Bother to los rings?

[Sheen]

I'm making quite a few copper rings at the moment. Is there any point in using liver of sulfer on them as i have read that it wears off rings within the week and there is no point in laquering/waxing them to protect the patination either. Would a person buy a fresh copper coloured item or would they expect to be los dipped anyway? Thanks

[Dennis]

Copper and los don't go together like bread and cheese. How you make your jewellery is up to you.

That said copper does not stay bright for more than a few hours so it might look more intentional to blacken it and then rub up the high spots with a silver cleaning cloth to give an antiqued look.

You might also consider using one of the solutions from Cookson, such as Platinol which is less stinky.

Lastly you can get quite a long lasting multi-coloured patina on clean copper, just by selective heating with a mini torch. It can't be waxed, it darkens over time and would come off again in pickle, so why not try it? Dennis

[Sheen]

Hi Dennis, your first line about bread and cheese amused me. I like the idea of selective heating as it would be quick. I have a big pile of things waiting to be put in los but haven't got round to it. Due to crappy health it's a bit of an effort for me to go to the effort, so to speak. The more processes there are the worse it is for me. But hoping to have a go in the new year. Going to head off to look at platinol just now, sheena.

PS your leaf is gorgeous