![]() Make sure to use this brush only for your liver of sulfur treatments you may even want to label it so it doesn’t accidentally get repurposed for another type of project. No need to mess up a real pricey brush, but neither do you want to leave brush hairs all over your jewelry. Also, get a #5 soft, round, medium-priced watercolor brush. Then, I don’t touch the part I wish to patina. The piece must be very clean, so I scrub it with a paste of pumice and water and then rinse it. ![]() A slight tooth, even with the 9- or 15-grit 3M Finishing Films, will work. Liver of sulfur will work on a polished surface, but a surface finished with rouge to a high polish may take several applications and a lot of patience. First, the metal needs some “tooth.” A textured or lightly sanded finish works best. Liver of Sulfur Prepīefore you jump in with your LOS solution, you’ll need to prep the metal for the application. Also, keep it away from tools and other acids. Liver of sulfur will deteriorate in sunlight, so if you make up a batch, keep it tightly covered and in a dark, cool place. You only need the size of half of a green pea and about a quarter cup of water to make a good solution. I have found that many people, even when using the lump form, make way too much solution. Plus, I don’t think it lasts as long or is effective as long as the other two forms. My personal least favorite is the liquid form, and this is because when used in a classroom setting, students use way too much and it gets wasted. For years, I used the lump form, and it works fine, but I have found the gel form much easier to use with the same or even better results. LOS comes in three forms: liquid, lump and gel. The newer liver of sulfur gel comes in several sizes. You control this with your application of the patina. Colors achieved with liver of sulfur can range from a golden yellow to dark gray or black. ![]() I find it a bit more difficult to get a good patina on brass, and it has no effect on gold. Liver of sulfur gives gorgeous results on silver and copper. Most jewelers just call it oxidizing to keep things simple. It is most commonly referred to as oxidizing, though that term is used erroneously, so just go with it it’s got way too much stuff to do with chemistry to go into here. It brings out the textural details in metal jewelry and can make the pieces look antiqued. Liver of sulfur (LOS) is a potassium sulfide. Keep it in a cool dark place away from tools and other acids. Do I like the smell of it? NO WAY! But do I like the results? ABSOLUTELY! What is Liver of Sulfur? Traditional liver of sulfur comes in lump form in an airtight metal canister. It’s a patina that sinks into the recesses of metal textures and shows nice contrast when I remove and polish it off the high areas. To me, it’s the stuff that gives my silver jewelry designs so much character, which makes it invaluable in my mind. Liver of sulfur may be a little less than pleasant to your nose, but I can’t help but love it. Inevitably, someone always asks, “What’s that stinky stuff?” It is important to be careful when polishing your design as it is possible to polish off the patina completely, although the darker the colour, the more difficult it is to remove.Whenever I teach hand-finishing jewelry workshops, I mix up a small solution of liver of sulfur. When you have achieved the colour you want you can gently polish your design using a jewellery cloth to remove the patina from certain areas and bring out lovely silver highlights. ![]() Paint it onto the parts you want and try layering it by applying it several times or, for a more random effect or varying colours, let it splash or drip (carefully) from the brush. Liver of sulphur can be applied with a brush if you only want to oxidise certain parts of the piece. Repeat this process until you are happy with the colour.Įxperiment with the temperature of the water, the amount of liver of sulphur or by adding a drop of household ammonia or some salt which can give you more vibrant colours. Use the same amount of liver of sulphur but mix it with cold water and don’t heat your piece first. This will slow down the process so you can stop when you achieve the desired colour.ĭip and remove the piece quickly and rinse with cold water immediately. You can obtain a beautiful range of colours with Liver of sulphur – gold, copper, purple, blue and blue-grey before the metal turns black.
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