sonic unless the piece has an acid carry over from pickle or an acid based cleaner in it will not cause a copper plaiting.
Jo
The manufacturer’s specs for Tarnex shows it contain thiourea and suflamic acid. thiourea and it’s derivatives were old chemotherapeutic agents for cancer… as such, thiourea is highly toxic. skin contact is toxic…sulfamic acid is a strong acid pKA 1… it’s a skin irritant and eye irritant… sulfamic acid corrodes metals but less so than hydrochloric acid.