When it comes to making jewelry, I have a real love for using darkened and aged wire in my pieces. I've previously shared how I Age Wire for Jewelry Making. But have neglected to elaborate on what I do with hardware store wire that's already been darkened. I'm speaking specifically about Dark Annealed Steel Wire. It comes pre-darkened but often some of the black coating will rub off on your hands. To treat the wire, I take a few precautionary steps.
To begin, cut down the wire into manageable lengths. Then, simply use a soft cloth to wipe off any oils or any of the coating that might be loose on the wire. From there, use another cloth (or another area of the same cloth) to rub on a paste wax. I use either Johnson Paste Wax or Renaissance Wax. Allow the wax to sit on the wire for a few minutes before buffing it. This simple practice should help protect the wearer of your designs along with preventing the wire from rusting or breaking down in some other manner.
I did do a quick video of my process of How to Seal Dark Wire.
As well, here are a couple designs in which I've used some of my sealed Dark Annealed Wire.
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| Honeycomb Necklace |
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| Blue Sari Hoop Earrings |
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| Emerald Abyss Earrings |
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to let me know!
Even after I seal the wire with wax, I sometimes see dark patches on my hand (as I work with it) and worry that its going to rub off on a customers neck. I use liver of sulfur for the patina and renaissance wax to seal. I know that I have asked you this once before, but I really don't know what is the mistake that I am making.
ReplyDeleteDivya, It's hard for me to say what the mistake is as this method has worked well for me. Perhaps a second layer of the wax would work better, or maybe leave it to set for a bit longer before buffing it. Have you made sure to "clean" it before applying the wax like I do? I hate that I can't help you more. I would just keep working with it until you find a method. I have heard of other people using a spray sealer on wire before instead of the wax. Maybe that would work better for you.
DeleteThanks for the tips. I love the dark wire, but tend to use it less because this has seemed like a bigger deal to me. you make it clear and easy. I also looked at how you darken wire. I like that method compared to liver of sulphur because I'm not using it in another container and having to dispose of it - just dipping it in the bottle!
ReplyDeleteAnn, I'm so glad you gained something from those tutorials! I have some LoS too, but always found the results inconsistent while the Novacan hardly ever fails me. The Johnson's paste wax can have mixed results on different brands of wire while the Renaissance wax is more consistent, but more expensive too. Thanks for watching! :)
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