[Jewelry making - Article 00193] - [Orchid] Getting a good contrast on a bi metal pattern

[Penner, Chris]

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Dear all,

    I am having trouble getting a good contrast on a pattern I made
    using red gold (18k) and sterling silver, with lime sulphur as a
    patinating agent. 

    To make the pattern I put together a bi metal by hard (silver)
    soldering a 1mm thick piece of 18k red gold to a thick silver back
    and then rolled it down to the point where the gold is probably just
    about 0.1mm thick, so lots of annealing and a few resolders to keep
    the silver back plate of sufficient thickness. I then stamped a
    pattern into the sheet and filed off the gold which had not been
    punched down, then by rolling brought the pattern to the surface, so
    a sort of very simple soldered mokume approach. 

    After finishing to 400 grit, taking care to get all of the fine gold
    off of the surface of the red gold so that it's true colour was
    there, I carefully cleaned it up and fumed it in lime sulphur, hoping
    for a lustrous black silver framing a fiery red gold pattern. Alas,
    the whole thing looks dull and it is almost easier to see the pattern
    before patination. My silver also seems to be misbehaving, with some
    just not taking the patina even after recleaning (firestain could be
    an issue here). A piece I did at the same time in 18k yellow seems to
    have worked better (but not quite as well as I had hoped), so it is
    not a cleaning issue. Any thoughts on how sort this one out (apart,
    of course, from start with a different combination of metals :-)). 

Chris Penner
collarsandcuffs.co.uk
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