BearTricks
Established Member
I had a chain bracelet lying round that I thought was gold, but I stupidly followed some advice on the internet and used a homemade cleaning solution of vinegar, baking soda etc and it turned parts of it pink indicating it was brass.
I read this is the zinc dissolving and leaving a layer of copper behind. This can apparently be removed fairly easy with wet and dry.
What threw me was that I initially used an old tube of autosol to sand the clasp and it turned the whole thing copper coloured for some reason. 600 grit fixed this so I just assumed the chain had the same issue. By the time I realised it wasn’t working I’d made it worse. It is fiddly so it’s difficult to see if I’m making it worse until it’s too late.
I think what has happened is that the bracelet is brass plated copper, while the clasp is solid brass so while I managed to sand the copper layer off the clasp, I’ve just sanded the plating off the chain. I don’t know if brass plated copper is a thing so I’m hoping it isn’t gold. It’s only a cheap (I think) thing from M&S but I’m a bit gutted I’ve ruined it and in all honesty it was only a bit grubby beforehand so I didn’t really need to polish it at all.
Does anyone know enough about jewellery to tell me if my hunch is right? And is it worth me trying a chemical solution? I’ve read online that an ammonia solution can fix pink brass.
If it is brass plated copper it’s irritating because I can turn it pink then sand the brass off in the process of fixing it, without realising that I’ve sanded in to the copper itself.
I read this is the zinc dissolving and leaving a layer of copper behind. This can apparently be removed fairly easy with wet and dry.
What threw me was that I initially used an old tube of autosol to sand the clasp and it turned the whole thing copper coloured for some reason. 600 grit fixed this so I just assumed the chain had the same issue. By the time I realised it wasn’t working I’d made it worse. It is fiddly so it’s difficult to see if I’m making it worse until it’s too late.
I think what has happened is that the bracelet is brass plated copper, while the clasp is solid brass so while I managed to sand the copper layer off the clasp, I’ve just sanded the plating off the chain. I don’t know if brass plated copper is a thing so I’m hoping it isn’t gold. It’s only a cheap (I think) thing from M&S but I’m a bit gutted I’ve ruined it and in all honesty it was only a bit grubby beforehand so I didn’t really need to polish it at all.
Does anyone know enough about jewellery to tell me if my hunch is right? And is it worth me trying a chemical solution? I’ve read online that an ammonia solution can fix pink brass.
If it is brass plated copper it’s irritating because I can turn it pink then sand the brass off in the process of fixing it, without realising that I’ve sanded in to the copper itself.
