Polishing Silver

This is a dumb question, but I don't know much about metals. When
sterling is cast -- say, a ring -- what color is it? Does it need
polishing to become a shiny silver ring?

Thanks,

Nancy

vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from :

]This is a dumb question, but I don't know much about metals. When
]sterling is cast -- say, a ring -- what color is it? Does it need
]polishing to become a shiny silver ring?

sometimes, i think it depends on whether it's raining or not.
sometimes i get 'white' silver, but yes, mostly it needs to be polished.
how much depends on what kind of finish you're aiming for.


--
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
(Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com
[it's a Callahan's thing]
-----------
vj -- pounds metal, mother of three "Js", lives in Paradise,*
and is generally considered a smarta$$.
Yahoo ID: *vjean95967

The casting is rough and a greyish silver when it first comes out.



You can ask some of the bench guys over at www.buyingadiamond.com
what thery use to poish it.



Joe

vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from "Gemlogix"
:

]The casting is rough and a greyish silver when it first comes out.

then i'm NOT doing something wrong?
because sometimes it's 'gun-metal gray'
sometimes it's white.
sometimes it's a soft yellow.

and what ever is making the difference is making us NUTZ!!!!!


--
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
(Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com
[it's a Callahan's thing]
-----------
vj -- pounds metal, mother of three "Js", lives in Paradise,*
and is generally considered a smarta$$.
Yahoo ID: *vjean95967

"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from "Gemlogix"
:

]The casting is rough and a greyish silver when it first comes out.

then i'm NOT doing something wrong?
because sometimes it's 'gun-metal gray'
sometimes it's white.
sometimes it's a soft yellow.

That's a combination of stuff left behind after the casting process, put in
the pickle, polish off what is left behind after you wash it, it should be
shiny underneath...

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland
I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough
All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach
Time for tea

vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from William Black
:

]That's a combination of stuff left behind after the casting process, put in
]the pickle, polish off what is left behind after you wash it, it should be
]shiny underneath...

WHAT stuff?
what am i missing?
yes, i can get it back to shiny - with a lot of work. i'm just trying to
get it right so i don't have to do as *much* work.


--
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
(Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com
[it's a Callahan's thing]
-----------
vj -- pounds metal, mother of three "Js", lives in Paradise,*
and is generally considered a smarta$$.
Yahoo ID: *vjean95967

"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from William Black
:

]That's a combination of stuff left behind after the casting process, put
in
]the pickle, polish off what is left behind after you wash it, it should
be
]shiny underneath...

WHAT stuff?
what am i missing?
yes, i can get it back to shiny - with a lot of work. i'm just trying to
get it right so i don't have to do as *much* work.

Ok, what you seem to have is a lot of surface rubbish.

This is probably due to your casting process.

Try pouring a bit hotter and colder and see what you get.

Alternatively, do what the pros do.

Take the raw castings and 'pickle' them in 10% solution of warm sulphuric
acid. This will turn the copper oxide salts (most of your surface rubbish)
into copper sulphate and water. Copper sulphate is water soluble, so wash
the silver bits in tap water, but the surface of your metal will now look a
dull grey.

Any good tool supplier will sell you a small, mains powered, pickle tank.

Take the silver bits and put them in a mechanical polisher of some sort.
Current favourite for a 'bench top' machine is a small magnetic polisher.

I used one last year and was astounded how good the finish was after only
ten or fifteen minutes in it. If I was still doing casting rather than saw
piercing and soldering for my carcases I'd buy one.

Again, any good tool supplier will sell you one, if you're in the USA
they're cheap, if you're in the UK they're not, and you'll probably end up
with a barrel polisher from Manchester Minerals...

Anyway,

This will give you a surface can polish up to a finished product with much
less work.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland
I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough
All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach
Time for tea

vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from William Black
:

]Alternatively, do what the pros do.

okay - i'm not a complete idiot. i'm working on the 'pro' part as an
apprentice. to a gemologist. his expertise is not casting, it's stone
identification and setting precious gems. he has the casting equipment and
had *done* it, but not on a continuing basis, like i am.

]Take the raw castings and 'pickle' them in 10% solution of warm sulphuric
]acid. This will turn the copper oxide salts (most of your surface rubbish)
]into copper sulphate and water. Copper sulphate is water soluble, so wash
]the silver bits in tap water, but the surface of your metal will now look a
]dull grey.

we do that, now. more or less, it works . . . . but what comes out of the
investment varies over such a wide range, i can't figure out what the
difference is. that's what i was trying to figure out.

i think we need to start documenting what was actually cast that gets the
worst color results and see if there is a correlation.

thanks.

--
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
(Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com
[it's a Callahan's thing]
-----------
vj -- pounds metal, mother of three "Js", lives in Paradise,*
and is generally considered a smarta$$.
Yahoo ID: *vjean95967

"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from William Black
:

]Take the raw castings and 'pickle' them in 10% solution of warm sulphuric
]acid. This will turn the copper oxide salts (most of your surface
rubbish)
]into copper sulphate and water. Copper sulphate is water soluble, so
wash
]the silver bits in tap water, but the surface of your metal will now look
a
]dull grey.

we do that, now. more or less, it works . . . . but what comes out of the
investment varies over such a wide range, i can't figure out what the
difference is. that's what i was trying to figure out.

First of all, where's your metal coming from?

If you're buying 'casting grain' sterling from a bullion dealer then it
shouldn't have too much rubbish in it.

If you're melting down old stuff or getting it from another source it'll be
a bit 'dirty'.

What happens if you polish something and then solder to it?

You should just get 'fire stain', if you're not then the basic material
you're casting with has impurities in it.

If it solders cleanly then you have a problem with your process, either to
do with your wax burnout or the temperature you pour at.

Have you considered doing some 'singletons' using cuttlefish?

That eliminates all the wax and investment chamber problems and lets you
concentrate on the metal composition.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe
Barbeques on fire by chalets past the headland
I've watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off Newborough
All this will pass like ice-cream on the beach
Time for tea

vj found this in rec.crafts.jewelry, from William Black
:

]First of all, where's your metal coming from?
]If you're buying 'casting grain' sterling from a bullion dealer then it
]shouldn't have too much rubbish in it.

3/4 casting grain, 1/4 *very* clean pre-used silver.

]What happens if you polish something and then solder to it?

sometimes it's easy - sometimes not.

]If it solders cleanly then you have a problem with your process, either to
]do with your wax burnout or the temperature you pour at.

that's what i'm trying to figure out. i'm thinking it's probably the
burnout temp.

]Have you considered doing some 'singletons' using cuttlefish?
]That eliminates all the wax and investment chamber problems and lets you
]concentrate on the metal composition.

i've done a LOT of 'singles'.
cuttlefish???????
i didn't know sterling was anything but sterling. i though it had a pretty
precise definition.

--
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
(Metalsmithing) http://www.snugglewench.com
[it's a Callahan's thing]
-----------
vj -- pounds metal, mother of three "Js", lives in Paradise,*
and is generally considered a smarta$$.
Yahoo ID: *vjean95967