Hair removal

[bdinus]

Does anyone know of a way to remove hair that gets tangled and knotted in a necklace chain?

My wife has wads of hair tangled in her 14k gold necklace because she wears it all the time. Last time, she burned it out with a lighter, but it stunk up the house and blackened the chain. I'm afraid to damage it since she has had it since she was 10.

Any suggestions to get the hair out easily without causing damage?

[losthelm]

Depending on the weave it might pull out stand by strand.

Usualy I take some very sharp pointy scissors to help trim things frist before going at it with a pair of fine twezers.

[Tamren]

acid maybe? I'm pretty sure you can find something that dissolves hair but doesn't affect gold. Might even clean it in the process. Otherwise I agree with losthelm. cut all the loose loops you can see and pull them out as individual strands.

[bdinus]

Well, this a manufactured herringbone (I think) necklace. The hair is Wrapped around it so tight, it looks like a fuzz ball. I couldn't make out individual loops if i was getting paid for it!

I saw through Google that Nair might work. Any resident chemists know if it will harm the gold?

[lorenzo]

I don't have much experience with 14k but in the past I've used a a strong base to dissolve hair on 18k gold. Lye is very, very good at dissolving organics thats why they use it in drain cleaners. It won't harm the gold itself, but I'm not sure about any other metal that is in the alloy.

[sir_osis]

this is a new one on me. nair might work, but i'd be worried about messing up the chain. i still like the fire option.

[The Metaloids]

You could always try the 2 suggested chemical options, Lye and Nair, on some small spot of the chain, maybe near the clasp. Then it wouldn't likely show up if it did damage it. Or if you can find something cheap made out of gold, a broken necklace or something.

[bdinus]

I'm gonna try burning it off with a match. Apparently, that is less damaging than a lighter due to a lower temperature.

[Brian S.]

You could always use an exacto knife to cut the hair off, if you're afraid of damaging the gold via chemicals/fire. Works wonders for slicing hair.

~Brian

[magnacasa]

I'm gonna try burning it off with a match. Apparently, that is less damaging than a lighter due to a lower temperature.

The blackening was probably due to the butane in the lighter, it leaves a layer of "lamp-black." A match has a cleaner flame. I would suggest trimming off as much as possible before burning, to minimize the smell.

[losthelm]

Some herringbone waves open just a little if you give them just a little twist.

Reguard less if you decide to burn it off expect to spend some time with the polishing cloth or a sonic cleaner.

[bdinus]

The match really turned the trick! To avoid smelling up the house, we stepped out on the porch.

The match melted the hair to a crust that my wife chipped off with her thumbnail on the larger wads. Smaller tangles actually metled upward thanks to the heat rising. Very cool to see!

There is no residue on the necklace whatsoever and nothing to show that there was ever an issue. I rate this method a complete success. The only thing I would change is the type of match I used. Paper burned too quick. Next time, I'll use wooden.

Thanks for the help and suggestions!

[lorenzo]

Good to know, if I ever need to remove hair from jewelry again I'll try that instead of lye, much less dangerous.