Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Experimentation - Warm Pickle and LOS

I'm sure you all do it, experiment and things either come out good or bad, right? Here's what I did with warm pickle and LOS!  I had these balled copper headpins I made a while ago and just dug out when cleaning out something or other (a quote from my friend Jill - "there's beads all over the place in your house....").  I liked the color I got when I quenched them in water after balling them up in the torch - you get that pretty rose color, and sometimes blue.  But they had firescale, so I thought, I know, use a warm pickle!


I used the recipe of 1 tablespoon salt to 1 cup vinegar - heat in the microwave - and dump  your stuff in!  Use a glass container, and if you use one that has a lid, you can use this over and over.

Not only did the pickle take off the firescale, it took off the pretty rose color AND made these things super super shiny.  Like shinier than any copper I have ever seen!  Not what I wanted - insert sad face.


BUT, I thought, I can use liver of sulpher (LOS) to darken them a bit.  So I mixed up a little bit of LOS gel I received as a prize from ArtBLISS and Jeanette Blix.  I like the gel, it's very easy to use.  Just mix a little bit in some warm water, again in a glass container, and if you have a lid, you can store it for several uses.  Just make sure that before you dispose of it (down the toilet is a great place) that you neutralize it with baking soda first, since LOS is an acid and may hurt your pipes (although I have read that if you run water for a minute or so, it will be fine).

ACK.  I only put them in for 2 seconds, max, and they turned out SOOOOOO dark!  Too much LOS, I am guessing, although I think the super shininess also may have made the copper a little porous.  In any event, guess where they went next?


Into the tumbler.  You can get a reasonably priced tumbler at Harbor Freight and they usually have 20% off coupons, as well, in the Sunday newspaper or you can sign up for coupons on-line.  Use stainless steel shot as the tumbling agent.  Put your items you want to tumble polish into the container, then add a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid and enough water to cover all items in the tumbler.  Make sure there's enough room, though, for everything to tumble - don't fill it too full!  Also, make sure you have the lid on correctly, so it doesn't leak (personal experience)! 

And here's what I got after a few hours of tumbling. 


They are now all work hardened and some of the patina has worn off.  They actually look almost bronze or brass in color, I think I like them!   It's kind of an amazing difference to me, though, from how they started out!

13 comments :

  1. I love the end result, it's always so fun to see experiments!! You just never know what you're gonna get at the end.

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  2. I'm really glad to know about the salt and vinegar pickle. Sometimes I don't want that pink colored ball; I just want my copper. Thanks!

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  3. Thank you so much for posting this! I love seeing the different colors from different techniques.

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  4. Funny, I literally just "cleaned" some copper beads that had turned dingy from sitting in the drawer. Put them in straight distilled vinegar for a few seconds, and voila, nice and shiny again. Now that they are free of dirt and oils, I can patina. Love the warm color you got after tumbling the headpins. Thanks!

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  5. Isn't experimenting fun???!!!?
    If you want even more of the LOS removed from the headpins, yet still get the full shiny look, then put them in a Scotch Brite type scrub sheet and roll them around on the counter - it will remove a bit more of the LOS before you tumble.

    The only thing I would caution about would be pouring the LOS down the toilet. I know you mentioned it, but the way LOS works on our metals is by reacting with the surface layer, causing it to corrode slightly. If there are any blockages in your plumbing, it will pool there, and if the pipes are copper...well, not good...
    It is a good idea to neutralize the pieces you LOS'd, but you don't really need to neutralize the liquid you are getting rid of - in fact, you can put it to good use!!!
    Just add a bit more water, set it outside until it turns cloudy, (it will also lose the smell...) then use it on any plant that needs watering - all plants need sulfur to retain a healthy immune system and it helps with chlorophyll production. If you grow cabbage or broccoli - make SURE you put it on them!! That way, you aren't risking your pipes and your greenery stays greener!

    Fun post!!!!

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  6. Very interesting information. I'm glad to have my memory refreshed on the salt and vinegar combination. I sometimes fret that I'm running out of pool chemicals - now I don't have to! Cool beans. Thanks, Jennifer.

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  7. I like the result too! And thanks for sharing your experiences - funny how the results differ.

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  8. I like the looks of them at every stage! Nice to know you can get so many different looks from the same item! I never would have dreamed you could put these in the tumbler without knocking the heads off. Great to know!

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  9. Great job keeping the creative spirit going! I loved following your process.

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  10. I also love that rose color from your first photo. I am new to all of this so my question may seem silly, but what if you just tumbled your headpins with the rose-color still on them? I know you said it had fire scale but perhaps the tumbling would've taken that off?

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  11. Hi Pamela, yes, it may have, but I was not thinking straight with a migraine, and I wanted to try the pickle recipe! but I like the rose color, so I will try again with just tumbling and see what happens!

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  12. Perri, thank you for the info... great to add to plants, i will do that!

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  13. Seeing these processes really show how artistic and truly wonderful your work is!

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