Cleaning annealed inlay metals

[AllenClapp]

When heated, some metals used for inlay will oxidize more than others. When you anneal inlay metal, do you clean off the oxide before inlaying it. If so, which of the following metals do you clean and how do you clean it?
Gold?
Fine Silver?
Copper?
Brass?

 

[John B.]

Gold, silver I clean with Acetone before inlay.
Copper and brass I pull through an abrasive pad or 600 paper and then acetone.
It is a good idea to wipe down all inlay materials to remove any traces of hand acid.
Two dissimilar metal in contact with any acid are a set-up for future electrolyzes.

 

[AllenClapp]

Gold, silver I clean with Acetone before inlay.
Copper and brass I pull through an abrasive pad or 600 paper and then acetone.
It is a good idea to wipe down all inlay materials to remove any traces of hand acid.
Two dissimilar metal in contact with any acid are a set-up for future electrolyzes.

Great point about the hand acid; acetone will clean that off. I haven't been doing that on my practice inlays, but it would make sense for me to start. I usually don't wear latex gloves, so it sounds like, once I get the wire tacked in at the start, it would be appropriate to give the rest of the wire a gentle acetone swipe before hammering it in.