What the Heck Happened????

[Donna T.]

I used my light silver plum yesterday and made 3 nugget shaped beads. They turned out great!! I was able to get a wonderful silver sheen to them. They looked like metal beads instead of glass. I popped them into the kiln after making each one, I took them out this morning, they still looked great. I soaked them in vinegar and water (as I do all my beads) for about 10 minutes. I went to take them off the mandrels and they were back to a plum color. No shiny nothing. What's up? I only have 2 rods and I used almost a whole one to make these. I don't want to use the other rod till I know what I did wrong. ](*,)

[Kym]

Probably the vinegar, its an acid.

Shame about that, but you will know next time not to use it.

Kym

[Karen Hardy]

Acid makes the pretty shiny go away on the Silver Plum,
and leaves you with the dull plum color.
It also takes away the sheen/opalescence/oil slick look
on the silvered glasses like Gaia, etc.
If you use any silvered glass, don't etch it or mess with it.

[Emily]

If she puts them in the kiln, slowly warms them up, and then gives them a flame polish, will they go metallic again?

[Donna T.]

If the vinegar made the sheen come off, wouldn't the acid in our bodies also make the sheen come off when wearing them? I would hate to sell these like what I saw and then the customer do something unknowingly to remove the look.
And why doesn't the vinegar take that funny sheeny look off my turquoise? I put them in coke to get it off.
And anyway, I thought vinegar was an alkaline???? You can use vinegar to neutralize things, right?

[wendbill]

Vinegar is acetic acid

[Artistic License]

Vinegar is acidic..It's baking soda that's alkaline.

[suzanne]

Put them back in the kiln, and wave them through an oxidizing flame, put back in the kiln and anneal as usual

[SuzyQ]

no the sheen will not come off with normal wear.

if you left your turquoise in long enough the soot would come off your turquoise, but long enough means days.

[Carolyn M]

Can I ask why you put them in vinegar? I've never heard of that before

[Donna T.]

I've read on here or maybe the other forum to soak beads in vinegar and water to help them off the mandrel. They seem to come off better with the vinegar. However, since I've switched to Bucket of Mud I haven't had any trouble getting them off the mandrels so I guess I'll go back to straight water soaking.

I'm happy to know it won't come off with normal wear so I'll try again.
Yes, I thought about it after posting-I was thinking of baking soda for neutralizing. And NO-I'm not blond-though I have been.
Thanks to everyone for helping me solve my problem. I'm going to try it again!!

[My Bloody Valentine]

I use a vinegar, water and baking soda solution to clean the holes out and loosen the bead release. Vinegar and baking soda is a good general purpose cleaner. I use vinegar and water to clean mirrors and vinegar and baking soda is good for getting the burnt marks out of your stove top.

Thanks for the tips on the silver glass. Will not dunk these in the vinegar mix.

[!ngridh]

I've read on here or maybe the other forum to soak beads in vinegar and water to help them off the mandrel. They seem to come off better with the vinegar. However, since I've switched to Bucket of Mud I haven't had any trouble getting them off the mandrels so I guess I'll go back to straight water soaking.

I'm happy to know it won't come off with normal wear so I'll try again.
Yes, I thought about it after posting-I was thinking of baking soda for neutralizing. And NO-I'm not blond-though I have been.
Thanks to everyone for helping me solve my problem. I'm going to try it again!!

Hummmmmmmmm why are you having so much trouble getting your beads off the mandrel?

What kind of release are you using...I use Alice's big tub and cheap...I have never ...ever ...not ever had a bead lost to a mandrel cuz of bead release...

[Fru Babsan]

Can I ask why you put them in vinegar? I've never heard of that before

:biggrin: I'm glad you asked, because I didn't understand that either.

If you have a hard time getting the beads of the mandrel, change bead release. When I started I used some Blue sludge, which came with the starter pack. I had to ask my husband to get them loose! Half the mandrels were bent and som beads just didn't let go. (May be I should have used vinegar... ;) )

But now I use Foster Fire and it's like magic. Very often I don't even need water and it's only when a bead has been thoroughly marvered (should there realy bee so many vocals in those two words???) that I need to bring out the pliers.

[suzanne]

Very often I don't even need water

Please always use water when taking your beads off the mandrell. The graphite dust is toxic and will damage your lungs. When taking your beads off and cleaning them, do it in a bowl of water to prevent the dust from flying around:)

[Tink]

Like !ngridh, I use Alice's. I don't soak the mandrels in water or anything. The release just comes off in sheets, not dusty or powdery, when I remove vessels or beads from the mandrel. I do put the glass item in water for a quick zip with a diamond bit to get release out of the holes, but I've never had to soak anything to get it off the mandrel.

[swamper]

Soap takes the surface tension out of water and allows it to permiate the bead release so that beads can be removed from the mandrels - I've never had to use anything but soapy water - Sludge Plus user here.

[RSimmons]

I use a vinegar, water and baking soda solution to clean the holes out and loosen the bead release. Vinegar and baking soda is a good general purpose cleaner. I use vinegar and water to clean mirrors and vinegar and baking soda is good for getting the burnt marks out of your stove top.

Thanks for the tips on the silver glass. Will not dunk these in the vinegar mix.

Vinegar + Baking Soda = Salt (sodium acetate, a type of salt), Water, CO2 and a little heat.

Robert

[Sherry]

Soap takes the surface tension out of water and allows it to permiate the bead release so that beads can be removed from the mandrels - I've never had to use anything but soapy water - Sludge Plus user here.

Me too. Works like a charm.