Polish before oxidizing????????

[Rustic Charm]

Hi guys, i wanna try the old hard boiled oxidizing and i just need to know do i need to polish the piece before i oxidize it?????

[MuranoSilver]

Depends upon the material, the design and what type of look you're going for
e.g
i) Yes for general shiny with oxidisation for contrast pattern showing. Otherwise you can hit the oxidised parts with your polisher and rub it off (I then polish with a flat burr or my hand to hit the highlights)
ii) Yes if it's PMC as it helps make a better surface to oxidise.
iii) No if you want an antiqued/brushed finish and want it dark mat.

Lot of other scenarios though, is this for a specific thing?

Nic xx

[Rustic Charm]

for a reticulated pendant with a fused wire pattern on .

[mizgeorge]

I generally remove all traces of solder and polish before I oxidise. I usually polish back with wire wool or more recently my new favourite radial discs.

If you want it to stay looking very matte though, and the wire's fused rather than soldered, I might try not polishing a reticulated piece. You can always oxidise again after you've polished back if it's not dark enough.

[Boo]

As others have said, it would depend on the design and effect you're after. Generally speaking, I finish the piece, including polishing and tumbling, then oxiside as my final step. I then either buff or tumble it if I'm staying with a gunmetal finish, or if I'm going for texture by antiquing (with wire wraps etc.), I polish the proud areas back to shiny.

But to me, the oxidising stage is the last one - the piece is usually finished at the point where I do this stage. Somewhere after the oxidising I usually have a final short tumble - if only to make it clean for wearing.

If you do polish before oxidising, make sure you either tumble or wash in hot soapy water to remove any residue (I use a soft toothbrush to scrub with washing up liquid) - anything on the surface, including finger prints, will prevent an even colouring.