Finish after Liver of Sulphur

[Sandra]

I hope this isn't a dumb question but here goes. I have a pendant made of sterling silver that I have used liver of sulphur to produce a very black background. I want the background to be completely black but I would also like it to be shiny. Prior to the patina the silver was polished very smooth and shiny but now with the patina it is quite dull. What can I do to make it shine without removing any the patina?

Coincidentally I just found a recent thread that seems to answer my question: http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7393

[Dennis]

Hi, Sandra,

On the whole, very black patinas are difficult to manage, because they tend to come away in flakes. So much so, that some members use a black waterproof pen, like a Sharpie instead.
However you have more chance of it surviving in a recess. It also helps to build up the colour slowly, by diluting the solution and using it cold.

Patinas tend to dry dull and matte, so to revive that shiny wet look, you can gently add oil, or some spray on furniture wax, using a soft paint brush or use the much loved Renaissance Wax, which I am not keen on. Whatever you do, any agitation is liable to flake off the treatment.

Might I also mention that patinas are more successful on rough and finely textured surfaces, as they are better at retaining the effect. Regards, Dennis.

[CJ57]

All I do is rub it with a soft duster and that brings the shine back up and then I use Renaissance wax. I've never had flaking but I prefer platinol to liver of sulphur and to be very dark I put it on neat with a cotton bud and then rinse it under the hot water tap.
I know you want it very black so this probably won't be relevant for now but I did even try rouge polishing oxidised work and it didn't polish it off

[mizgeorge]

Like others, I prefer platinol or noirit for silver. I generally just chuck finished pieces in the tumbler, after neutralising with a bicarb solution. There's a lot of doom-mongering about doing this with predictions of ruined shot, mucky barrels and worse, but all I've ever got is nice shiny black stuff. It doesn't react with rubber or steel, so I just make sure the shot and barrel is well rinsed afterwards.

[LydiaNiz]

What George says, although I've found it tends to go very fark grey rather than black black after a polish. If you tumble polish the silver first and then platinol, it still has a bit of shine but is a bit blacker. I love the stuff. R. wax is ok, but better on more matte pieces.

[Sandra]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I used liver of sulphur on this piece because I have done keum boo on it and didn't want to darken the gold, I read that platinol will darken it though I didn't try it. I guess I'll need to buy Renaissance Wax for future projects but in the meantime will take a look around the cupboards. In the future I don't think I will plan a design around a smooth patinated background.

[CJ57]

I use platinol on Keum boo pieces and it's fine Sandra . The header picture on my FB page is an example of Keum boo using platinol

[Sandra]

Oh thank you, that's good to know. Lovely piece on your fb page too! I don't know where I read or had the idea platinol would blacken the gold. I'm putting my piece back in the tumbler and trying this again! I'm always a little nervous about whether the keum boo has bonded correctly though, I guess I'll find out after it goes through the tumbler.

[CJ57]

Thanks Sandra! You can always add another layer, all is not lost

[emsterv]

Hi Sandra, not sure on Platinol but I use Viggor blackening agent which I assume is simliar (quite chemical) and that will blacken gold - or so I've heard from the man I was learning from who also uses Viggor and works predominately in gold and platinum. So if not Platinol then maybe you heard it about something similar.