[Jewelry making - Article 00168] - Re: [Orchid] Broken twist drills

[andy cooperman]

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>     Lye can be very effective to clean gold. In one shop I worked in
>     we used a strong solution of lye and water heated on a coffee cup
>     warmer to clean gold chains and rings that we didn't want shaken
>     in the ultra sonic. I have never tried it to remove broken drill
>     bits. But didn't notice any bad effects on the gold or its alloy 

    I often use lye to soak off organics and greases from the backs of
    durable stones such as diamonds and corundums prior to heating or
    soldering. Ditto for chains, etc. Overnight in a sealed glass jar
    works fine. (The lye, of course, is dissolved in water.) 

    Learned this at a bench job years ago in a jewelry store. The usual
    cautions regarding fragile stones and materials and remember that
    lye is CORROSIVE. 

    Red Devil brand is what I use. 

Andy cooperman

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