My hubby wanders into my workspace. "Wow, what died in here?" he says. Even with the ventilation fan at total blast, it'southward hard to mistake the odor of rotten eggs produced by liver of sulfur. Simply don't let the smell scare yous, because goose egg else can produce such eye-communicable color on the surface of fine argent metallic clay. This mysterious solution creates colors as dark as dark or as beautiful as an iridescent rainbow. And they range from subtle gold to magenta, purple, and everything in between.

For some, it's not just the odour. Information technology'south easy to exist intimidated or baffled by the surprising results that tin can be accomplished. Liver of sulfur (LOS) can be fun and spontaneous on i hand and unpredictable on the other. I've done quite a bit of research and a number of bench experiments to bring yous solutions, recipes, and answers to some of the almost frequently asked questions virtually using it with metal clay. With a bit of knowledge y'all too volition feel less intimidated, and in one case you lot realize that LOS patinas can be removed, you might feel free to experiment without worry over ruining a piece you spent hours creating.

LOS, or potassium sulfide, is a chemic coloring agent used to put a patina on metallic. In this case, the metal is fired and finished Precious Metal Dirt or Fine art Clay.

It comes in liquid or solid form. The liquid can be used directly from the bottle. Solid LOS is usually sold in small chunks, which are mixed with water as needed. LOS has a shelf life of one day to half dozen months, if you're lucky. For this reason, I prefer to buy the solid and brand my ain solution, mixing only what I tin can use in a single session. I store information technology in an opaque, airtight container and mark the outside very clearly. If you are coloring 1-x items, mix almost a loving cup of solution; increase proportionately every bit needed. If a prepared batch of LOS turns a milky, clear color it may no longer be effective for applying a patina to metal clay. At that point it'due south time to mix a new batch. LOS in all forms should exist stored in a dry, dark identify because air or light will weaken information technology.

Liver of Sulfur, 101

Here is the basic recipe, with full general guidelines to proportions. Whenever h2o is mentioned in the process to follow, I prefer distilled water, because it assures there are no chemicals in the water that may cause unpredictable application. If distilled water is unavailable, or if you've never had problems with your water source, you might exist okay.

What y'all demand:

  • one cup of water
  • Plastic spoon for mixing
  • A pea-size dodder of solid liver of sulfur
  • Drinking glass or plastic airtight container

To mix your own solution, put the clump in a container of h2o and stir. The color of the solution should be a very stake xanthous. At this forcefulness, information technology will give you lot improve command over your results. A stiff solution will "develop" also apace, taking control out of your easily because information technology volition move through the colors too rapidly to finish the process. More on this below, merely first, permit's set up.

Workstation Setup

LOS will indiscriminately affect all metallic. Jewelry you don't desire a patina on will be colored if LOS residuum remains on brushes or containers. I've even had finished jewelry prematurely tarnish because it was stored in the aforementioned room as my LOS workstation, then I propose keeping those areas separate.

Although you don't need special tools or equipment, you may want to plant logical studio rules to foreclose contamination of other items and projects.

The tools I apply are sectional to LOS and include paint brushes; containers, and wire scratch brushes. I marker everything clearly with permanent mark, so I don't accidentally utilise it for something else. Since I often tumble pieces that take a LOS patina, I make sure I tumble them alone or with other items that have LOS on them. Afterward, I scrub the tumbling container well with soap and water and I soak my stainless steel shot in soapy water. Later the soak, I use a pocket-sized mesh plastic strainer to rinse the shot. I then mix a fresh bath for my next batch of tumbling. I've never had a contamination upshot with stainless steel shot, only others take reported problems with carbon shot, so I don't use it with LOS.

Basic workstation

What you lot need:

  • Heat source (for instance: a loving cup warmer or bowl of very hot water)
  • Prepared liver of sulfur solution
  • Bowl of cold water
  • Plastic spoon for mixing and/or dipping
  • Tweezers or string (optional for dipping)
  • Soapy rinse water
  • Rag
  • Baking soda

Set up your workstation so y'all can easily motion from one stage to the next. I like a row with the estrus source first, and so the LOS, then a bowl of ice cold water. There are several ways to work, only remember this — the hole-and-corner to controlling the process is the temperature at which you work, combined with the solution strength. As mentioned in a higher place, the solution should be stake yellow for better command. Temperature will affect how fast the colors will "develop" The hotter you piece of work, the more quickly the colors will move from shade to shade. They progress roughly equally follows: gold, pink, magenta, blue, royal, bronze, grayness, and black.

Getting Down to Business concern

Earlier you begin, your metal clay slice should be squeaky clean and free from dirt or oils from your hands. A piece can exist fresh from the torch or kiln, scratch brushed or with high mirror end. After whatsoever handling, scrub with a soft castor and soapy h2o. Once clean, handle a slice with tweezers, a spoon, or suspended from a string. If you must, choice it up only by the edges.

