[Jewelry making - Article 00135] - [Orchid] Accidental Copper Plated Gold

[Sarah Hood]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Hi all,

    Today I was finishing up two necklaces, one 14k gold and one 18k
    gold. I finished soldering them both, put them into a pickle that
    I've been using all day for silver with no unusual results, and
    pulled both pieces out to find that the 18k gold necklace had turned
    a beautiful coppery pink. But not the 14k necklace. Huh? 

    I've gone through all the threads on Orchid I could find on this
    subject and found some good information on why this kind of plating
    might have happened in other circumstances, but I can't figure out if
    it applies in my case. 

    My 18k necklace is just a simple handmade 18k pendant on a purchased
    18k cable. I believe the cable is solid 18k, but now I'm not so sure.
    Or could it be the clasp that was the problem? I hadn't replaced the
    commercial clasp yet, and part of it was indeed immersed in the
    pickle. 

    The 14k necklace is a similar handmade pendant on a 14k chain and
    also had commercial clasp still attached. 

    Also, I put the now-pink necklace into a solution of new, cold
    pickle and hydrogen peroxide, with no change in color. It's going to
    be difficult to buff a cable....Should I burn it off? Or was my
    solution maybe just not strong enough? 

Thanks for any help.
Sarah
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________