This video shows "My" process for oxidizing and polishing wire wraps. I also show how I attempt to protect stones that might otherwise not be suitable for dipping in LOS (Liver of Sulfur).
Thank you Seth for this tutorial. I have watched others that made the process look so daunting that it turned (me) off. You made it so simple, again thank you!!. 🙏🏼🌷
I also want to see how you made your bracelet....I like it. Only a couple seconds I seen it after you polished with the dremel but you do nice work...the pendant and your bracelet. Thanks for sharing!
Love your work! I do have a suggestion for getting the latex around edges. Try using a detail brush. It might help get the latex where you need it and not where you dont. Do you know if there is something besides latex you can coat the stone with. I'm very allergic to latex. Thanks for the videos. Much appreciated!
Love this! Love your work! I LOVE your bracelet!! Do you have a tutorial for it or one like it? I will be totalling stalking...I mean following you now..haha!!🥰🤣
Seth, thank you for this video. When you do this with the softer stones, does it damage the back of the stone any? I noticed you didn’t coat the back side. I need to be more consistent about checking the hardness of my stones. I’ve dulled a few of them. Definitely interested in trying the latex😊
You noticed that lol. No I do not make any attempt to protect the back, so it is susceptible to fading or discoloration. Unless it is a reversible pendant I personally don't worry about it. LOS will not damage it to the extent that it breaks, nor will it change the healing properties. Any change to the stone would be purely aesthetic.
Great tutorial, I do have a question. Following the polish, do you ever apply a clear high-gloss sealer over the wire (with a small paint brush) to prevent tarnishing? I work primarily in copper and find that I have to do this as the final step to prolong future tarnishing as much as possible. What are your thoughts?
I personally don't apply coatings to my wire. Some do, but I find there to be more cons than pros. For one it is yet another step and more work that needs to be reflected in the price... however I don't feel comfortable charging more for something that the protective coating will wear off on. When coatings wear off they wear unevenly and even spotty. Now the wire would need to be cleaned and re coated. Raw wire may require a bit of maintenance, but it's usually as simple as rubbing it down with a polishing cloth once a week or so.
That is one option. You could oxidize, wrap, and then polish. I haven't done it personally. I do sometimes do pieces that I would be able to plan out how much I need. However, I usually am wrapping on the fly and making much of it up as I go. Also, I find it less hassle and wasteful to oxidize as many pieces as possible with each LOS batch I mix. If I mixed a batch for each and every piece before wrapping, it would eat up my materials. Lastly, any marring from pliers will most likely need touched up for a final polish.
I had left a question but I'll try again. (Maybe it was removed since I included links.) How many cabs do you feel the Pueen Latex will cover? I found in reading reviews that there also is a product that is one ounce of latex compared to the 15ml of latex that the bottle of Pueen. You mention that you had problems with a product that you wouldn't mention so I certainly don't want to order that. I don't want to mention the name just in case that is why my comment was removed. It is sold as being used for make up not nails. I hope you are able to answer my question this time. Thanks.
Yeah not sure what happened before. Sometimes I get comment notifications but when I click them it takes me to the comment section only for the comment to be missing. Sorry about that. So this is just one product I found that I use. And I only use it on stones that may have issues with the LOS. There are multiple products to out there to choose from. This video was made a while back so I can't remember what other product I may have been talking about. If you want a really durable option you may try the liquid latex used for electroforming. Just search "protecting stones for electroforming". I know "natur latex" is one commonly used liquid latex many electroformers use. Hope this helps.
@@sethedelinski348 Thank you. I'll check that out. The name of the other product is Mehron Makeup Liquid Latex. I think I'm leaning towards your recommendation since it comes with the brush anyways. How many cabs do you think it covers in one bottle though?
@@annploetz8916 that's hard to say. Depending on the size of the stone and how many coats you end up applying... I would say no less than 20. But even that is just a shot in the dark.
I do not use clears or "protective coatings". I did a clear on one of my first raw copper pieces long ago. Because it was a personal piece I was able to observe it's durability and was not happy with it. One issue with coatings is they will need to be applied again over time and you don't really know when that is until you notice it oxidize in the chipped or worn areas. Now you have a uneven patina to fix before re applying the clear. I include a small polishing cloth with my sales and suggest giving it a thorough rub roughly once a week.
Thanks for the great video! can you tell me what silver wire you use for the piece in this video.Is it sterling, or plated silver? And do you get it from Rio Grande? Do you use sterling? Thanks in advance
@@sethedelinski348 Thank you, The whole silver thing really confuses me. Filled not filled, solid, plated. Is it dead soft solid sterling? I don't want to sell crappy silver pieces so I'm trying to figure out what is the best if it is not solid sterling, it gets so pricey. Happy wiring!!
@@pamelarehm7973 not sure how I missed this... sorry. But it really depends. Most of my work is in bare deadsoft copper and then oxidized. I use both solid and silver filled. The determining factor is usually what the stone is and what I want my price point to be. Silver filled is a much more affordable alternative to solid sterling while still durable enough to withstand light sanding, hammering, and even soldering. Obviously you can't do any of that with plated wire. So If I had a turquoise cabochon I may be open to either option, where as if I was going to wrap a high grade aquamarine I would without a doubt use solid sterling. P.s. I pretty much only purchase dead soft. Work hardening wire seems to be easier for me than annealing wire to soften it.