LOS is always "agile," meaning the instant you lot put a slice of metal into it; it volition start to show color. To accelerate coloring, estrus either the LOS or the piece. I adopt heating the piece because information technology gives me more control. Heat until warm to hot, then submerge it into the LOS solution. Let the color develop for a couple of seconds, then remove and put in the cold water to retard developing. Repeat this progression until you reach the desired color. Finally, rinse the piece in soapy water with diluted baking soda to remove whatsoever LOS residue that may continue to develop. (Delight note: do non rub the piece with a soapy blistering soda paste or a thick mixture, equally abrasiveness will remove patina.)

Another method is to heat the LOS solution on the cup warmer, dip the piece, and terminate with the cold-water bathroom and soapy water rinse. I use this method to accomplish even coverage on pieces with varied, high-low, or multiple level surfaces. These types of pieces tend to heat unevenly on a cup warmer because portions may or may non be touching the warming plate.

You lot can vary the basic process as long every bit you latch onto the concept that oestrus speeds colour evolution and cold h2o retards it. For instance, I often use heat creatively by dipping a piece of LOS, putting it on the cup warmer to develop, and then into the cold water bathroom and soapy rinse. Watching a slice color right before your optics this style is so exciting!

Helpful Hints

  • Don't develop color in one jump or it may chip off.
  • When hot h2o cools, replace it.
  • When cold rinse h2o warms or gets xanthous from the LOS, supervene upon information technology.
  • If y'all have used glass, gemstones, or fragile includes, don't estrus on a cup warmer — utilize water to warm the piece instead. Inclusions may crack from thermal shock if the water is as well hot or heated too apace, so be patient and work upward colour slowly.
  • For subtle coloring, work warm, not hot, and stop the procedure immediately when you like the colour — if you let a piece sit for even a couple of minutes, it will continue to develop, possibly moving past your intended colour.

On to the Fun Stuff – Liver of Sulfur Recipes

I encourage you to experiment with the techniques and recipes below. Vary them and combine them for different furnishings because experimentation is the just way to understand the dynamics of LOS. I suggest you make a sample set up of patinas for yourself and advisedly document each procedure, so you lot know what you did and are able to repeat information technology.

For samples, attempt pieces with both textured and smooth surfaces. My "Patina Sample" has the texture of sandpaper on the front and a mirror stop on the back.

Attempt any texture or finish you'd like, because information technology will requite y'all a risk to see how patina and color will develop on unlike surfaces. If expense is an issue, reuse a sample piece by choosing 1 of the methods beneath for "Removing a Patina" I likewise keep a "test" piece handy and then I can try a solution before proceeding to my final piece. Be aware that on any given twenty-four hour period, even a known solution and heat source may produce unexpected results. Experimenting should help remove some of the guesswork, and go along in mind that you can conform solution or estrus along the mode. Be brave, and enjoy the unexpected journey of discovery!

My v favorite patinas

The following techniques begin with the bones process described above. Boosted materials or tools are listed.

Traditional antiquing (Black crevices, brilliant highlights)

Additional supplies:

  • Polishing cloth

Scratch brush a slice and burnish it or tumble for 45 minutes or more to a mirror finish. Use the LOS to patina the slice to a night black. For faster results, work with hotter temperatures and longer soaking, and build color gradually versus doing it in one big jump. After a final soapy rinse, dry the piece and rub "highlights" off with a polishing material. Meet the drama and depth that you have created!

The look of hematite

Boosted supplies:

  • Tumbler with stainless steel shot.
  • Non abrasive hand soap or burnishing solution
  • Polishing cloth (optional)

This method will take the "Traditional antiqued" method to the next level, coloring the metal a reflective, deep gray-to-blackness like to the mineral hematite. After applying the patina, you lot may cull to remove or not remove highlights with a polishing material. Put the piece in the tumbler, add 1-ii tablespoons of hand soap or the recommended amount of a burnishing solution, and so add together water to nigh an inch to a higher place the shot. Tumble for 20-30 minutes. Wow, what sheen!

Steely grayness/blue-gray brushed stop

Additional supplies:

  • Not abrasive mitt soap

Progress through coloring a piece until you reach a gray or blue-gray. Utilize a steel or brass brush and a fleck of paw soap to scratch brush the surface for a steely effect. More brushing will lighten the colour, and a stiff brush will be more ambitious than a soft 1. This is a soft and subtle patina that can have a sophisticated await!

Layered colour

Boosted supplies:

  • Ammonia if desired
  • Scratch brush
  • Polishing textile
  • Small brush

Use any LOS recipe to develop one or ii shades past golden or light brown, stopping with a common cold-water bath. Castor or selectively remove color from portions of the piece with a polishing fabric. Then, wash in soapy h2o to remove hand oils and polish, and then dip again in LOS. You'll discover the unremoved patina will go along to darken, while the surface area where the patina was removed becomes gold.

