Permalac also prevents the metal from further oxidizing under the coating. The only one I've found to be effective for a long time and durable is Permalac sealant. To preserve the patina, you must apply a protective coating. Left in the open air, over time copper continues to oxidize and turns brown like a penny. can be very beautiful, but they are not a stable or permanent change. The resulting yellows, reds, golds, purples, etc. I prefer the black look to the brownish color LOS creates by itself.īy changing the temperature of not just the solution but the pieces to be oxidized, you can create some lovely colors. Too much ammonia, and you'll get a slightly reddish patina. You'll know you've got it right when the silver immediately turns grey, not yellow.īy adding 1 teaspoon of ammonia to the solution, you'll get a very black patina. In a lukewarm to cool solution, silver will stay yellowish to red for what seems like forever! Temperature is the key here. A very hot solution of a pea-sized nugget dissolved in 1 cup of water will oxidize your copper dark brown and your silver dark grey.įine silver takes longer to oxidize than Sterling. The temperature of the LOS solution is very important in determining the finished results you'll get with the patina. The fumes from the liver-of-sulfur you're working on can oxidize the metal of the jewelry you're wearing, not just what's being dipped, so be sure to remove all jewelry from your working area. If it no longer 's gone inert and is no good. A tiny bit of moisture in the LOS nugget form will quickly ruin it. Use tweezers or a plastic spoon to retrieve a nugget from the container so that you don't contaminate the LOS with either wet fingers or the oil from your fingers. It also keeps the items you don't want to oxidize safe from accidental exposure. keeps it out of harm's way and the local air supply free of the nasty sulfur smell. I have found that keeping it in the container it arrives in, then placing that in a zip lock-style bag and then that in a cookie jar etc. You must store LOS in a cool dry place out of the sunlight. Plus, it has the advantage of not being affected by moisture. However, with the introduction of the new gel form, I find it to be even more user-friendly and is the form I use in my classes. The nugget form has a long shelf life and is easy to use, providing you don't introduce moisture to it. It comes in the form of nuggets, liquid and more recently, a new gel. They are commonly used to turn metals like copper and silver dark. Liver-of-sulfur (LOS) is a very smelly, stinky :) sulfur product that is a mixture of potassium sulfides. Use chemicals only in well ventilated areas or outdoors. There are many types of patinas, but today I'm discussing one of the more commonly used patinas, Liver-of-Sulfur.Īlways remember safety first!!!! Please be sure to wear protective eye wear and gloves when handling chemicals or steel wool or whenever appropriate. Because it can naturally take from days to years to occur, in wire jewelry making we speed up the process so-to-speak and create the patina we wish our jewelry to have. The process by which a patina forms is called patination. Ever notice the green color on copper roofs or weather vanes or the lovely rich dark brown color of bronze statues in the park? Those are patinas. Due to exposure to open air and the natural process of oxidation, an aged metal such as copper and bronze tends to develop a patina. I hope it takes some of the mystery and fear out of using Liver-of-Sulfur.Ī patina is a film that develops on the surface of metal over a period of time. Here are some of my observations and answers to some of the more commonly asked questions. To help you get consistent results, write down what you've done so you can duplicate it in the future. Getting the patina process down just right is an art in itself and something you can perfect over time with much experimentation. Some of the most frequently asked questions I get in classes and online are about oxidizing metal with Liver-of-Sulfur.
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