Lapidaryforum.net
Rockin' Jewelry => Gold, Silver, Other Metals, Casting and Fabrication => Topic started by: Bluetangclan on December 20, 2017, 04:08:26 PM
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Working on a set of earrings and put both sterling pieces in the pickle along with some jump rings for something else. Ten minutes later one of the earring pieces is now copper colored and does not come off in a tumbler. If I tumble it more will it come off or will I have to start over? In a nutshell why did it turn copper?
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You contaminated your pickle somehow. Some type of iron got in there and plated your silver. It will come off, but you usually have to sand it off. I don't know if it will come off in a tumbler.
Other alternative is make a new batch of pickle (get rid of the contaminated stuff) and you can depletion gild your earrings. Heat the earrings a bit with the torch (do not get it hot enough to go red) and put it in the new pickle. Take it out and repeat until the fine silver raises to the top.
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I needed a little refresher on the principles involved in pickling so did a search. Maybe this thread will be helpful to you:
https://orchid.ganoksin.com/t/contaminated-pickle/10284
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Nice, thanks for the info.