UPDATE----Speed Brite

[Tela]

Someone asked me about the Speed Brite and now I can't find the thread to answer - so here is info on the Speed Brite.

SB is an ionic cleaner. It works by placing a tiny charge on a piece of metal resting in a liquid bath of cleaner. The mild current lifts dirt and other things off the metal. This may not be an exact analogy, but I like to think of it as the opposite of electroplating. Instead of using current to put something ON the metal, you are using it to take stuff OFF the metal.

SB is very, very safe to use, both for yourself and for your jewelry.

What I love to do with it, just for fun because it is so pretty and amazing to see, is to clean diamond jewelry. No matter how clean you think yours is, SB will show you what the word sparkle really means!!! All diamond jewelry should be cleaned daily with a SB. It is just that fabulous.

I used to avoid sterling silver jewelry like the plague because I so despise how it tarnishes, but now, my SB keeps it looking like fine silver. It does a really beautiful job on silver. It has saved more than one great chain that was almost trash because of stubborn tarnish in hard to reach pieces.

I use it to clean all my jewelry, with one exception: be careful with purposely oxidized pieces, especially copper!!! It will remove your oxidation. But, it can be used carefully. I've done it. You can see your pieces being cleaned, so you can pull it out before it get s *too* clean.

I use it to do a final cleaning before sale, I use it to clean metal before torching, I use it to clean after tumbling, I use it to help remove firescale. I use it to clean before LOS. I use it ALL the time! It is tied with my tumbler in terms of usefulness.

Like the tumbler, once you get one- you will wonder how you ever did without one.

----------------

I updated my blog to include pictures of experiments with it.

They are relatively expensive, especially for how simple and lo tech they are. But, FDJ has a large one on sale right now. www.fdjtool.com/ProductInfo/23.2E_650.aspx You can find them at a lot of supply places, but shop around because prices vary. My DH got me mine for cheap on eBay when we didn't have the extra money for one. I had wanted one for years and he got me one for my birthday a long time ago. Still works like new. I bought more of the liquid and a plug because, on my small unit, the battery wore out too quick. But, only the small one has batteries. The battery unit is good for taking it to shows, if you do them.

So, was I a good commercial? LOL! Seriously, I swear by mine and if it's in your budget, I strongly recommend one.

[Tela]

I blogged about this and added some pictures, if you want to see them. telaformosa.blogspot.com/2012/01/ugly-firescale-vs-speed-brite.html

[marytucker]

You were such a good commerical I now feel i can't live without one of these things that I never had!! I want one, but I did balk at the price. Maybe I'll try ebay too.

[glenda]

Me too Mary! ;D

Im going to check them out!

EDITED TO ADD:

Can't find any on Ebay in the UK!!

[Kate]

OMG! I went to FDJ today and bought the SB. I cleaned the argentium and gold chain maille bracelet that turned dull and grey from my Harbor Freight barrel that was leaching. Wow! It is beautiful again. Just like new! I had spent so much time cleaning and polishing it and thought I got all that grey off. SB sure proved me wrong!

[Tela]

Good save! Amazing, isn't it? ;D

[wickwire]

My Speedbrite is one of the best things I ever bought. I do outdoor shows in the summer, and because of the heat and humidity, much of the jewelry has to be cleaned every week. I can't even begin to count how many hours of work it's saved me. At the time I bought mine, I found the best price at Gesswein.com.

[Tela]

I live in a very high humidity area, too. SB is a life saver!

[livewire]

Tela, the Speedbrite people should put you on their payroll.

I went from never having heard of this until a week ago, to deciding I absolutely needed it. I ordered one today.

Joyce

[Tela]

You won't regret it, I promise.

It's sad that it is so expensive for what it is, but as far as I know, no one else makes one. They have the market cornered.

When I first got mine, I spent the day cleaning all my jewelry. Some of it, I even thought WAS clean already. SB proved me wrong!

[shiny]

You really should be in sales, Tela. Mine will be here Wednesday.

[christine]

They have now sold so many...mine is on back order. Should not have debated so long about purchasing. I guess I have lived this long without one, I can wait a little longer

[livewire]

Sold out?!! Sorry, Christine. I guess Tela and Nancy have started something here!

I hope it'll work for my chainmaille chains. Tumbling them just to clean is a pain, as the shot gets caught inside (mainly in certain types roundmaille, that are somewhat hollow).

I'll let you know...

Joyce

[Tela]

Maybe it is the supplier and not the manufacture that is out.

[Kate]

I just told two of my friends last week about SB at FDJ and they each bought one.

