Sterling silver life span

[vakmere]

I would like to buy a sterling silver Sedona kit to match up with a particular poly clay blank however I dont know much about the metal. Is it plated, real sterling, will it tarnish, what is the wear and tear factor on this, or is it just for looks?
Any help would be appreciated. It will be a sale item so I want it to have no finish issues if the owner uses it every day. I know it says a little sanding and CA as a finish but how much of each, will the ends need to be squared, etc. If a video exists that would be a plus. I have zero experience with this polyclay. Im a little nervous about the attempt but got thru other firsts so why not this?

 

[Smitty37]

I would like to buy a sterling silver Sedona kit to match up with a particular poly clay blank however I dont know much about the metal. Is it plated, real sterling, will it tarnish, what is the wear and tear factor on this, or is it just for looks?
Any help would be appreciated. It will be a sale item so I want it to have no finish issues if the owner uses it every day. I know it says a little sanding and CA as a finish but how much of each, will the ends need to be squared, etc. If a video exists that would be a plus. I have zero experience with this polyclay. Im a little nervous about the attempt but got thru other firsts so why not this?

Sterling Silver is a specificc silver alloy and will exhibit all of the pros and cons of 'silver'. It usually has a clear epoxy coating over it which will slow down tarnish but it will tarnish just as Sterling Silver place settings will. It is quite bright - brighter in fact than Rhodium or platinum. It is a little pricy but that is just due to scarcity rather than costs. Given a choice I would go with Rhodium rather than Sterling Silver. My personal opinion is that it is sort of a marketing gimic.

 

[skiprat]

The phrase Sterling Silver should not be used when referring to plated kit pens.Or anything else plated for that matter.
This rip off phrase ranks right alongside the IPG nibs.

 

[Smitty37]

The phrase Sterling Silver should not be used when referring to plated kit pens.Or anything else plated for that matter.
This rip off phrase ranks right alongside the IPG nibs.

The term Sterling Silver Plate has been used on silverware for years. Since Sterling Silver is a specific alloy there is really no reason why something can't be plated with it. I know there is controversy about use of the term...but modern society here in the western world has taken to calling many things by the wrong name - it's just something we have to put up with.

 

[skiprat]

Leroy, you can put up with it if you wish, and add to the ignorance. I'll continue to believe that is just a 'marketing gimmick' ( another name for fraud or theft) used to rip off the ignorant .:wink:

 

[Smitty37]

Leroy, you can put up with it if you wish, and add to the ignorance. I'll continue to believe that is just a 'marketing gimmick' ( another name for fraud or theft) used to rip off the ignorant .:wink:

Well we both have to live with it and I don't think I have enough life left to waste any of it worrying about it. When I got married nearly 53 years ago my bride and I got a set of silverware. It was clearly sold as "sterling silver plate" and it was plated. So the term has been misused for at least that long.

When I reached my 25th anniversary with IBM I received as a gift from the company a set of silverware that was actually Sterling Silver.

 

[Harley2001]

I do plating a I do plate with silver.

 

[Smitty37]

I do plating a I do plate with silver.

how fine?

 

[edstreet]

I have a call in to three the suppliers, not vendors on this topic. Will be posting the results as I get them.

 

[edstreet]

Will post more when I'm home. Long story short is no tarnish and wears like chrome plating.

 

[Smitty37]

Will post more when I'm home. Long story short is no tarnish and wears like chrome plating.

I have not talked to any suppliers, but I have owned Sterling Silver items (not cheap immitations either) and they did tarnish. It might be possible that there is a new alloy that qualifies as Sterling Silver (92.5% Sllver 7.5% other metal that is usually copper but does not have to be)that will not tarnish, but certainly the original formula does.

 

[edstreet]

I would like to buy a sterling silver Sedona kit to match up with a particular poly clay blank however I dont know much about the metal. Is it plated, real sterling, will it tarnish, what is the wear and tear factor on this, or is it just for looks?
Any help would be appreciated. It will be a sale item so I want it to have no finish issues if the owner uses it every day. I know it says a little sanding and CA as a finish but how much of each, will the ends need to be squared, etc. If a video exists that would be a plus. I have zero experience with this polyclay. Im a little nervous about the attempt but got thru other firsts so why not this?

