On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 20:44:10 -0700, in ôô "Lamedeer"
wrote:

I work with silver only and I never heat my pickle pot. I find it to be not
necessary. But, I'm not concerned about volume production.

Cold is also a lot safer, and then you can store it just in something like a
tupperware plastic container, and use it there too (so long as the silver is cool
before you put it in the pickle)


If you are concerned about using sulfuric acid (Sparex) in the kitchen then,
if you are working with silver, Tarnex works as well although differently.
It's not as toxic. But, your pickle pot probably isn't as acidic as the
vinigar you use unless you mix it to the point of non-ionization.

Sparex is considerably safer than actual sulphuric acid, primarily in that it
doesn't fume the way the acid does, and though it will still attack things like
cotton fabric or wood, it doesn't significantly (or at least, rapidly) burn skin.

Tarnex is not actually a pickle. It is Thiourea, and acts pretty much only to
remove silver or copper sulphides, which is the black tarnish one sees forming
over time (or with liver of sulphur) on sterling. However, it doesn't
effectively remove copper OXIDES, which are what form upon heating and
soldering, and is not much more effective at removing flux residues than is plain
water.

Alternatives to Sparex that have been mentioned in this group or elsewhere a

the same chemical, but cheaper, and purer than the jewelry tools supply versions,
sold at hardware stores or spa and swimming pool supply places, as products named
things like "ph down" or "spa down", used for reducing the ph of the water in
such things. Look for a product who's main ingredient is sodium bisulphate.
Thats the main active ingredient in Sparex and the other professional products,
but packaged for pool use, actually seems usually cheaper, and purer. works the
same, with a bit less mess (Sparex brand tends to produce a yellowish scum that
leaves an annoying ring on ones container...

Citric acid. Can be food grade or industrial. used in much the same way as
sparex, either cold or warmed. considerably slower than sodium bisulphate
pickles, but is reported to be quite effective even so, if one has some patience.
And unlike the sodium bisulphate, it's essentially non-toxic in all but the most
concentrated forms (be careful not to inhale the dry powder)

Alum, as used in making pickles (the cucumber type). Found in the spice section
of the grocery store. Much more effective when hot. A bit slow as a pickle for
removing oxides, but works well enough. Has a long established traditional
jewelry use as well, as a solvent for removing broken steel drill bits from gold
or silver without any harm to those metals. For that use, it's boiled...

One reader at one point reported using vinegar and a bit of salt. I've not tried
that, but he/she said it seemed to work... Once you've used it to dissolve
soldering flux and oxides, you probably should not, when you're done with the
jewelry, use the waste pickle in your salad dressing...

Hope that helps.

Peter Rowe