Liver of Sulphur - don't understand?

[lolabead]

Hello, Help and advise greatly appreciated.
I'm currently making jewellery with copper and decided I wanted to darken it with LOS.
I put it in the solution and it went really dark, steeped it into a bath of water and baking soda for a while to prevent further oxidisation, rinsed it in clear water, dried it thoroughly, buffed it up with fine grade steel wool...but now it hardly looks any different than it did in the first place????

Am I polishing it all off? Surely if I don't polish it off it will come off on skin, clothes etc?
I am treating all my pieces with several coats of Renaissance wax but even so.

[-o<

[CJ57]

Running it under water should have halted the process and then if you steel wooled it then you did just rub it all off again. Wash, dry and rub up with a cloth, if it doesn't seem dark enough repeat the process again and build up the colour. Then when you have the result you want wax it. I've only recently done it to copper rather than silver and found for some reason it does seem to go much darker but it does come off much more but if you use abrasive on anything it will remove what you've done. Everyone will tell you it's a bit of a learning process until you get the required colour.:)

[Wallace]

Fine grade steel may be your culprit. It will act like an abrasive. The LoS only coats a bit of the surface, so you could be removing what you have done.. I work in silver, but only use a coating afterwards, once I am happy with the colour I want to achieve.

6637 many dips into Los
6636 many more dips and very stinky workroom (windows open) amount of dips ( and a warm solution).

[lolabead]

really great help many thanks. It does prove the limitations of youtube information!

Do you mind me asking, do you dip your finished pieces? I use beads on mine and I LOS all the components separately then made up but it would be far easier to dip the finished piece if it were possible.
I use mostly gemstones which I feel may be ok but also sometimes glass beads, fresh water pearls and some ceramic which I think may just be ruined?

[enigma]

Wont it rub off over time anyway if its on the surface?
Rightly or wrongly ( probably wrongly LOL) I don't dip mine, I paint it on neat, heat gently with a torch then polish off with Everflex and that gives me the finish I use where it is only defining indents/around a raised item etc.

[lolabead]

thanks Enigma I've just had a look at your jewellery, your horses are so beautiful! I felt like I wanted to cry! I can see why you paint yours to highlight the eyes etc but I'm not sure that would be right for mine as the bulk of it is chain and wire and findings but I do like the idea of the precision of doing it that way.

[CJ57]

You definitely wouldn't be able to dip pearls and I would imagine ceramic would be porous so therefore up for possible damage. I once dipped a big beaded crystal necklace which was beaded on wire which of course blackened too, it depends very much on how your pieces are constructed and what effect you want.
I either dip, I prefer platinol to LoS, and run under hot water to enhance, or I brush it on if I want depth of colour and rinse in hot water. Remember not to use natural bristle brushes as they will disintegrate, I quite like using a cotton bud pared down.

[Paul Townsend]

I paint it on using a very fine brush, and then wash off in cold water. But I use it as a colour so I end up with two tone black / silver. The black is indented so should not rub off, as it is below the surface. You can see an example on my avatar of My Mario cufflink :~:

[Wallace]

Wont it rub off over time anyway if its on the surface?
Rightly or wrongly ( probably wrongly LOL) I don't dip mine, I paint it on neat, heat gently with a torch then polish off with Everflex and that gives me the finish I use where it is only defining indents/around a raised item etc.


The coating used to protect ( wax or other) should reduce this a little. Tarnish may enhance it over time, but eventually, there is a likelihood of the colour disappearing. The blacker the better though and if it sits into recessed areas it may stay there for longer.

If you are using silver, it will come off with a solution of baking soda, aluminium foil and hot water.

You can play with sticky tape and dots too, to create patterns as these can act like a resist.

I have gel, so can paint, but tend to dip for a whole colouring for a piece.

[CJ57]

Hi Paul, I've just read your profile but many won't. It's usual to introduce yourself on here, people like to say hi and welcome to the forum, we are a friendly lot!:)

[enigma]

Great thread, I now know something about using LOS ! :)
I love the effect you created on those leaves Wallace.
And now I know why my brushes disintegrate too lol.
Thanks for such a lovely compliment Lola.

[Wallace]

Great thread, I now know something about using LOS ! :)
I love the effect you created on those leaves Wallace.
And now I know why my brushes disintegrate too lol.
Thanks for such a lovely compliment Lola.

Fab, just what a forum should do. Thank you :)

Play with heat (instructions on gel say not to, bet... MEH! I didn't explode, the house stayed up, the stench left with some fresh air circulating, and it is all part of the fun.

I guess a good thing to do is use so scrap pieces and try out different things, take pics and notes. (I forget to do that)
I made a little wardrobe a whole back and wanted it black... Warming things up really helped with that process. I do keep notes of some interesting results through pictures, really should keep notes. Can add them to the picture now with the aid of computer gadgetry applications. ;)

[medusa]

Hi Paul, I've just read your profile but many won't. It's usual to introduce yourself on here, people like to say hi and welcome to the forum, we are a friendly lot!:)

we have profiles on here?:-O

Doesn't painting LoS on neat make it prone to flaking off? I aways dilute it and dip and then rub the highlights.

[CJ57]

we have profiles on here?:-O
.

:) it was in response to Wallace saying in another post that it might be nice if Paul introduced himself first! He had but I think only me reads these things because I'm a nosy sod:)

[medusa]

:) it was in response to Wallace saying in another post that it might be nice if Paul introduced himself first! He had but I think only me reads these things because I'm a nosy sod:)

I had a poke around and then found it. It's quite cool actually. a bit like being a legit stalker.:cool:

[CJ57]

I had a poke around and then found it. It's quite cool actually. a bit like being a legit stalker.:cool:
The only thing that gives you away Liz is when you are the first visitor to the page as it tells you that as well. Difficult to be nonchalant when you've been caught out :)

[enigma]

Yes it tells you everybody who has looked at your page :D
Mine is really boring and I was also rude enough to walk straight in without an introduction, sorry :(
I hate talking about myself, it took me about 3 months to force myself to fill in my 'about' page on Etsy :cool:

[Tabby66]

I looked at mine,......seems I've not been very forth-coming....:-"

[enigma]

I had to look now :-D