![]() Designate this dish for use with Liver of Sulfur only. A container with the ability to hold at least one cup of water is more than sufficient for most jewelry projects. Though plastic containers, such as Tupperware, are widely considered acceptable, I find glass a little more resilient. ![]() I recommend a good Pyrex dish with a corresponding lid. ![]() Oxidization is a science experiment for metal addicts and can prove entertaining, challenging and inspiring all wrapped up in the guise of jewelry fun, creating an antique look to modern art jewelry.Īnd you know what? It’s easy to fix if you don’t like it, so the only thing left to do is enjoy yourself and prepare to take your jewelry or metal work to a defining new level with a product both easy to master and essential for the antique look popular in the metal work and jewelry worlds. An even safer method is to shake baking soda into the liver of sulfur to neutralize it, then pour it down the drain (good for old pipes).I repeat: do not fear the Liver of Sulfur! To dispose of the liver of sulfur, simply pour it slowly down the drain with lots of running water. Now, admire your work!įinished copper butterfly necklace with a liver of sulfur finish. Leave as-is, or seal with wax like Renaissance Wax to protect your new patina. Rinse with clean water, and let your piece dry. I use a paper towel to hold the steel wool so I don’t get poked! Safety note: it’s a good idea to wear a dust mask while using steel wool. Hint: Fine steel wool can “shed,” so do this over a work surface. When dry, use #0000 fine steel wool to erase some of the blackened finish, revealing a lovely antique look. Remove the blackened jewelry from the liver of sulfur. Hint: If you have items you don’t want the liver of sulfur to touch, such as pearls, use a paintbrush (or even a q-tip) to only apply the liver of sulfur to the area of the piece you want to have patina. ![]() If you used less, you may have to let it sit in the solution for up to a minute. If you used a lot of liver of sulfur, the jewelry will turn black almost immediately. It’s up to you to use tweezers or tongs, or to simply pull the jewelry out of the liver of sulfur solution with your gloved fingers. Here’s the fun part: in goes the jewelry! It will be bright yellow when it’s ready. If you aren’t using the gel form, you will have to allow time for the liver of sulfur to dissolve. With just a small cup (about 8oz), about 5 drops of liver of sulfur is strong enough. Add your liver of sulfur to the water (check your directions for how much) and stir with your paintbrush. Remember, this should be outside or in a well-ventilated area! Now, put on gloves: you don’t want to touch liver of sulfur to your skin. Take the water out of the microwave and bring it to your work station. The amount of water you’ll need depends on how much jewelry you’ll be patina-ing, but a small cup with about 8 ounces of water will easily do dozens of earrings. An easy way to do this is simply place the water in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Typical directions will ask for warm, not hot water, that you can still put your finger in and not be burned. I set up out on the porch, with the house door closed.Ī cup with water, Liver of Sulfur Gel, #0000 Steel Wool, Gloves, and a Paintbrush. Plan ahead of time where you’ll process your jewelry, and remember that it will smell like eggs. Clean your piece and set up your equipment. and of course, the pieces you want to patina!.Disposable Gloves that will keep your fingers dry.Fine (#0000) Steel Wool and a Dust Mask.Water in a glass or plastic cup (I recommend disposable).Here’s a little tutorial that will show you how easy it is to use liver of sulfur! I highly recommend the gel form, available here: Liver of Sulphur Gel, because the gel dissolves in warm water much faster, making the process (and the smell!) faster than ever. Note: there are 2 types of liver of sulfur available on the market: gel and “rock” or solid form. Liver of sulfur, though, will give your copper and silver jewelry a beautiful antique look like the one featured below. Liver of sulfur, also spelled liver of sulphur or just LOS, is a quick and easy (although stinky!) way to patina copper and silver. This is an easy process which can give your wire work a great finish! What is Liver of Sulfur? so today, I thought I’d re-visit an older post about using Liver of Sulfur to give your jewelry pieces an antique look. We’ve been discussing patina’s and finishes around the office the last few days. Daily Wire Jewelry Tip FebruLiver of Sulfur Finish
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