Hello!

[Susana Sá Monteiro]

I am a Portuguese Jewellery technician, could anybody tell me what is the product you use here in the UK, to clean gold after soldiering and also to clean used pieces? In Portugal we use sulfuric acid with water, but there is also a dust you mixed with water, we call whitening, that have the same effect. where can i get this kind of product?...many thanks for your answers...:)

[Goldsmith]

here in the UK we call the chemical used in cleaning gold after soldering "pickle" , I am an older trade trained goldsmith and I still use a sulphuric acid with water pickle, I mix my own by adding 1 measure of sulphuric acid to 4 of water. I am not sure what you mean by whitening, but I use what we call whiting for polishing some objects, this is just a fine gipsum or talcum powder used with a soft brush, sometimes mixed with water. I am sure that many others will recommend their favourite pickle mixtures but I have never seen the need to change my old methods.
I buy my acid supplies from laboratory supply companies like this; http://www.reagent.co.uk/sulphuric-acid

James

[Anna Wales]

Same as James. I've always used sulphuric acid and water picjkle, again probably because of my age !! I'd thought of trying some of the newer solutions but it's what I'm used to so I'll stick with it. Also use the same supplier for the acid.

[ps_bond]

The sulphuric I've got knocking about is actually drain cleaner and a bit manky - it's good for cleaning forge scale off (and zinc from galvanised steel) but not so nice as jewellery pickle. I tend to use sodium bisulphate; not keen on citric acid but it'll do in a pinch.

Thanks for the reagent.co.uk link James - I see they do nitric too, very useful.

[Susana Sá Monteiro]

Thank you all for the answers, and for the link James;)
I am just trying to get in to the Jewellery world here in the UK. It has been very hard.
My main creations are in stainless steel:

Please give me opinions if you think i should invest in this kind of work here in the UK.
I live in South East, Aldershot. Does anybody round here are interested in working stainless steel?

[art925]

As an alternative to the acid route Susana, you could try alum. It is a mineral salt I think, used in food preservation, pickling etc. I purchase mine from my local pharmacist, but many on the forum in the UK are struggling to obtain it so simply these days and purchase online. As peter said, citric acid is another alternative pickle and vinegar will also work if warmed, but for me the fumes are impossible. I think sulphuric will pickle better, but I don't like too many chemicals.

[mizgeorge]

I only use alum, and that may be what you're thinking of as it's commonly found in powder form. It can easily be bought at Asian supermarkets as it's used for pickling vegetables and fruit.