[Jewelry making - Article 00120] - [Orchid] Tumbling Alpaca chain

[Karen Lechner]

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Help! 

    I had an interesting experience tonight. I brought my tumbler to the
    club meeting so members could tumble chains they had made over the
    last couple of weeks. One gentleman brought  chains made of alpaca 
    and silver and we put them in with sterling chains, steel shot,
    tumbling soap and tap water.  The sterling chains came out nice and
    shiny but the alpaca chains looked like they had been oxidized with
    liver of sulphur! I am using a Lortone type tumbler with a rubber 
    barrel. Has anyone had this happen and how can I fix it??? I've
    already packed the Haggerty's Silver Care polish and a soft
    toothbrush for the next workshop. I have rescued sterling chains
    that had a heavy layer of oxidation from someone else's tumbler this
    way. I have merrily mixed silver, gold fill and copper in the past
    in a single tumbler load  without a problem. Can anyone suggest what
    has happened, how to successfully tumble polish alpaca and how to
    recue the darkened chains (which look very nice oxidized but that is
    not the effect we were trying for!) 

Thanks,
Karen

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