![]() Always work in a ventilated area as you don't want to be breathing in the stuff. The Art Jewelry Magazine's video shows you the dipping method. I now use Gun Blue which works well without the odor of LOS! Check out this post which compares Gun Blue with LOS. Katherine Palochak on Ganoskin's article on creating iridescent patinas with LOS and ammonia might interest experienced users. He also lists suggestions for sealants - acrylic resin or jewelry/craft lacquers like Environtex Lite. The author, Charles Lewton-Brain recommends dilute solutions to better control the process. ![]() Ganoskin has an excellent article on liver of sulfur use including the do's and don'ts and using it on different metals. You usually buy it as a solid or a lump and then make solutions of it. ![]() It is actually a mixture of two chemicals - potassium trisulfide (25%) and potassium thiosulfate (hydrated) (75%). Liver of sulfur (LOS) is a popular way to patinate metal - it blackens silver well. So if you were inspired by yesterday's feature designer and want to learn how to patinate your jewelry, here is a look at the choices.ġ. Some jewelry designs may look better if they were darker and weren't shiny. So if it is a valuable or collectible piece don't clean it off!!! Real patina is hard to fake so it is a way to authenticate its age. I guess I just struggle with the idea of "personalising" a watch by forcing a process that will happen naturally of it's own accord.Patina happens when jewelry has been exposed to air for a long time. And if I then swim in a chlorinated pool and the patina is removed, then so be that too : everything that happens to it is as a result of it just being worn. If I swim in the sea and it darkens, then so be it. A watch that is just worn will become personalised over time naturally. I can fully understand wanting a watch that is personalised, but IMO a personalised watch is one that shows the experiences it has been through in it's existence, not artificially created experiences. But then if you jump into the heavily-chlorinated hotel pool, the patina will be wiped out & your watch will come out sparkling clean. It will darken literally within 1/2 hour. PS: The easiest way to 'speed up' the patina is to bring it swimming in the ocean & let the sea water air dry on the watch. It's anthropomorphising certainly - but a bronze watch certainly feels more 'alive' than any other metal.įinally a warning: once you've reached a stage of patina that appeals the most to you, be VERY careful when eating french fries or hot dogs - an accidental drop of ketchup on the case will wipe out the patina on that particular spot, turning it shiny & bright! ![]() The greatest appeal is that a simple diet sprite bath will restore the bronze back to it's former lustre - allowing you to repeat this process over & over again. A great chef I know even 'painted' different parts of his bronze watch with different food ingredients to produce striations which he found personally attractive. I think the idea is more to "personalize" the watch to one's individual taste vs forcing patina on it. That said, (and obviously each to their own and all that) I'll be interested to hear any reasons for doing it. To artificially force it seems completely and utterly pointless. Over time a bronze watch will patinise and change it's appearance, but when it happens naturally it's a product of it's life and the experiences the watch been through. To me it's like artificially scratching a steel cased watch to "give it patina". I honestly cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to do that. Liver of Sulpher, vinegar baths, hard-boiled eggs(!), urine (yes, honestly!).Īll bizarre ways of increasing the patina.and personally I can't think of anything more ridiculous! I know a couple of you on here own bronze watches (and I'll be picking up my first one in around April/May time all being well), but who amongst you artificially forces the patina? Over the months I've seen countless threads on other watch forums dedicated to way of increasing and/or speeding up the patina process. ![]()
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