Also, try detailing the LOS in selected areas. Put the slice on a cup warmer and utilize LOS with the brush. Be sure other areas accept no LOS residue on them or they volition darken as well. Before detailing, launder the piece in the sudsy, baking soda water mix.

Iridescent effects

Boosted supplies:

  • Ammonia

Adding a tablespoon of ammonia to the LOS solution kicks the process upward a notch. Colors intensify and have an iridescent effect. Gold'south go brighter, blues more saturated, and the purples popular. Ammonia, in my opinion, adds an additional element of wonder because it seems to make the LOS solution more "sensitive." You are probable to get a tonal range instead of flat color. For example, a pink area may have a subtle pink to bright magenta. If y'all are particularly interested in a specific result, a test piece may be in order. Exist adventurous and watch how a kick of color tin alter your whole piece!

Selective coloring using a resist

Resists preclude a patina from penetrating to the metallic below. They tin aid to create interesting patterns, or can be used to preserve areas on a piece. Resist coverage should be solid, or streaking due to uneven application may result. If you make a mistake when applying a resist, don't despair. Removal solvents are listed with each recipe. Afterward awarding of a resist, proceed through the LOS procedure, letting color develop as desired. Darker patinas will create the best contrast, only subtle furnishings with lighter patinas are worth investigating.

Sharpie pen resist

What yous need:

  • Black Sharpie
  • Alcohol

Apply a fine or wide tip marker to areas you do not want the patina on. Don't make the mistake I did and use a different color — black is the only one that works. Remove marking past soaking the slice in alcohol for a couple of minutes. Rub the alcohol off gently with a cotton wool swab because aggressive rubbing will remove the patina also every bit marker.

Nail polish resist

What you need:

  • Smash shine in an easy to see color
  • Nail shine remover (acetone)
  • Fine brush

Follow the steps for the "Pen Resist," replacing marker with the boom smooth and booze with the boom smooth remover. Use a brush to apply the polish results in a fluid, varied weight line.

Wax resist

What you lot demand:

  • Beeswax
  • Fine brush or kistka
  • Humid water

To apply wax, heat information technology in a small container on a cup warmer until molten. Paint a blueprint with the brush every bit if it were thick pigment. Or, you may want to endeavor a kistka, which is used in Ukrainian egg decorating. They can be purchased at a hobby store and come up in several sizes for thick or thin lines. In that location are electrical or transmission models. For manual models, heat the bowl of the kistka with the flame of a candle. Utilise the hot bowl to scoop upwards the beeswax. It will stay in the bowl until you bear on the tip of the kistka to the metallic surface. Beeswax is usually white or yellow — after heating in the kistka it will turn black.

I've never tried an electric kistka, but it is reported that they continue wax hot for the duration of a work session and that they create a nice, fluid line. With any kistka, check the line quality before applying wax to the piece of work past experimenting on paper. With a bit of practice and a steady paw, you can get intricate detail with the wax resist method.

To remove wax, submerge the piece in boiling water. If you used stones or sensitive inclusions, thermal shock may consequence then either use another resist method or be prepared to remove the wax slowly with warm instead of boiling water.

Contact paper or tape resist

For this method, y'all must apply contact paper or record with good agglutinative that does not leave a residue. It must lie flat from edge to edge. Good tape options are electrical or packing tape.

What you need:

  • Contact newspaper or tape
  • Xacto knife
  • Burnisher
  • Paper punches
  • Scissors

Cut or punch shapes from the tape and utilise them to the piece. Flatten them with a burnisher or the dorsum of your fingernail so LOS volition not seep under the edges. This will give a well-baked, make clean look.

To remove tape, lift the corner with your fingernail or the knife and peel it dorsum. Exist careful not to scratch the metal. Yous can get some nice hard-edged or precision shapes while creating interesting patterns with this technique!

Protecting the terminate

LOS is a patina, and in general patinas are not permanent. If not treated or finished, effects will wear off over time. You should not have a trouble in crevices, but "high" areas are more prone to being brushed or rubbed. Here are a few stop recipes to help patina last longer.

Beeswax and naphtha

What you need:

  • 1 office beeswax
  • i part naphtha (lighter fluid)
  • Airtight storage jar
  • Cotton swabs
  • Soft textile

Use small beads of beeswax and naphtha, mixing in equal amounts. I obtain naphtha from a drugstore or cigar shop. Mix to the consistency of cake icing. The naphtha odor will not remain on the jewelry. Apply a thin layer with a cotton swab, let dry out, and then buff lightly with a clean cotton swab or soft cloth. If you apply too much wax, you'll need to exist aggressive in removing it. This can also crusade some of the patina to come up off. Apply it in a thin layer, and you should have no problem preserving the finish. If the finishing mixture thickens, add more naphtha to thin it. And obviously, don't use this method near a flame.

