QuestionI have seen all sorts of metals that are oxidized (copper, silver, etc...) but I haven't a clue how to make that process happen. If you could help point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it. I am fairly new to jewelry making and can't seem to find anyone who really knows how to do this. Thank you!
AnswerHello Katie,
the oxidizer most used on silver is liver of sulfur- available at any jewelry supply or online chemicals seller.You simply dissolve a grape sized lump in about 2 cups of warm water and then time the piece you submerge into the liquid..that way you can blacken the piece to the depth you like and record that timing or make tiles from different concentrations of LOS and timings on silver ( all recorded in your notes and on the back of each tile) .You can achieive various colours with differing concentrations and timing.
There are also products like "Jax Black".That you paint onto pieces like a patina solution and come in different colours ( besides black , Jax makes a green, blue, a gold for brass colouring etc.). Many hardware stores sell a product intended for guns called Baldwin's patina that produces a blue-black oxidation on silver, nickel , white gold and stainless steel- it will work for coloring silver as well.
I would recommend your getting a copy of Tim McCreight's The Complete Metalsmith , as it is a bible of sorts to beginning jewelers and has a lot of info on patination. On line at www.ganoksin.com you will find the Orchid forum, it has an archive with lengthy info on patina recipes, using various chemicals to colour metals, etc. I would also recommend your joining that forum as you will gain much information and all of it reliable ( well, most of it reliable! it becomes easy to weed out the bad info from the true! within a few visits as the core members quickly shut down wrong information or correct politely posts that are not quite on the mark!.It is a great resource for professional jewelers and anyone interested in jewelry making, metalsmithing and all things to do with the arts and sciences and business of jewelry.
If you need more info after looking into liver of sulfur on Orchid, or other jewelrymaking sites (www.about.com/ jewelrymaking , is another source, but the info is very basic)..feel free to contact me again. You can probably go to an art supply store or jewelry supplier in your area and purchase some liver of sulfur today!
Best regards,Ari
