Name pendant w/opal

[DonniesTreasures]

Well, I've been working on this on again after procrastinating a whole bunch because I guess I got kinda lost as to what to do with it.  So I picked it up day before yesterday & just started doing something with it.  Better than nothing at all, right???!!!  It needs better refining but I don't know where or what, at this point.  The name is only ok, the m is messed up.  I know now that the scallop bezel wire is NOT a good choice for something that small because I can't close up the gaps anymore.  At least I don't think I can.  Tried some patina, it helped some, I think.  The pictures suck because the sun was refusing to shine & playing peek a boo with me but they give you a pretty good idea of things.  Any suggestions, hints, tips are more than appreciated & I thank you in advance for whatever ya got for me!!  By the way, that is the 3 attempt at this.  The other 2 pieces of sterling are going to be recycled into something else and yes, I did experiment on copper first.

[Talia]

If I were to make something similar, I would either etch the name and pattern into the piece, or I'd pierce it out. Also, I'd probably make a custom bezel that was decorative, or if I didn't want to bother with that then I'd buy gallery wire.

[rocks2dust]

I think for the lettering, using a graver to outline or centerline the stippled letters would be cleaner.

[DonniesTreasures]

Okay rocks2dust, I was kinda thinking along those lines but what is a graver & is it something I have on hand?  I have a Foredom so the question is do I have something to use in my Foredom that would qualify as a graver?

[Debbie K]

Donnie:

A graver is a handheld tool like this http://www.riogrande.com/Product/Engraving-and-Texturing-Graver-Kit/1180181?Pos=11. They take a while to figure out how to use; so if I were you I'd look into acid etching. It's easy, fast and if you have a jewelers' supply around they usually carry nitric acid. You can use asphaltum (also in jewelers' supply), packing tape or even hair spray to mask the areas you don't want to etch.

They do sell a graver handpiece for a foredom, but it doesn't really work that well. http://www.riogrande.com/Product/Foredom-H15-Hammer-Handpiece/117026?Pos=4 I made a graver point out of a graver soldered on to the right size screw and it worked okay, but the handheld graver works better. If you do try to engrave, one piece of advice: Move the metal, not the graver.

Debbie K

[DonniesTreasures]

Thank you Debbie, I will keep that in mind.  Hadn't really planned on doing any etching but maybe that's not such a bad idea.  No jewelry supply near me so I will have to do some research & see what my options are.  Right now I need to deal with the immediate problem so I guess I will have to improvise.

[Talia]

Since you've not tried etching before, might I suggest that you NOT use nitric acid? There are crucial safety concerns that go along with its use, and if you're not familiar with the use of strong acids and bases, it's probably a better choice to use another etchant. I would suggest ferric nitrate or silver nitrate as alternatives to nitric acid. Yes, you still need to be careful with them and be aware of how they are used and disposed, but they're less of a concern overall than a strong acid like nitric.

[Debbie K]

Talia is right about the nitric acid being toxic/strong. Ferric won't work on silver and silver nitrate is fairly difficult to procure, compared to nitric.

Another possibility is using a plating machine and reversing the current to electro etch. You still need silver nitrate, and in my opinion, doesn't work as well as acid etching.

The fumes coming off nitric are really nasty; they affect some folks lungs and mucous membranes really badly, but in my case it seemed to go straight to my stomach. I got really bad stomach cramps, and I was working outside upwind from what I was etching.

The ferric is great for copper, just really slow.

Debbie K

[Steve]

Donnie, if you are going to try to outline the name, may I suggest:  If you have one of those larger aluminum Xacto knives -



Turn it up-side-down and use the tip to scribe the lines you need.  Once you have the initial lines in you can go over the lined again and again to increase the depth.  Do it slowly and move both the knife and pendant at the same time to  get a smooth effective line.

I hope this helps...........................Good luck................................

[DonniesTreasures]

Thank you, Steve!  That is just what I needed to know.  I was thinking using a screw driver & hammer but wasn't too happy with that idea.  Then I thought that I could somehow scratch the lines I needed & the exacto will certainly fit the bill.  I will try that tonight.  I am even more certain now that I don't want to do the etching thing.  Too many cats, dogs, kids around to make it a safe thing to play with.  I think I am going to pass & go with some safer alternatives.

[Talia]

Debbie,  ferric nitrate works quite well on silver. You're probably thinking of ferric chloride.

[Debbie K]

Talia:

You're absolutely right. Do you have any source for it? I see that Grainger sells it, but in amounts that are unreasonable. I know I looked for this stuff several years ago, but couldn't find it.

I've never tried it; isn't it supposed to be a slow etch like the ferric chloride on copper? I love the way it works; nice edges. Nitric is always more ragged.

Debbie K

[Talia]

The more you use it the slower it gets, but it lasts a long time. I usually leave things in from 30 minutes to a couple hours, depending on the results I want. I don't buy it very often because a little goes a long way, but when I do I get it from a chemical supply rather than a jewelry supply. You shouldn't pay much more than about $10 per hundred grams or so, and that will make plenty of solution to etch small things.

[Susan]

Debbie, If it's the ferric nitrate you're looking for, a 100 gram bottle from sciencecompany.com is currently $11.95 plus shipping, item #NC-11220. There's a MSDS that you can download right from the item page. They also have powdered ferric chloride that's convenient to store and use, but it may be cheaper elsewhere in the liquid form. I purchased both from them a while back, although I don't remember how much the shipping was. Both work well for etching - ferric chloride for copper and ferric nitrate for silver, as Talia mentioned.

Susan

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