To properly finish polymer clay tubes the first thing you need to do is asses the surface condition of the tube. You need to remove a VERY thin layer and get blemishes such as finger prints, dust and the like off. I highly suggest you start the lathe turned OFF, then lightly sand from bushing to bushing using 800 grit then 1500 grit (approx there about). Then you want to clean the tube entirely by hand, NO CHEMICALS. NONE. At this point you can quickly see the areas that must be build up and the areas that just need a light coating. You may have valleys and mountains and the valleys must be FILLED with CA.

Secondly you will do your standard CA finish, using whatever amounts that is needed to do the job. I can not tell you the number of people who will chime in and say how they do it but every one of them fails to know how much is needed in your case. The volume needed varies according to the job at hand.

I am unable to speak for some of the clay artist but I do have extensive experience with many of them. I can tell you the end trimming is a minor issue and I have a howto guide in my signature line on trimming the ends, i.e. lapping.

As for a video goes, this is something that I will have to take it upon myself to make one and it is on my bucket list

Please message me if for any detailed information needed but sorry no trade secrets can be given out.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEESbgJCNcI

This is a short clip that I did on a properly finished 10x loupe tested CA finish. The tube is from Toni Ransfield.

This above pen is in a sterling silver sedona.

 

[edstreet]

As for the rest who wants the lowdown on the sterling silver see this thread please.


www.penturners.org/forum/f14/sterling-silver-low-down-info-goes-here-132118/

 

[vakmere]

Thank you all for helping me research this subject. Seems that Silver - sterling plated or not - could be problematic should the user want to have this as an every day use pen. Finger oils and whatnot. Some maintenance/cleaning of the areas where the fingers go may be in order over time. The edstreet photo shows a beautifly done fountain pen, I wouldnt want to handle it without white gloves. For practical purposes I think I would go chrome unless this is going into a permanant display to showcase the turners skill. The finishing technique seems to be specific for this type of blank so I will adhere to that and not be in a hurry to get it done. Paying attention to the peaks and valleys. This is great. Sorry if this caused a little debate however it was a big help. When I complete this I'll post it. I do like a challenge......except at some golf courses where I cant see the green from the tree line

 

[Smitty37]

Use Rhodium, Gold Ti, Black Ti, Chrome or Black Chrome closely followed by Gun Metal which looks a lot like black ti.

 

[edstreet]

Thank you all for helping me research this subject. Seems that Silver - sterling plated or not - could be problematic should the user want to have this as an every day use pen. Finger oils and whatnot. Some maintenance/cleaning of the areas where the fingers go may be in order over time. The edstreet photo shows a beautifly done fountain pen, I wouldnt want to handle it without white gloves. For practical purposes I think I would go chrome unless this is going into a permanant display to showcase the turners skill. The finishing technique seems to be specific for this type of blank so I will adhere to that and not be in a hurry to get it done. Paying attention to the peaks and valleys. This is great. Sorry if this caused a little debate however it was a big help. When I complete this I'll post it. I do like a challenge......except at some golf courses where I cant see the green from the tree line

No need for white gloves. Truth of the matter is any and all plating will damage if mistreated. Any pen that is treated good will last, even the weaker paint plating.

Also truth of the matter is chrome, rhodium, sterling, platinum or any other types will suffice for the job at hand. What is very critical is the ambiance of the plating to blank and the nib and the trim and the environment.

 

[Smitty37]

Thank you all for helping me research this subject. Seems that Silver - sterling plated or not - could be problematic should the user want to have this as an every day use pen. Finger oils and whatnot. Some maintenance/cleaning of the areas where the fingers go may be in order over time. The edstreet photo shows a beautifly done fountain pen, I wouldnt want to handle it without white gloves. For practical purposes I think I would go chrome unless this is going into a permanant display to showcase the turners skill. The finishing technique seems to be specific for this type of blank so I will adhere to that and not be in a hurry to get it done. Paying attention to the peaks and valleys. This is great. Sorry if this caused a little debate however it was a big help. When I complete this I'll post it. I do like a challenge......except at some golf courses where I cant see the green from the tree line

No need for white gloves. Truth of the matter is any and all plating will damage if mistreated. Any pen that is treated good will last, even the weaker paint plating.

Also truth of the matter is chrome, rhodium, sterling, platinum or any other types will suffice for the job at hand. What is very critical is the ambiance of the plating to blank and the nib and the trim and the environment.

Ed, this might be the best statement you've ever posted.