copper how to seal it to keep it from turning

ones arm fingers green! I doing some wire wrapped rings and breacelets
and i like the copper wire but i dont like the idea of my work turning
someones skin green any tips to prevent this or any information about
copper thanks V

Vicky wrote:
ones arm fingers green! I doing some wire wrapped rings and breacelets
and i like the copper wire but i dont like the idea of my work turning
someones skin green any tips to prevent this or any information about
copper thanks V


Hi Vicky,
Copper is a base metal tho nice as you say. Ive used it a lot.
Now what happens is the salt in the persons perspiration reacts with
the copper to make copper sulphate which is the green salt left on the skin.
the simplest way for you is to polish well clean off with acetone to
remove polishing compo and grease, then give 2 coats of clear nail varnish.
will last with care about 6 months.
The better way is to line the copper with pure silver, nice and soft to
work but you need to know how to do this . Its silversmiths work.
Would your customer base pay for the extra effort and cost?
Will more than double the final selling price apart from wether your
work/designs will take a silver lining.

"Vicky" wrote in message
...
ones arm fingers green! I doing some wire wrapped rings and breacelets
and i like the copper wire but i dont like the idea of my work turning
someones skin green any tips to prevent this or any information about
copper thanks V

[Well, that's why jewelers generally prefer to use precious metals, which
are less reactive, for things like that. You can put some sort of organic
coating on your copper, like clear nail polish or polyurethane varnish, but
this will ultimately wear off. The permanent solution would be to send it
out for plating; typically a layer of nickel will be put on as an undercoat,
then a thin layer of gold or silver goes on top. Since the amount of gold or
silver used is minuscule, this doesn't cost as much as you might think.]

Andrew Werby
www.unitedartworks.com

On Apr 17, 6:02 am, "Vicky" wrote:
ones arm fingers green! I doing some wire wrapped rings and breacelets
and i like the copper wire but i dont like the idea of my work turning
someones skin green any tips to prevent this or any information about
copper thanks V

In the few times I've accepted copper works, I used transparent
insulation aerosols used in the electronics industry for protecting
and insulating copper wires/contacts. These sprays are usually silicon
based and they stand military specs for thermal and mechanical
stresses (contrary to nail polish).
Specifically, I used "SilicAid 710A" from http://www.aidchim.com/aerosols.html
but any other similar spay would do the job. Just enter any
electronics workshop and ask for their recommended aerosol and vendor.
Sarit.
http://sarit-jewelry.com

On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 05:59:50 +0000, ted frater wrote:
clean off with acetone to
remove polishing compo and grease, then give 2 coats of clear nail varnish.
will last with care about 6 months.

I would suggest substituting clear polymer medium (acrylic lacquer), which
is designed for permanency. It will still wear off, but should last
better than nail polish. You can also get it in spray cans, which will
give a smoother surface. It is available at art supply stores. In
addition to the grease removal, a light sanding with #600 paper where the
copper touches the skin is also a good idea. It will give the acrylic
something to mechanically adhere to.