Renaissance Wax

What you need:

  • Renaissance Wax
  • Soft cloth

Warm the wax betwixt your fingers and apply a thin layer to the piece with y'all fingertip. After that, follow the directions above for "Beeswax and Naphtha." Some people report that during buffing, the intensity of the patina may be removed. In addition, mitt oils can dull the finish, then it'south best to gently buff to preserve the patina and restore the sheen.

Jeweler's Lacquer or Article of furniture Lacquer

What you need:

  • Adept quality clear wood lacquer
  • String to append the piece
  • Air current free spraying area
  • Newspaper
  • Denatured alcohol

Jeweler's Lacquer can be purchased at a jewelry supply shop. Piece of furniture Lacquer tin be purchased in high gloss, satin sheen, or matte end from a hardware shop and will provide the most protection over time. When I use it, I prefer satin because it gives the slice protection and a dainty sheen without being artificially shiny. Quality lacquer should thin over time, rather than chipping or flaking — and it should non turn yellow. Before applying, it is imperative that the piece should be squeaky make clean and complimentary from wax or oils. Soap and baking soda solution should do the trick.

Suspend the piece on a string over an area covered past newspaper. Apply 2 coats of lacquer per side, allowing information technology to dry between layers. If you have used wax resist, be certain all residue is removed. To ensure this, double rinse the piece in boiling water, first by dipping in a container of boiling water and and then by rinsing with fresh, humid h2o over both sides of the slice. Wax will rise similar scum to the summit of water and residue may remain after dipping, therefore the 2d rinse is necessary. Finally, clean the slice with denatured alcohol, followed by a sudsy bathroom with blistering soda added.

Removing patina

Okay, you did some experimentation and you hate the way it looks or things didn't go equally you planned, and so now yous want to know how to remove a patina. Well, there are a couple of things you can practice to "salve" your hard work. When selecting a removal method consider this important rule: if you have used heat sensitive stones, glass, or inclusions, removal using extreme oestrus or boiling water is a no – no and may ruin your piece of work by causing them to crack or fracture. I recommend you endeavor the "Tarnish remover" method instead.

Heat from a torch or kiln

This will remove patina and render a slice to its original pre-LOS land. Afterwards using heat, you will need to restore a mirror finish to whatsoever piece that had one.

What you lot demand:

  • Torch
  • Fireproof solder block
  • Long-handled tweezers
  • Eye protection
  • Ventilation

Place the piece on the cake. Property the torch several inches above, apply heat in a round motion. Be careful non to overheat or yous take chances melting the piece. Soon, the patina volition begin to disappear. Use tweezers to flip the piece and echo on the reverse. Always vesture protective eyewear and have practiced ventilation when using a torch.

Using a kiln

What you need:

  • Kiln
  • Kiln shelf
  • Kiln gloves

Place your piece on the kiln shelf and into the kiln. Turn it on. As the slice heats up, the patina will disappear. Recall to wear kiln gloves to remove the slice, and accept good ventilation. Do not heat past 1650 degees or y'all risk melting the piece.

Tarnish remover

What you demand:

  • Tarnish remover
  • Bowl
  • Spoon, tweezers or cord

Tarnish remover will remove patina as well every bit tarnish. Some solutions are toxic, so have proper ventilation and wear gloves and center protection. Follow directions, which differ, by brand. In general, you volition simply dip the piece, which will remove the patina. After dipping, scrub any residue with sudsy water and baking soda, then rinse well.

Abode recipe for tarnish remover

What you need:

  • Plastic or heat-resistant glass bowl
  • Aluminum foil
  • Humid h2o
  • Baking soda

Line the bowl with foil, add together jewelry, encompass with humid water, and sprinkle with blistering soda. The blistering soda should showtime to bubble and the tarnish will settle on the aluminum. When the h2o cools and the bubbles stops, the piece should be shiny. For deed crevices, I've had to repeat this process. When finished, rinse the slice well.

A Last Note About Coverage

Several factors touch the coverage you lot will reach. Some finishes have a varied, tonal quality; others are more consistent and flat. Clay, wax, skin oils, and chemicals in the water can prevent even coverage. E'er start with a squeaky make clean piece of fired and finished metallic clay. If y'all must handle the piece, use tweezers or hold simply the edges.

Different metal clay finishes volition take colour differently. A piece fresh from the kiln may differ from a piece with a mirror finish. Varies finishes on 1 piece can be interesting, but a piece with an inconsistent finish due to poor craftsmanship may look spotty.

I hope that any intimidation you may take experienced in the past has turned into an overwhelming excitement to experiment. Curiosity and enthusiasm should move you lot past the unpleasant aroma of liver of sulfur, and open up a globe of possibility where your visual and creative palette tin can extend as never before.