Steel Jewelry and Oxidization

I got an email from a customer asking about how to protect steel jewelry from rusting. Although I think that rusty steel can be pretty dang neat, not everyone wants their jewelry to rust. I understand. :)

In the pictures below you will see the difference that time makes to steel jewelry. Dark annealed steel wire jewelry starts out looking dark gray or black, and after a few months will develop a rusty patina, reddish brown areas will develop and grow.


Here's some tips and tricks that might help people who want to keep their steel jewelry looking new.

If you have a piece of steel jewelry and it's begun to rust:

1) You'll need to buff the rust off of the piece using a very fine grade of steel wool. 0000 or 000. Buff in small movements "with the grain" of the wire. If you get some little hairs of steel wool stuck in the cracks and crevices, you should be able to pull them out with your fingers or a tweezers.

2) There are a variety of different treatments you can apply to the steel to help prevent it from rusting again. I would recommend a couple of light coats of rustoleum or another acrylic-based spray. This will evenly coat the piece without forming globs in the cracks and losing fine detail. You can also rub or brush on a layer of wax, but this tends to gunk up pieces like the ones pictured above. If you want to wax, use TreWax or a heavy-duty car wax. Then wipe with a lint-free cloth. (Old t-shirt material works great.)

3) The process will need to be repeated whenever you notice the piece has begun to rust again. Length of that time period depends largely on how much wear the piece is getting, as the protective coating will wear off as it rubs against skin or clothing.

If you are creating a piece of jewelry with steel wire:

1) If you want to brush the wire to bring up the shine and show the silver color underneath, do so before you begin working with the wire. Use a fine grade steel wool (0000 or 000) for shine, or a green scotch brite pad for matte finish.

2) Rub on a layer or two of wax. I recommend TreWax or a heavy-duty car wax. Then run the wire through a clean, lint-free cloth. (Old t-shirt material works great.)

3) Create your piece and spot treat any areas that your tools may have worn away the wax.

4) You may seal the piece with a couple of thin coats of rustoleum or another clear acrylic-based spray, if you choose.