Liver of sulfur skin#

It is harmless on your skin though it may stain your skin and clothes. Also, avoid leaning over your crock and inhaling right above the liquid where fumes are most intense. You may even want to keep your crock outside.

The smell is a good indicator of the level of fumes in an area.

Liver of sulfur cracked#

Ensure thorough ventilation - that means much more than a cracked window. Liver of sulfur fumes are harmful to your health and should be avoided. While this chemical is a studio mainstay, you should never be cavalier about safety precautions when firing up your crock. Oxidation is often most effective on textured, stamped or engraved pieces where the whole piece is oxidized and then the surface is polished back to bright or satin which leaves the contrasting dark patina in relief only. Also, keep in mind that the larger the surface area the more variation will show. Expect some surprises and you will never be disappointed. You will see some patinas take on blue, purple or green highlights. Many factors cause variability in oxidation. Materials used: Copper chain, sheet, toggle with Milton Bridge enamels. Oxidized enameled bracelet created by: Jayme White Plan for more trial and error and be prepared to be patient to get the jewelry patina you want. Brass can sometimes be oxidized but results are highly unpredictable. Surface contaminants will cause the metal to resist oxidation and effect results. Be sure your metal is clean by using pickle or sandpaper and then rinse. It will not work if the silver has an e-coating, anti-tarnish treatment or a plating finish of fine silver, rhodium or gold. Liver of sulfur works best on silver and copper.

If you choose to use the same tongs for your pickle, you will get large black flakes in the liquid but it will still work just fine. They will completely blacken in the liver of sulfur. Designate a pair of copper tongs for your patina and pickle station. Plugin the crock and heat enough water to cover your piece(s) then fully dissolve liquid or crystal liver of sulfur into the warm water and you are ready to add a jewelry patina. The chemical works best when it is warm or hot so most studios have a small crockpot designated for liver of sulfur. Most metalsmiths have their preferred approximate recipe but generally speaking a tablespoon or so of liquid liver of sulfur per small 8oz crock is plenty. There is not a precise recommended ratio of liver of sulfur per ounce of water, for example. Liver of sulfur is a chemical compound that oxidizes the surface of some jewelry metals to blacken or darken the metal. Experiment with liver of sulfur metal jewelry patinas and see how much fun you can have with surface finishing. It looks gross, it smells gross but it makes magic.