Pickle

[JonLendrum]

Hello,

I bought some safety pickle from cookson a long time ago without really knowing anything about it. So i just have a bag of clear bead like things in a bag which is pickle. First of all how the hell do I use it, someone told me to buy a slow cooker. Is that right? Do you mix it with water to create the solution?

Also do you use it for cleaning up all metals? Once you make the solution how long will it last?

Basically if someone could give me a run down on how to use it would be amazing!!

Thanks

Jon

[mizgeorge]

You should have a datasheet in there somewhere with the mix ratios. Mixing with warm water is quicker to start with, and then use either a pickle pot, baby bottle warmer or small slow cooker (on keep warm setting). I'm very lazy and only change my pickle when it's really quite dark blue and so filthy that stuff is getting lost in it - probably every six months or so. In the meantime, just top up with water to replace that which has evaporated. It's on all day, pretty much every day and I scrape down any dried crystals from the side of the pot back into the solution every few days. I work with the lid on, and just tilt it at an angle when I need to drop things in.

I use alum, at an initial ratio of a tablespoon and a bit (so about 20g) to about 400ml of water, which is just the right depth in my slow cooker for pretty much anything I make.

I'm sure others do things differently though!

[JonLendrum]

Thanks for the that George, once i mix it would i have to keep the slow cooker on constantly or can you let the mix go cold and then warm up the next day?

[mizgeorge]

I top up if necessary and switch mine on in the morning, about half an hour before I'm going to need to use it, and switch it off when I'm done for the day.

[Dennis]

Pickle is used as a warm solution after annealing and soldering, to remove discolouration and flux from the metal. Tiny bits and pieces can be left in a plastic tea strainer and lifted out when ready.

A dish of clean water is kept nearby, to dunk your piece in afterwards. That said it is wise to remove all traces of pickle when you are quite finished, preferably in a warm soda crystal solution and then clean water again as even small traces of pickle can be an irritant to some people.

Also note that for silver you must avoid putting any iron object into safety pickle with it, as it will cause the deposition of copper, turning your piece pink.

I do pretty much like George and only change the brew when it gets too murky. Also I use a safety pickle and alum mixture, just because I have them and the metal , usually silver, comes out nice and white and is ready more quickly.

How much you put in, depends a bit on how impatient you are to get your pieces out again. For me it's about two minutes, so I add more pickle if the solution is being slow. It also takes a while to heat up so I usually switch on about an hour before I need it and keep it on a low setting. At the end of the day it is turned off.

Lastly, if getting a slow cooker it is worth finding an oval one, to accommodate longer objects and straightened wires. Dennis.

[JonLendrum]

Wise words as always, thanks for the response! Is it just used for silver or can i put white gold and yellow gold in there?

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate the advice

Jon

[Dennis]

Yes Jon,
You can use the same brew both separately or together for all grades of silver, gold, copper and brass. Beware of iron contamination when there is silver being pickled as mentioned above.
However the effect of iron ceases if you can retrieve it from the bath. To reverse the deposition of copper on silver, you add hydrogen peroxide. Dennis