![]() ![]() ![]() Then I move on to a Pro-Polish Pad and/or silicone wheels or points. I use steel wool, #0000, to remove most of the patina and expose the highlights.Remove and neutralize when the color you want has been achieved. Let it sit for a few minutes but, check often. This will create that charcoal black that we love for antiquing a piece of jewelry. The second method involves using hot water and placing a pea-sized chunk of liver into it. You don’t want to neutralize your liver of sulfur – just the liver on your piece. Rinse between dunks (it’s not necessary to neutralize until you are done dipping). Achieve rainbow colors by heating the piece in hot water and then dipping it into a room temperature solution of liver of sulfur and water. The colors you get depend on which technique you use. There are two ranges of colors when using liver of sulfur.Don’t forget to neutralize any tools that you use. Have a second bowl with clear water (that you change often) to dip into after neutralizing. Dunk your pieces in it after dipping them in the liver solution. Mix a bit of baking soda with a bit of water. You really need to neutralize your pieces after dipping them in the solution.My question is “why would you put your fingers into something that smells this bad?” As the components of liver of sulfur are corrosive, it is imperative to keep it off of your skin too. Don’t put your fingers in the container or in the solution.You can’t avoid smelling the stuff when you make it but, don’t put your head over the crockpot and inhale deeply!!! Just don’t! The ingredients in liver of sulfur are corrosive. Ew! The thought gives me shivers! It smells way worse than rotten eggs so, I can’t imagine how bad it would taste! I need to leave this topic in my wake! ![]() Drinking this will put you in the hospital – so, don’t do it – even if you momentarily lose your mind!. What a terrible-sounding cocktail! (That’s where my mind went! Haha!) I understand that they don’t mean vodka or rum, per se! It’s just one of the chemical’s properties. Liver readily mixes with water but, not alcohol.Follow all local, city, county, state, and federal guidelines – whatever they are. You can neutralize it and speed the decomposition up by adding baking soda. The minute quantities present in a solution used in the small jeweler’s studio and the fact that both chemicals are used in fertilizers and one in food processing (potassium carbonate) make them sound relatively benign after decomp. The two end products of decomposition, look like a layer of fat on the surface of the water. The breakdown of the solution also occurs over time – usually in a day or two.Ventilate! Potassium sulfate and potassium carbonate (aka sulfate of potash and carbonate of potash) are the by-products of liver of sulfur’s decomposition. Boiling liver of sulfur in water causes a breakdown of the solution into 2 other chemicals which will no longer color your metal.But, it can include potassium sulfide, potassium polysulfide (corrosive, very toxic to aquatic life), and maybe potassium bisulfite. Apparently, there isn’t an exact formula that defines liver of sulfur. ![]() It is important to be careful when polishing your design as it is possible to polish off the patina completely, although the darker the colour, the more difficult it is to remove. When you have achieved the colour you want you can gently polish your design using a jewellery cloth to remove the patina from certain areas and bring out lovely silver highlights. Paint it onto the parts you want and try layering it by applying it several times or, for a more random effect or varying colours, let it splash or drip (carefully) from the brush. Liver of sulphur can be applied with a brush if you only want to oxidise certain parts of the piece. Repeat this process until you are happy with the colour.Įxperiment with the temperature of the water, the amount of liver of sulphur or by adding a drop of household ammonia or some salt which can give you more vibrant colours. Use the same amount of liver of sulphur but mix it with cold water and don’t heat your piece first. This will slow down the process so you can stop when you achieve the desired colour.ĭip and remove the piece quickly and rinse with cold water immediately. You can obtain a beautiful range of colours with Liver of sulphur – gold, copper, purple, blue and blue-grey before the metal turns black.
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