Powdered asphaltum for etching and enamelling

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello,

I have a tin of powdered asphaltum which I would like to use as a
resist on silver, for etching and enamelling. Unfortunately I can’t
find any instructions on how to mix it into a liquid state to enable
me to paint it onto the metal, and the people I bought it from
couldn’t advise me either.

I hope someone will be able to help.

best wishes to all

Judy
France

2

Judy-

I’ve had decent success in thinning asphaltum liquid with Mineral
Spirits when I didn’t have any “Asphaltum Thinner” on hand. This
might work for mixing up the powder? Or, if they’ll ship it to
France, Rio Grande has Asphaltum Thinner.

Hope this helps,
LJ
North Carolina, USA

3

Hi LJ

I've had decent success in thinning asphaltum liquid with Mineral
Spirits when I didn't have any "Asphaltum Thinner" on hand. This
might work for mixing up the powder? Or, if they'll ship it to
France, Rio Grande has Asphaltum Thinner.

Many thanks for your advice for thinning asphaltum. I’ll try the
spirits and also bear it in mind for Rio - I didn’t realise they did
that.

Sorry to have taken so long to reply. We had a really bad storm over
south west France last weekend, and have been without electricity,
then phones, so couldn’t use the computer.

best wishes
Judy

4

As an aside when I was a kid I saw a televisions show about mercury,
and they were floating solid steel objects, like a 12" adjustable
wrench, on a large pool of mercury just like they were toy boats. An
octogenarian coworker of mine says that when he was a kid they would
play with mercury. You could rub it on a penny, and it would "silver"
the penny. Sometimes I’m stunned that he’s lasted so long.

In addition to the light house use for a bearings. Back in time
before the new rules and regulations dealing with mercury. The
mechanical gyroscopes, used on board ships,had the mechanism
floating on mercury in a cup type container standard procedure was to
remove the mercury, wrap it it a number of layers of cheese
cloth,tie it off. Take it over to the sink and wash the dust and junk
out of it. Buy mushing the sack full of mercury, in a stream of
running water. Needless to say that there were times that in got into
the sink and a lot made it into the drain paste the sink trap which
wasn’t that large to hold a lot mercury.

Will look for the navy class book on gyroscope repair, I think i
still have it.

glen

5 
An octogenarian coworker of mine says that when he was a kid they
would play with mercury. You could rub it on a penny, and it would
"silver" the penny. Sometimes I'm stunned that he's lasted so long.

well, i’m 60, & i can remember how we used to play with mercury in
school chemistry lessons - rolling it around on the benches, & it
n-n-n-n-ever… d-d-d-id m-m-m-mm-m-e any h-h-h-harrrr…

c-c-c-chris
snowy wales (liquid rain in summer - solid rain in winter)

6

Rio Grande’s MSDS for Thinner for Etching Resist says it is 100%
Turpentine. The MSDS for Rio’s Etching Resist says it is made of
Naptha, Mineral Spirits and Asphalt.