Oxidizing Silver Models

Discussion in 'Finishing Techniques' started by rjnorton, Aug 2, 2016.

  1. rjnorton
    rjnorton Member
    I am planning to oxidize some recessed areas, and I would like to know if I have to clean it before oxidizing. I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, so if it is already very clean that would be great. But I know it might come with something to retard tarnish on it, some silver polishes leave a protective film.
     
  2. 104516_deleted
    104516_deleted Well-Known Member
    Hey @rjnorton - at this point we don't have a protective film covering our silver. So it should be clean an ready to use for oxidizing. Have you already tried something the past weeks?
     
  3. rjnorton
    rjnorton Member
    Hi Rudy, I am pleased to report that the oxidizing went great. I used two hard boiled egg yolks, finely mashed with a fork, in a zip-lock sandwich bag. The silver piece went in on a small piece of wax paper. Oxidization, (or is it really sulfurization?) went pretty quickly, there was noticeable tarnish in 40 minutes, and a pretty dark color that I wanted in 3 hours. I had a silver polish cloth, which quickly brought the piece back to the liquid-like shine that you all put on it. The technique is very economical, and the zip-lock is easy to dispose when done. -Bob[​IMG]
     
  4. 104516_deleted
    104516_deleted Well-Known Member
    Hi Bob, wait you used eggs to oxidize your silver design? I never even thought of that... But the result is great!!

    @bgeorgakas you need to see this!
     
  5. bgeorgakas
    bgeorgakas Well-Known Member
    Very cool! It's great to know what works.

    @rjnorton - did you go for this finishing in order to make your details "pop" more or just to give your piece an antique-like look?
     
  6. rjnorton
    rjnorton Member
    I was duplicating a cross my father ware for many years before he passed. My mom wanted my brother to have it, but it was made of some base metal and was wearing/corroded badly. (I hope it was not a lead alloy.) I had already played a bit with openscad, and I was able to make a reasonably accurate model, I think. The original had black in the recessed areas, it was probably paint. I thought that a natural like patina would give a similar kind of contrast. There is a silver blackening compound available commercially. It uses a completely different chemical reaction.
    https://www.riogrande.com/Product/midas-black-max-oxidizer-solutions/331053

    The picture doesn't do the piece justice, my hand is reflected in most of it giving a weird color. You guys did a great job on making a beautifully polished piece, very true to my model! I'm looking forward to the next project.
    -Bob
     
  7. UniverseBecoming
    UniverseBecoming Well-Known Member
    Hey! Nice job!

    Yep! Eggs work pretty good! The first time I put a patina on a sterling silver piece it was almost exactly the same method you described. Another common method is to use sodium hypochlorite, otherwise know as bleach when mixed with water. It's makes a dark gray patina. Nowadays though, I use hydrochloric acid with tellurium dioxide, which is the Midas Black you mentioned and also sold under numerous other product names. This instantly makes the most dark patina that can be obtained! You can also paint with it. For example, when people buy my iron cross ring
    [​IMG]
    form me I hand paint the patina on under inspection microscope with a very fine brush. The one in the image was done by another jeweler. When I do mine I spend a little more effort on getting those edges looking perfect. I would say that the egg method makes the most natural looking patina, but I like the extreme dark that can be had with products like the Midas Black. I've also tried liver of sulfur, which makes a dark midnight blue that looks good, but I don't like the smell. That stuff will stink up your whole neighborhood with a super strong smell of sulfur! HAHA! :D

    I've heard that ammonia makes a blue patina on sterling silver, but I've never tried it yet.
     
  8. bengabel
    bengabel Active Member
    Thanks for sharing this!
     
  9. 104516_deleted
    104516_deleted Well-Known Member
    @numarul7 also had some tips for finishing silver. Would you mind sharing your experiences Florin?
     
  10. I've gotten great results with Silver Blackener from Jax chemical, it's $15 for a large bottle and makes the silver super black. I use a fine brush and then I just polish up the areas I accidentally hit with the chemical using my dremel.

    @RudyLime does shapeways have any plans of offering "antiquing" like some of the other printing services offer? It would be a game changer for me and it's super easy to do, probably about 2 minutes of work and you could upsell the finish for an extra $10 or so.
     

    Attached Files:

  11. 104516_deleted
    104516_deleted Well-Known Member
    @CustomBrandShop thanks for sharing your insights too! Yes @bgeorgakas and I just had a chat and offering other silver finishes is definitely part of our roadmap. You just gotta hang in there until we announce officially ;-)
     
    783013_deleted likes this.
  12. gordonlardi
    gordonlardi Well-Known Member
    that would be great news