Mark, Thank you very much for your concise video. I have tried this process many, many times. I failed to understand the amount of time one heats the piece. I was overheating the piece. So thank you. Also your diagram was very instructive. Respectully, Mark Ehrmann
Hi, I am working in the UK and would like to know if Safety Pickle is okay to use? Another thought I have is Nitric Acid but what proportion should it be? Thanks.
Hi @annieharris1728! Mark is using Rio Pickle here, which does ship internationally. You can find it on our website: www.riogrande.com/product/rio-pickle-for-non-ferrous-metals/5010233GP/?code=5010233
Brilliant thanks. The white is so lovely. Would be fab to know how to keep it white. Do we have to spray it with a Matt varnish? Or could we do something else? Thanks!
Hello Ange. Keeping it white is the trick. It's a very thin layer of fine silver so when it's gets rubbed it can rub off or burnish. Anything you put on it to protect will change it.
Thanks so much for this super helpful video! I'll try it on my sterling castings, I want to do keum boo on them and read that they need to be depletion gilded for the gold to adhere. Can't wait to try it. I've only done keum boo on fine silver so far...
Thank you so mcuh for watching, we really appreciate you support. We are always looking for ways to ad content, so feel free to let us know if there is anything you want to see here on YoutTube! Thanks agian!
Thanks! I've been advised to use this technique to cover fire stain - how durable is the raised fine silver surface? For something like a ring, would that fire stain eventually come through again with wear?
Hi Diane- that true, you can temporarily hide fire stain, but the layer of fine silver is very thin and dot very durable, on a ring it wouldn't last very long unless it was in a recessed area that's more protected.
it's always best to remove firescale 1st, but you can do this on soldered items. You are only warming up the piece and not getting near the flow point of the soldered seams.
Would you recommend this process before enameling on sterling silver? And would firing the pieces in the kiln to produce the copper oxides and then removing them in the pickle be an appropriate method to do it as well? Thanks!
Yes, you can use this process to do a depletion on sterling before you do enameling. Enameling has to be done on a fine metal layer, so depletion will bring that fine metal layer to the surface.
Can this be done on 925 peice with a plating of yellow gold and if so would that gold still be yellow with a matte finish? or turn silver again?like before the plating process
The results that you might get by doing this on a plated piece are a little unsure. Gold plating on silver involves another step between the gold and silver it is a pre-plate step usually with nickel and sometimes palladium. Since the gold layer is pretty thin it will usually burn away but the nickel or pre-plate layer might be thicker and may or may not burn away completely leaving a strange and possibly messy surface. So, in the end I cant say with certainty that you would end up with a nice clean sterling surface.
Interesting technique! Just curious... I realize the point is to bring up the whiteness of the fine silver, but how would liver of sulphur behave on the white areas. Would it blacken differently than the untreated 925 areas? My untrained gut tells me it would absorb or hang onto more blackness. 🤷🏻♀️
Good question. Mark says that in his experience the liver of sulfur behaves the same on the fine silver surface as the untreated 925, and he hasn't seen it "hang onto more blackness." Hope this helps!
shouldn't this technique also get rid of the firescale? if yes how would I integrate it in my workflow? With a lot of soldered pieces on a ring for example I would love to use this to get rid of the firescale before I blacken it and setting the stone... would that make sense?
Hello, thank you for reaching out. Our Jewelry Tech Team said that depletion gilding does take away layers of copper in silver. Depending on how deep the firescale the copper will dissolve leaving behind a fine layer of silver. This process may not get the final layer of the firescale.
I've used this process many times, just recently I've noticed that some of my sterling pieces develop black spots that don't go away. I've tried to remove them and start over, but they reappear. any advise :) thanks
Mark says that this can be done with lower karate gold and works great. It looks different as you do it and will turn a darker color as you warm it up, but it is the same process.
I was always told it would still test as 925 as only the top and very fine layer is being altered in a sense. Would love a definite answer on this question also!!
Hi Mark. Thanks for the demo. I'm curious what the purpose of depletion gilding is. Why not just use .999 Fine Silver instead of depletion gilding on the sterling? Thanks!
Hi Robin. Mark says, "this really comes down to what you're making. For many jewelry purposes, Sterling is preferred because it is much stronger and harder than Fine Silver. So with this technique you can have the resilience of Sterling with the color of Fine." Hope that helps, let us know if you have any other questions!
Mark, Thank you very much for your concise video. I have tried this process many, many times. I failed to understand the amount of time one heats the piece. I was overheating the piece. So thank you. Also your diagram was very instructive. Respectully, Mark Ehrmann
Thanks for the clear instructions! I intend to try enamel so this is super helpful!
You are most welcome! Be sure to subscribe!
That was a great explanation of the technique!
Hi, I am working in the UK and would like to know if Safety Pickle is okay to use? Another thought I have is Nitric Acid but what proportion should it be? Thanks.
Hi @annieharris1728! Mark is using Rio Pickle here, which does ship internationally. You can find it on our website: www.riogrande.com/product/rio-pickle-for-non-ferrous-metals/5010233GP/?code=5010233
Brilliant thanks. The white is so lovely. Would be fab to know how to keep it white. Do we have to spray it with a Matt varnish? Or could we do something else? Thanks!
