[Jewelry making - Article 00315] - Re: [Orchid] Technical question about firescale

[Jeff Demand]

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    Fire scale without question gets deeper and thicker with each
    heating. Hard solder increases the problem but I find that once you
    have gained the soldering skills well worth the added risk of fire
    scale...I rarely use even medium solder. I suggest that you read the
    archives about prips flux (pripps ?), it really does work with care
    and practice; boracic acid mix is a much more delicate barrier, best
    just for gold. 

    Most silver plating gives you a VERY thin coat (a few atoms thick)
    of soft fine silver which is porous, the bad stuff underneath will
    still react with the atmosphere and show through the plating given
    time. If you insist on a plating cover-up talk to your plater about
    suitable resists which YOU can apply to the gold parts. I've used
    nail polish in the past as a plating resist but not for hiding fire
    scale, just not worth the time considering the pripps solution. 

    Another option is to use 'argentium' silver. No personal experience
    but an archive search will provide lots of information. Still legally
    sterling, but different working properties/techniques without fire
    scale. 

    Persevere, what you are going through is a a common experience and
    plague of every one who has ever pointed a torch a sterling. 

Jeff
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand

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