I'm Loving........Liver Of Sulphur XL Gel

Noticing my supply of Liver of Sulphur chunks was running low recently I thought I'd better order some more. I've found getting hold of the chunks quite hard recently so I was interested to see my usual supplier Joy Funnel of ArtClayUK on eBay was now stocking Liver Of Sulphur XL Gel.

It's a stable gel form with an extended life hence "XL" which is ideal as the chunks tend to lose their effect after a couple of months and must be kept away from moisture. I've used the liquid form of Liver Of Sulphur once before which is available from Kernowcraft in the UK, £2.95 for 10ml but found it wasn't very economical and the results could be a bit patchy, so I was interested to see how I would get on with the XL Gel.

The XL Gel from ArtClayUK costs £6.95 for 30ml and comes in a plastic bottle with a nozzle top. I tend to oxidise maybe five or six pieces of jewellery at a time (I can't face polishing up more than that at once!) and the tiniest amount will give the desired results - I take the top off and dip just the end of a knife into the bottle then dissolve the gel on the knife in the hot water and that's plenty to get a dark grey colour on the Sterling Silver.
So despite the XL Gel being a bit more expensive than the chunks and liquid form I can see it's going to last me much longer so is more economical in the long run AND less messy than the chunks!

Sterling Silver oxidised and polished