Hello Ange. Keeping it white is the trick. It's a very thin layer of fine silver so when it's gets rubbed it can rub off or burnish. Anything you put on it to protect will change it.
Thanks so much for this super helpful video! I'll try it on my sterling castings, I want to do keum boo on them and read that they need to be depletion gilded for the gold to adhere. Can't wait to try it. I've only done keum boo on fine silver so far...
Thank you so mcuh for watching, we really appreciate you support. We are always looking for ways to ad content, so feel free to let us know if there is anything you want to see here on YoutTube! Thanks agian!
Brilliant thank you :) I loved the technique and will certainly use it a lot :) thanks ❤
Really enjoyed this one!
Thank you so much! I can't wait to try it.
Thank you for watching!
Hey Mark, after working with keum boo on fired sterling silver clay, I’m wondering if depletion gilding on 925 silver sheet would work.
Yes, you can do depletion gilding on sterling silver sheet and achieve the same process of keum boo on sheet.
Thanks! I've been advised to use this technique to cover fire stain - how durable is the raised fine silver surface? For something like a ring, would that fire stain eventually come through again with wear?
Hi Diane- that true, you can temporarily hide fire stain, but the layer of fine silver is very thin and dot very durable, on a ring it wouldn't last very long unless it was in a recessed area that's more protected.
Is this how you prepare for enameling?
Can you lightly polish the fine silver layer? It's a shame if it can only be left matte
Would this work on a piece with lots of soldered parts? Guessing the fire scale would need to be polished off first?
it's always best to remove firescale 1st, but you can do this on soldered items. You are only warming up the piece and not getting near the flow point of the soldered seams.
how do you get that raised image
Would you recommend this process before enameling on sterling silver? And would firing the pieces in the kiln to produce the copper oxides and then removing them in the pickle be an appropriate method to do it as well? Thanks!
Yes, you can use this process to do a depletion on sterling before you do enameling. Enameling has to be done on a fine metal layer, so depletion will bring that fine metal layer to the surface.
Can this be done on 925 peice with a plating of yellow gold and if so would that gold still be yellow with a matte finish? or turn silver again?like before the plating process
The results that you might get by doing this on a plated piece are a little unsure. Gold plating on silver involves another step between the gold and silver it is a pre-plate step usually with nickel and sometimes palladium. Since the gold layer is pretty thin it will usually burn away but the nickel or pre-plate layer might be thicker and may or may not burn away completely leaving a strange and possibly messy surface. So, in the end I cant say with certainty that you would end up with a nice clean sterling surface.
Interesting technique! Just curious... I realize the point is to bring up the whiteness of the fine silver, but how would liver of sulphur behave on the white areas. Would it blacken differently than the untreated 925 areas? My untrained gut tells me it would absorb or hang onto more blackness. 🤷🏻♀️
Good question. Mark says that in his experience the liver of sulfur behaves the same on the fine silver surface as the untreated 925, and he hasn't seen it "hang onto more blackness." Hope this helps!
shouldn't this technique also get rid of the firescale? if yes how would I integrate it in my workflow? With a lot of soldered pieces on a ring for example I would love to use this to get rid of the firescale before I blacken it and setting the stone... would that make sense?
Hello, we will reach out to our Tech Team and get you a response!
Hello, thank you for reaching out. Our Jewelry Tech Team said that depletion gilding does take away layers of copper in silver. Depending on how deep the firescale the copper will dissolve leaving behind a fine layer of silver. This process may not get the final layer of the firescale.
Very useful, thank you
Would nitric acid do the same, as it removes copper but not silver ?
Thanks for he video !
I have heard that it will, but Nitric acid is way more dangerous to use.
@@mnelson5121 I was wrong, nitric acid disolves silver too !
Sulfuric acid doesn't.
Are you supposed to pickle it every time you heat it?
Yes. That step continues to remove copper from the surface as you prepare your silver.
Why are some people using a brass brush after pickling? Is that something you need to do???
I'd also like to know the answer to this, thanks!
great technique if you want to proceed to enameling. Otherwise, you can't enamel 925, only 999.
I've used this process many times, just recently I've noticed that some of my sterling pieces develop black spots that don't go away. I've tried to remove them and start over, but they reappear. any advise :) thanks
sounds like firescale
Sound like firestain
Beard has been depletion gilded as well I see.
That is certainly true :)
And this is what you do to sterling before keumboo. Thanks Mark!!
Can this process be done with lower caret gold too?
Mark says that this can be done with lower karate gold and works great. It looks different as you do it and will turn a darker color as you warm it up, but it is the same process.
Great!
Thank you
What purity would it test as, Fine or sterling?
I was always told it would still test as 925 as only the top and very fine layer is being altered in a sense. Would love a definite answer on this question also!!
Great question, Mark says that the metal would still test as 925 sterling.
Hi Mark. Thanks for the demo. I'm curious what the purpose of depletion gilding is. Why not just use .999 Fine Silver instead of depletion gilding on the sterling? Thanks!
Hi Robin. Mark says, "this really comes down to what you're making. For many jewelry purposes, Sterling is preferred because it is much stronger and harder than Fine Silver. So with this technique you can have the resilience of Sterling with the color of Fine." Hope that helps, let us know if you have any other questions!
@@RioGrande1944 Thank you!!
Nice covid beard!