[Jewelry making - Article 01203] - Re: [Orchid] Discoloration on my satin finish too

[Trevor F]

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>         ... We chose Argentium silver from Stuller for our material
>     ... I used a scotchbrite wheel, which left a nice, even, matte
>     finish. .... When we looked them over several days latter, they
>     were all spotted ... but perhaps it is not the silver itself but
>     the finish that is the problem? 

Hello Brenda,

    Sorry to trouble you again.  I've been kicking this discoloration
    thing around today and have a few more thoughts on that matter that
    may be of interest to you. 

    The first is that I've written at some length about Argentium
    Sterling's (AS) need for some form of heat treatment and the issues
    related to that. Again it's wordy so I've posted it on "the blog":
    see "Heat treating your Argentium Sterling" at
    http://www.touchmetal.com/blog/argentium-blog.html if you are so
    inclined. In a nutshell it's about the importance of allowing the AS
    to react to an oxygenated atmosphere while being heated and how that
    may not (as yet) be happening with some of the metal you folks are
    receiving. 

    The other is your concerns over the matt finish and whether that
    might be making things worse for you. In my experience that finish
    should not be a problem. For example, my wife has a set of matt
    finished AS earrings that haven't behaved any different than any of
    the other dozens of AS jewelry pieces that I have produced. She also
    has a matt finished ring that has been no problem at all. 

    One thing that may be relevant is that I often torch anneal my pieces
    and as I understand it that goes a long way to ensuring that the
    germanium oxide layer has been well and properly "raised". Stock that
    has come from a factory and never gone under a torch may well be at a
    disadvantage in this regard. Heat treating in the oven may or may not
    be sufficient. 

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
www.touchmetal.com

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