Livewire - I had trouble with my tumbler when I tumbled an argentium and gold chain maille bracelet (It turned grey). I spent so much time trying to polish and clean it. I got my SB and now it looks like how it started out. It's so shiney! I'm thrilled with it!

[christine]

My Speed Brite just arrived so back order was not long at all. I am off to polish some jewelry.

[Kate]

Christine - What do you think? It's great, isn't it? I'm so glad I bought mine!

[Tela]

I feel very confident that you all will thoroughly enjoy your SB.

Besides diamond jewelry being so amazing in it, it will save your silver chains. I had some I could never quite get clean and it irked me because I like the bright silver look. For those real stubborn chains, it took a few cycles, but SB brought them back. Now, all my silver chains are so awesome and clean that they are hard to photograph LOL! Guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

I emailed SB and told them I was their best salesperson, but they never emailed back Bummer.

[Tela]

BTW-------- It doesn't polish, it cleans, but it cleans so well that after you dry and just wipe with a cloth, it will shine/polish.

[livewire]

Tela, in your first post above, you said you use your Speed Brite for, among other things, cleaning before torching and after tumbling. Why?

Joyce

[Tela]

Good question, Joyce. SB does a real good job getting into the spaces that me and the tumbler can't get into. So, after I tumble, I use SB to make sure no funk from the tumbler got into hard to reach places. Tumbling is great for lots of things and it does clean, but it doesn't always clean very well. A quick 30 seconds in the SB and I KNOW it is clean after tumbling. For torching, I just think it is best to start with wire with as few contaminates on it as possible. I don't have to use SB in each case, but I can, so I do and I don't mind.

[livewire]

Thanks for your answer, Tela. I now have another question.

The directions with my Speed Brite say to clean silver for only 5-10 seconds, then rinse. Can redo. if tarnish is still there. I saw an ad for another ionic cleaner that said not to use it for silver.

Why the cautions?

Joyce

[Kate]

Funny, I was going to write about this yesterday. Speedbrite rescued me again. I had an order for the chainmaille bracelet made of argentium and gold. I had issues with the first bracelet I made. The argentium was soft and I had to tumble it forever and it ended up turning grey. For some reason the tumbling would not harden the argentium!? Anyway, it was a Harbor Freight barrel where the rubber seeped into the water. Speedbrite cleaned it right up. Yesterday, I was reading that to harden argentium it needs to bake at 428F for two hours. I put the new chainmaille along with my first one in corning ware and tossed it into the oven. I checked it at a half hour, it was fine. Then I checked it at an hour, the silver was grey and the gold was brown! Of course I took it out in a panic. I let it cool down and let Speedbrite do it's job. Speedbrite to the rescue! It took at least 6 cleanings before they started showing a difference. In the end, I was able to polish them back to their sparkling selves. Long winded story but Speedbrite works well on silver and many times over. I'm not sure why it's not recommended.

This brings me to another question but it is not about Speedboat. How long can Argentina and gold filled tumble? I probably tumbled that first bracelet 6 -7 hours. It still wasn't hardened. I don't know what too long is and I'm afraid of losing the silver or gold.

[Tela]

Joyce, I have no idea why the second says not to use on silver. Perhaps their solution is different. I use it for silver all the time and for longer than they say. I can't explain it. Maybe, the process removes a microscopic layer of metal and too much will remove a lot. Can't say I've ever seen a problem, though, and I I've been using mine for years.

[livewire]

I really appreciate your input, Kate.

I still haven't had the courage to "bake" my Argentium necklace and gold-filled and Argentium bracelet. They are made from purchased jump rings, and the vendor said they had been tumbled for hours. I thought they seemed a little softer than regular sterling when working with them. I tumbled the finished pieces, and I also had a few tiny rings come undone. This comment really doesn't belong under this Speed Brite thread ...

I would still like to find out about the cautions for silver in the ionic cleaner.

Joyce

[Tela]

I have tumbled goldfill all night many times. However, with square wire you need to be careful because the gold fill is so soft it can round or wear the sharp edges. Whenever I'm in doubt, I just tumble and check it every few hours. I used to use only goldfill and was always worried about taking off the gold, but it never wore through. I won't buff it with a dremel, though, that's for sure.

[laura]

I'm quite sad after reading this.. Want. No, NEED.

Tela - if one needs a tumbler and this magic one, which one should go first on the wishlist?

[Tela]

Laura- I think tumbler, then SB. You can clean other ways but there is not much of a substitute for the tumbler.