[clmayfield]

Originally Posted by abby99

That's the image I was thinking of. Thanks, Links. The "tatoo" looks as if it's part of the design. Personally, I think it's a very cool look.

I can see how some might think it is cool... but I am far too anal to leave it there... It is like I know it is there. Even if nobody else does.

Anyway, for what I am doing (a replica), I need the tatoo to be gone.

-Carter Mayfield

[Midnight Rose]

This is weird. I bought 50 fairly worn Paulsons from Rimmeryan that I thought were hotstamps (the red RPC chips he offered earlier), with the intentions of removing the gold with the method EmptyPocs listed above. Only, none of the stamps came off at all, certainly not like they did with the Starbursts I used earlier. It makes me wonder if these were hotstamps at all, but I've never heard of a Paulson with anything but a hotstamp or a traditional inlay. Very, very weird.

Hmm. On the other hand, it may be that jewelry cleaner has a limited shelflife - because none of the Starbursts I've tossed in have their gold removed now, either. Maybe I'll need to go the Drano Max route after all.

One good thing came from this, though: these chips were gross before, and now they're pretty clean.

[JCTC]

I used the ethyl alcohol on Starburst Hotstamps and it worked well. I bought the jewelry cleaner and was scared that it'd discolor based on other posts.

[JCTC]

Definitely depends on the hotstamp design. I bought the blue chips that are in the picture and liked them so well I did more.

Originally Posted by clmayfield

I can see how some might think it is cool... but I am far too anal to leave it there... It is like I know it is there. Even if nobody else does.

Anyway, for what I am doing (a replica), I need the tatoo to be gone.

-Carter Mayfield

[Midnight Rose]

Originally Posted by JCTC

I used the ethyl alcohol on Starburst Hotstamps and it worked well. I bought the jewelry cleaner and was scared that it'd discolor based on other posts.

I was successful with it the first time around. Still can't figure out what changed this time.

[EmptyPocs]

my only guess is that if you left it open, the ammonia evaporated

is it still stinky?

I had my bottle a good 2 years before I noticed it dissolved the stamp foil

[Midnight Rose]

Originally Posted by EmptyPocs

my only guess is that if you left it open, the ammonia evaporated

is it still stinky?

I had my bottle a good 2 years before I noticed it dissolved the stamp foil

Hmm. I didn't leave it open - and it still stinks to high heaven - but I did reuse it; maybe it's a one-shot deal. If Drano Max works and is cheaper (and if I can find it), I'll give that a try. I gotta make this work.

[EmptyPocs]

Originally Posted by Midnight Rose

Hmm. I didn't leave it open - and it still stinks to high heaven - but I did reuse it; maybe it's a one-shot deal. If Drano Max works and is cheaper (and if I can find it), I'll give that a try. I gotta make this work.

I had been using it dilute in a seperate glass then dumping it after cleaning.
I suspected it turned a stamp from gold to silver and stuck one chip in at full strength and the stamp completely disolved (I had not expected that!).

If you were putting it all back in the bottle and it stopped working maybe the ammonia is now changed and not as strong or completely inert, or the solution now has the maximum it can dissolve and wont take any more.

If it still stinks I'dguess the ammonia is still good. Try cutting it with water to allow moreto dissolve.

Better still, just try ammonia, I'm assuming that is the active " exfoilaint " --the rest is non-sudsy detergent for the ultrasonic cleaner.

[Midnight Rose]

Originally Posted by EmptyPocs

Better still, just try ammonia, I'm assuming that is the active " exfoilaint " --the rest is non-sudsy detergent for the ultrasonic cleaner.

This brings me back to a question I had about ammonia, while I'm at it. JCTC mentioned using "ethyl alcohol" instead. Someone earlier said some other kind of alcohol. But I've only ever been able to find isopropyl (sp) alcohol at the drug stores around here. What's the difference?

But I think I'm going to move away from using ammonia-based products at all. It actually makes me dizzy to be exposed to it, and who needs a dizzy broad hanging around the house?

[JCTC]

I'm not a chemist, but my logic tells me there is a difference in ethyl and isopropyl alcohol because they put them in different packages. There is also a different smell. Ethyl alcohol smells like a harsh booze/vodka and isopropyl alcohol smells like a hospital. Past that, I don't know what the difference is is, and just went with it because that's what the thread said to do.

You should be able to find ethyl in the drug store as well, right next to isopropyl. They were in the same translucent white bottles right next to each other at the Walgreens. Look closely at the package.

Originally Posted by Midnight Rose

This brings me back to a question I had about ammonia, while I'm at it. JCTC mentioned using "ethyl alcohol" instead. Someone earlier said some other kind of alcohol. But I've only ever been able to find isopropyl (sp) alcohol at the drug stores around here. What's the difference?

But I think I'm going to move away from using ammonia-based products at all. It actually makes me dizzy to be exposed to it, and who needs a dizzy broad hanging around the house?