Hi
would an ammonia/ dawn/ water solution be good to degrease my beads after polishing…i have always wondered if ammonia is a good for degreasing…
or just use my ultrasonic…?
julie
Ammonia works as too does non-abrasive Goop
Hi,
thanks rob!…my friend said ammonia might etch the surface…could this be true…?
i forgot to mention…the beads are free of visible compound…but i was thinking i need to degrease before blackening…
i am contemplating blackening…i cannot decide…
the bulk 1.5mm foxtail chain came…and the endcaps…i think this will work nicely…i have not yet used foxtail chain with big hole beads…it may open up a whole new thing for me!…
julie
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I have used ammonia, hot, hot, and hot water and dawn for years to clean a lot of jewelry with the exception of porous stones. Give it a good soak, scrub with a soft toothbrush, rinse and dry. I have not ever seen any etching. I also started using non-abrasive goop since it does such a good job on my hands. I know that this is a repeat of my previous brief message, but I was on the road when I sent it…Rob
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This may sound off the wall, but I would try Simple Green. It is the BEST degreaser in my kitchen. It’s like magic, and if I ever had grease issues to manage in my studio, that would be my first stop. It’s powerful but mild, and it’s eco-friendly. I even spritz it on any clothing that has gotten an oil spot on it, let it sit, and it always comes out in the wash. Anyway, my two cents!
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Dawn alone is the material used to clean birds, otters, etc. that have been covered in crude oil spills. Adding ammonia might work, but if Dawn can remove crude oil…
Neil A
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Thanks for sharing. I have never used Simple Green but will get some and try it. I believe that it is citrus based like the goop that I buy. I know that it is supposed to work on bike chains and they get a lot dirtier than any jewelry I have had to clean…Rob
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Simple Green has many uses in various dilutions from window washing to shower cleaning. I do use it for jewelry cleaning.
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I was curious, so I looked up Simple Green’s SDS page. It’s got a tiny bit of citric acid in it, but most of what it’s made of is beyond what my artist brain understands.
Maybe some of the scientists in the forum can tell us if Simple Green is good to use for jewelry cleaning? I do use Simple Green for cleaning my house.
Otto Frei told me a long time ago to be careful of using non-jewelry based cleaners in an ultrasonic as they can potentially corrode stainless steel tank over time. Part of jewelry ultrasonic cleaning solutions ingredients is that they won’t harm your stainless steel ultrasonic tank. Something to think about if you have an ultrasonic cleaner.
Jeff
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Good point. Dawn seems to be excellent for so many things in the studio. I use it for scrubbing silver after pickling, and I recently (via advice of other Orchidians) used it in my vibratory tumbler with smashing success. So, dawn to the rescue for degreasing sounds logical. You’re right, it cleans oily animals, after all!
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I would skip the ammonia and just use Dawn in warm water. I have used it as a degreaser for years since I read that it was on of the best degreasers on the market. Krud Kutter is another of my “go to” degreasers, but it’s more costly than Dawn. I even use it on laundry grease stains.
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Hi,
thank you everyone!
my goal is to just soak and rinse…no rubbing, rustling, tumbling about…no abrading…
am thinking a big rubbermaid plastic tub, dawn, and hot hot wayer
maybe steam clean/ dry each as it comes out…
julie
simple green all purpose cleaner includes chelating agents which are citric acid, sodium citrate, glutamate diacetate. They bind up magnesium and calcium and soften water. the last 2, thiazolinones are disinfectants and antibacterials. C9 to C11 are medium chain fatty acid derivatives that are ethoxylated alcohols and are nonionic surfactants (neutrally charged). .anethol is a synthetic flavenoid related to anise oil. It also is a surfactant, as it has a phenol structure. Surfactants can be neutral, anionic or catanionic. One part of the molecule attaches to grease (oil and fats), while the rest of the structure is water soluble, enabling grease to mobilized in water and washed away. Eucalyptol is a disinfectant also… it’s the active ingredient in Listerine. sodium carbonate is washing soda… The surfactant listed as such is proprietary, so it’s chemical composition isn’t stated. These ingredients are very similar to those in many common household cleaners. Surfactants are what do most of the cleaning.
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PS: there is some question about thiazolinones being completely safe. They have been known to cause liver damage in rats… Of course you don’t drink simple green!!!
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PPS: I am a retired physician who used to make jewelry, I learned most of it by trial and error over a long period of time. I am well enough versed in molecular biology, organic and inorganic chemistry…anything about metallurgy can be found online. My current hobby is geochemistry. It’s highly applicable to metallurgy and alloys as much of it concerns itself about compositional variation and phases at high temperatures.
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a mixture of 1/2 dawn and 1/2 ammonia is what I use to clean dishes… It does a great job on anything glass or ceramic glazed dishes.
I use Dawn also.When using ammonia alone or mixed with Dawn, even though I think I’ve rinsed well, when I add patina (liver of sulphur) the result is shades of blue and gold. That is a nice effect unless full black is needed.
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I have a question. Why do you scrub your silver after pickling?
Jo
I use dawn and ammonia in my sonic. I rinse after. I’ve never had an issue with liver of sulfur not being black.
Jo