Removing liver of sulfur from bezel-interior?

Hello! I am looking for suggestions on removing liver of sulfur
patina from the inside of my freeform bezels, without removing it
from the rest of the piece. I have tried removing it with varying
flex-shaft attchments, but they are too big and threaten to take it
off the entire piece. Is there a liquid solution that I could apply
to this specific area only; my stones are clear, so I want their
bezels as clean as possible on the interior. I greatly appreciate any
suggestions…Thank you, Nisa

Pickeling will take off most of it. I think torching it will take
it all off? Memory fails me, but I think that works.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTool.com
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay

There was a post to this effect before.

Make a solution of water and baking soda. Put aluminum foil on the
bottom and cook your stuff in it. There is a chemical reaction take
place which would solve your problem.

Leonid Surpin

Hello! I am looking for suggestions on removing liver of sulfur
patina from the inside of my freeform bezels, without removing it
from the rest of the piece.

What I do is prevent the patina from getting there in the first
place. I paint clear nail polish on the inside of the bezel. That
keeps it nice and bright. To remove it, I would use a very small
brass brush, the kind shaped like a pencil eraser, on the flex shaft.

Donna in VA

Nisa,

Jax Instant Silver Cleaner (not their regular silver polish) works
fast on undesired patinas but cannot be used around pearls and
probably shouldn’t be used around softer stones such as opal (not
sure, but I play that one safe). Most suppliers carry Jax products.

http://www.jaxchemical.com/jaxshop/shopexd.asp?id=89

SparkleSparkle Silver Cleaner is slower on heavy patinas (great on
plain tarnish though) and can be used safely around any stone,
including pearls.

http://www.nventa.com/sparklesparkle/-p-50.html

FYI SparkleSparkle’s polishing cloths are the best polishing cloths
I’ve ever used and quickly remove patinas and heavy tarnish in
reachable areas.

Victoria Lansford

hi

I had a similar problem once with a cross covered in orchids and
leather. I used a product called ‘Silver Dip’ in the UK. It is a
liquid cleaner that you are supposed to dip silver in for a max of
five minutes. I used a paintbrush to clean those areas that had LOS
on and then rinsed it in water. It’s a suggestion…

Barbara

Tarnex which is sold in drugstore will remove the patina. Do not get
the jewelry cleaner. Get the one for silverware. It’s a liquid and
you can use Q tips to get to small places.

marilyn

Hi Nisa,

Any silver tarnish remover should work. I couple brands I am
familiar with are Weiman or Tarnex. You can purchase them at any
hardware store and sometimes supermarkets.

For anyone that is interested, I’ve also written and presented
about Liver of Sulfur, the many effects you can achieve,
how to remove it, and how to reserve a patina, called “Beauty and the
Beastly Smell.”

http://www.hollygage.com/pages/techniques_liverofsulfur.html

You may find that you can add some more tricks to your tool box.

Holly

Try using the small brushes available from rio that fit a flex shaft.
The ones with the bristles pointing the direction of the shaft not
the radiating kind. Use with a little tripoli, they will fit into a
bezel as small as 5mm.

Dave Owen

Make a solution of water and baking soda. Put aluminum foil on the
bottom and cook your stuff in it. 

Folks, the poster didn’t ask how to turn her piece white again. The
question was about cleaning only inside bezels without cleaning the
rest of the piece! (By the way, this must just be done mechanicly,
with a small brush in the flexshaft or whatever will fit-- or better
yet, keep it clean in the first place).

Please please actually read a post if you decide to answer it-- is
that too much to ask?

Noel (feeling grumpy this morning, probably because of being tired
of being in pain from fibromyalgia and now planter faschiitis)

Make a solution of water and baking soda. Put aluminum foil on the
bottom and cook your stuff in it. 

Except that the person asking the question only wanted the oxidation
within the bezel removed-- not the entire finish. I would buy a
bottle of Tarnex and, with a Qtip, remove the offending oxide in the
bezel cup and thoroughly rinse.

Andy

Hello,

Have you tried a pencil eraser? It can be shaped to fit your bezel
and will rub through the LOS patina. Cheap too. In the future, paint
a resist (wax or nail polish) on the areas you want to keep bright,
then do the LOS thing.

Judy in Kansas

For bezel walls… a wooden toothpick fits in to the flexshaft and
just charge it with tripoli or rouge. Q tips work too.

If you’re talking about the backsheet you have a trickier situation
if the back shows thru the window of the stone. The end of any
rotating tool will leave you with a pattern of circles, which if it
works for you, you can make a pattern like the gold leave lettering
of old…an engine turned look. You might try sand or beadblasting.

Sometimes if I leave an oxidized silver piece in my ultrasonic too
long, the high ammonia cleaner will strip off the black.

Are you oxidizing before or after setting the stones?

Another approach, in the UK, Humbrol sell a masking liquid,coloured
purple, which I believe is a latex based solution. If you paint this
into your bezel and let it dry it will protect the surface from the
patinating solution. When you have finished it will just peel off. I
have used it to protect areas when plating. I am sure there must be
an equivalent in the States, after all you have everything!

regards Tim.

A Waterpik works for so many things, I wonder if it would be a
solution for you?