[TheForge] silver wire questions

[Dave Brown]

At 02:58 12/17/02 -0600, you wrote:
>hello;
>
>in going through a box of misc. items in the shop i found two spools of
>labeled jeweler wire silver b&s 30 1000 ft each. date on the label is
>4-29-80. 22 year old silver wire looks like new to me.

Terry,

Thinking further .... if the wire is that old and still looks new, then it 
may already be rhodium plated.  If you are braiding and/or twisting the 
wire by hand then it is quite possible that you won't have to worry about 
preventing tarnish.  It may already have been taken care of for you by the 
manufacturer.  It doesn't take long for silver to tarnish and if there 
wasn't some plating or other coating on the wire it surely would have 
tarnished over the last 22 years.


Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI
ABANA, UMBA, GoM, MODA, ARG