Oxidize Silver With Eggs

Intro: Oxidize Silver With Eggs

You can use the sulfur in eggs to darken silver

• Supplies: Egg, silver pieces, zip lock bag (or tupperwear)
• Hard boil an egg (about 15 minutes).  You must complete the rest of the steps directly after the egg is boiled.
• Cut the egg in half, remove the yolk and place the yolk in a ziplock bag.
• Break the egg yolk up in the bag.
• Wash silver pieces, lightly wrap them in a piece of paper towel and place them in the bag.
• You could also place the silver directly into the egg.  This will make the reaction happen faster but the color may end up uneven.
• Place the bag aside for 24 hours and then check to see if the silver is dark enough.  If it is not, leave it for another day or 2.
• When the silver is the desired color, remove it from the bag, rinse with soap and water and buff.

Comments

[rie123az]

This is 100% incorrect. You need to use the white of the egg, not the yolk. The white of the egg is what gives off the sulfur. The yolk does absolutely nothing. I don't know who wrote this, but it either needs to be updated or taken down because currently it is wrong.

[TammyO20]

@rie123az You are absolutely correct that egg whites are effective. Both yolk and whites contain sulfur but egg whites are most effective. I just now watched an interesting experiment done by Online Jewelry Academy's YouTube channel. Four exact silver pieces were each placed in 4 separate bowls. The bowls contained air, egg yolk, egg white, and raw egg. Obviously, the air filled bowl did nothing and the egg white gave the most patina. I've seen so many people say to use only egg yolks. It's good to know what really works. As for me... I'd prevent making a mess and wasting time by tossing the unpeeled egg in a baggie and squish it all around. Easiest cleanup ever!😄

[rie123az]

I did this. I was trying to make a really, really shiny ring darker with patina. I used super fine sandpaper and lightly buffed it and then I boiled an egg, took out the yolk, didn't mash anything up, just smashed to the ring down into the white. It really didn't take but about an hour and it was nicely patinaed.