Cleaning Your Silver Before Use

by Michelle Buettner
(Glendale, AZ )

Mixed Metal Figure 8 Hoops by Michelle Buettner

I found this tip in several wire jewelry books and magazines over the past few years.

I use steel wool - "0000" size - I run the silver wire through the steel wool as I straighten my wire and it comes out super clean and very shiny ... plus it doesn't harm the silver.

I can then save my polishing cloths for the end product of my jewelry.

Michelle Buettner
MiShel Designs
MiShel Designs blog

Comments for
Cleaning Your Silver Before Use

Click here to add your own comments

Great wireworking tip!
by: Rena

I'll bet it helps your fingers stay cleaner too while wireworking.

Thanks for sharing this very affordable, do-able tip with us, Michelle!

NICE!
by: Angie S

Good tip & CUTE earrings!

Where can you find steel wool?
by: Chrystal - Bouton Rouge Designs

When I look for steel wool all I can find is the kind that has soap embedded in it. I think they are called SOS pads. Where can you find just the plain steel wool?

Thanks!

Chrystal Shaw
www.boutonrougedesigns.com

Source for steel wool
by: Ann Nolen

I thought I would answer the question about where to find the steel wool. You can find it at hardware stores, we buy it at Home Depot. It is used for many purposes, but we bought it for applying wax to finish some of our wood furniture.
...and thanks for this great tip on cleaning wire... very smart, and I never thought of it!

Ann
Ann@AnimalCoin.com

Steel wool cleaning tip....
by: Gary W. Bourbonais

Hi Folks.....

Great tip...

Just a quick note...

Steel wool is great stuff...comes in a lot of grades...0000 is considered ultrafine...

It's downfall is primarily.....rust. To this end, most industrial type steel wool has some kind of preservative applied to it before shipping...

If youR project requires soldering or anything like that, is best to reclean the metal where that action is going to take place...

Steel wool as fine as 0000 might tend to shred on you a bit when used...Death to soldering pickle...
I wouldn't suggest using coarser steel wool

Finally, there is non metallic "steel wool" out there...Comes in as fine a grade as 0000....Might be difficult to find unless you have an Industrial Distributor buddy, but it does exist...

The shredding, coating and rusting scenarios are largely eliminated with this stuff....

Care...

Thanks for the extra tips and information
by: Michelle

Thanks for the extra tips and info on the steel wool - those are all things that are helpful and good to know!
Since I only fuse fine silver, I haven't had to worry about the soldering pickle part - but it's a good thing to know something I'll keep in mind as yes,....it does tend to get tiny particles all over - and for that, we should all be wearing masks (mouth/nose) so as not to inhale any of that nasty stuff!