New to Silver jeweleery and just can't get it looking new again after making.. HELP

Hi There All,

My Wife is new to making Silver Jewellery and has started by making designs using off the shelf parts from CG before we move on to casting our own pendants etc.

However, we are running into a major issue that is preventing us moving forward and desperately need help. FYI, all items are 925 Silver.

When the items arrive from CG, they are a pristine bright shiny finish and we just can't get completed items back to that like new finish.

Our current process is:

Assemble and solder jump rings using the paste solder.
Pickle with CG Picklean safe in a warm crockpot for 5-10mins (used to leave it in a lot longer but found out the hard way about striping out impurities and getting that awful calcium white look)
Rinse.
Polish using a CG mop on a mini Dremel and Jewellers rouge.
Transfer to 60c Hot Water bowl with Washing up liquid and soak for a few minutes.
Clean gently wit ha soft toothbrush in the above water.
Run under hot tap.
Dry and a quick rub wit ha Silver Cloth.

Issues:
Inside of chain links still looks slightly grubby
The Silver "is" Nice a shiny when first finished but still not up to the as delivered standard and after a day or so when placed next to newly delivered silver it looks old, slightly more yellow. Not box fresh new from the shop.

Please can someone reach out and offer guidance on what is a deal breaking problem?

If your parts are intricate and don't have extensive flat surfaces you might be better off with a tumbler, or a magnetic polisher.
However silver does tarnish and is best stored in closed containers, or bags with anti tarnish strips. Dennis.

The white calcium finish in the pickle is exactly how clean it needs to be before polishing too. Some of us wish that finish could be kept sometimes but unfortunately not.
You can take out the soaking in washing up liquid and just use the toothbrush with the soap under hot water or buy a cheap £20 ultrasonic cleaner from eBay which will also do a good job of cleaning the inner links of the chains. You may have to do it a few times but it does take it out. Once you progress you can invest in an expensive one if necessary
The ultra shiny look you get on newly bought chains and components is factory finish whereas the finish after polishing will not be super bright but should be super shiny.
This is the finish you would expect after a polish not the white bright of newly bought parts

Attachment 12513

Attachment 12514

Hope this helps and welcome to the forum. Caroline

Sorry, I missed the part about the white look. As Caroline says, that is exactly how it should be after pickling.
You can pre polish by using a wet and soapy jewellers brass brush by hand, which will also get inside the jump rings and fine textures. Dennis.

Can I ask, if you're adding jump rings to chain do you need to put the whole chain into the pickle pot? When I add jump rings I just put the section of chain that's been heated and then oxidised into the pot by hanging it over the edge. To polish it up again I find it easier to thread the whole chain onto a thin piece of copper wire or a safety pin if the links are big enough (just put the wire or pin through a link every 4cm or so) and then pop it in a tumbler with stainless steel shot, water to cover the shot and a drop of washing up liquid. Leave it to tumble for an hour and it's bright and shiny.
I've got a cheap and cheerful tumbler that I bought on eBay for £50 (hexagonal clear acrylic barrel) and it's been going for three years (occasional use, this isn't my main job).

Sorry don’t know how my post came up twice. Lockdown must be getting to me!

Hi All,

First chance to get back to the thread and reading all the feedback......reading now!

"You can pre polish by using a wet and soapy jewellers brass brush by hand, which will also get inside the jump rings and fine textures"

Won't this have the potential to abrase the silver with fine scratches?

"Can I ask, if you're adding jump rings to chain do you need to put the whole chain into the pickle pot?"

We thought this too, but as the part we are soldering is the focal point (charm etc) we were concerned that the links either side being pickled (and the subsequent effects) would leap out if the rest of the necklace chain was factory finish. potential for a kind of cut line on the chain either side of the pendant etc.

Tumblers... something we looked at but some say it leaves pitted effect? I may well be wrong but can't help its a similar process the factory must use to get their finish? Definitely something I'd be interested in hearing more about! At present I'm preventing the wife from falling into the usual start-up pitfalls of buying all the nice toys in the world up front. I imagine you need very fine "shot" for small belcher chain necklaces? CG website does say not really suitable for necklaces and pitting effect from their use.

Ultrasonic cleaner:

Looking at the 7000s from CG however after reading the user instructions it does caution against soldered items when referring to precious metals etc. and that it could dislodge the soldering? Also do you just use water or some specialist cleaner? I imagine a squirt of washing up liquid is a recipe for a foam bomb.

I have used my ultrasonic unit hundreds of times with soldered items and never had a problem washing up liquid will not foam up, if you only use a small, amount I can't comment on the chain, except to say that I hand polish all my chain on my bench polisher after soldering and pickling, this removes any transition marks.
Re tumblers I don't believe they provide the quality finish that I require.