oxidizing silver plate wire?

[Luann Udell]

Hey, I'm still recovering from the R&T bead show at Burlington, MA last weekend.  Way too many goodies purchased & hauled home!   

I found some silver-plated wire, stock #47-034, and realized it would be a nice alternative for wire-wrapping my less expensive jewelry pieces, and still cheaper than sterling silver wire.  (I've been using sanded galvanized steel wire for this line of wrapped beads/stones--it looks like patina-ed silver at a fraction of the cost and usually holds up well, but unfortunately, it's been so WET here this summer, it rusts too easily now.)

Anyway, I'm trying to oxidize the silver plate wire with that new liver of sulfur gel, and it's not doing too well.  It IS starting to "turn" but very, very slowly.

Is the silver plate wire coated or lacquered?  Is it not a good idea to oxidize silver plate objects?

[Luann Udell]

Well, the entire experiment was a flop.   

The plated wire didn't oxidize evenly--it ended up looking "sparkly".  Part of the finish flaked off in the oxidation process--I found a little black residue at the bottom of the container.  The oxidation rubs off easily.  And when I lightly sanded the wrapped wire, it takes off the plating, too, exposing a warm "coppery" metal underneath. 

It's kinda pretty, but not the effect I was hoping for.   It SEEMED like a good idea at the time! 

Oh, well, I'm only out about $5--the wire was very reasonably priced.   

[Polly]

It's very likely that the 47-034 silver-plated wire is coated/lacquered, because I've had a spool from the same product line for a long time and it hasn't tarnished.

Thank you for the results of your experiments -- I'll make sure that when we add "use-withs" to the product extended descriptions, we don't add oxidizers as "products that work great with" silver-plated European craft wire.

On a better note ~ We do have Liver of Sulfur Gel now!

[Luann Udell]

Oh YAY!!!

I'm gonna order a big jar from you.  I LOVE this stuff--easy to use, I love the long shelf life, and it gives great results.  If you need a testimonial, I'm your man.  Er....girl.   Um....woman of indeterminate age.

Just out of curiosity, why would oxidation cause the plating to flake off?