All about platinol

[Sheen]

Going to have a wee break then i'll let everyone know how i get on with the new cleaning regime and torching off the unwanted platinol patina

[JewelleryByMandy]

Going to have a wee break then i'll let everyone know how i get on with the new cleaning regime and torching off the unwanted platinol patina

You’ve made some nice jewellery Sheena but I love the round ring you’re wearing in one of your pics.


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[Sheen]

You’ve made some nice jewellery Sheena but I love the round ring you’re wearing in one of your pics.


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That was made by a lady jeweller who has a shop in grassington, yorkshire. I loved how she used a ball of silver in the centre instead of a stone.

[Sheen]

Have just had another go with the platinol. I have some questions. Firstly; do you guys wax or varnish rings post patination? I've read that there's no point due to the level of wear a ring receives.

[Dennis]

Varnish is a big No no for precious metal jewellery Sheena, partly because spoils the metallic lustre and because it wears away in patches.

When patinating silver, then oiling or waxing with whatever you have to hand, even furniture polish, will restore the wet look and does no harm. In use the appearance becomes customised and unique to you. Dennis.

[CJ57]

I wax oxidised areas that don’t get wear but not sure there is much point in rings unless there is deep texture that has been oxidised to give it form. Your hands are always being washed, hopefully, and unless you remove your rings the wax will just get washed off

[Sheen]

Thanks caroline and dennis, had patinated a broad band copper ring looks like i should accept its going to go coppery
Next question is about how to stop my copper going rainbow colours. I used 5ml of platinol to 60ml of tap water, cleaned my metal with bom ami and a toothbrush/green scrubby or brass brush. I dipped then in the platinol then rinsed in a bowl of tap water between dips. The photo below shows metal on the right rainbowed. I'd rather have a consistant matt brown/black. If anyone has any solutions to this problem i'd be so pleased to hear about it.

[Dennis]

Solution: use the Platinol neat and rinse only when the darkest colour has been achieved.

[Sheen]

What about a lighter brown?

[CJ57]

I find oxidising a bit of a mystery sometimes. Sometimes the platinol doesn’t seem to take and as you’ve found goes rainbow. I’ve even had it not take on silver. I redid a pendant I’m sending out today and it had a green tingle but when I rubbed it up with the duster it went a pleasing gunmetal. I use it neat on a cotton bud a lot.
The only thing I can suggest is trying different finishes on the metal before dipping and see what you get.
Have you taken a duster to these pieces, you’ll find that changes them