new guy looking for advice

[sam.k]

hello all. I have very recently got into making the odd bit of silver jewellery and have decided to have a poke at making prong settings and playing with other soldering bits and pieces.
the questions I have are -
my space is limited to a little area in my large bedroom, how dangerous is pickle? does it smell? will it give of nasty fumes?
solder I am well versed in so that's a non issue but I am a little concerned with the pickle process. what do you do with it when your finished? will it burn skin if there is a slip up?
sorry to seem a bit naïve but ive no experience using acids (who usually does?)
many thanks
Sam

[Stacey]

Hi Sam,

I use the Vitex pickle from Cookson. When it's spent you can either neutralize it with bicarb or just add lots of water toss and let it go down the drain ... this is per Cookson's instructions. No fumes and no smell. It's used in some human foods, animal feed, swimming pools and cleaning products too. It is sodium bisulphate (bisulfate) so again you can do some research and learn all about it. As a pickle it's pretty concentrated so you do need to be cautious; as you would with any type of acid. It works as well and as quickly as the sulfuric acid my tutor uses in her studio ... which is the kind of stuff I really would not want to mess with in a home environment.

There are lots of other recipes for safety pickles which involve a mix of vinegar and salt (which must smell!), alum or citric acid. I believe Cookson also sell a citric acid based pickle, but it's readily available elsewhere as a cooking ingredient. Again, although they may sound "safe" they are still acids and you need to be cautious. If you do a web search for safety pickles for jewellery making I'm sure you will find lots of info.

[trialuser]

Don't drink it, don't get it in your eyes and don't have a wee with it on your fingers and you'll be fine.

[Stacey]

Don't drink it, don't get it in your eyes and don't have a wee with it on your fingers and you'll be fine.

The latter two apply to cooking with chillis too. :-)

[marna]

I keep safety pickle in a little glass mason jar - it goes into a crockpot of hot water if I'm in a hurry, but I usually just use it cold. It takes a bit longer but that's ok. It's sodium bisulphate - not nearly as terrifying as sulphuric acid! I'm careful about breathing it in when it's hot, but I've splashed my fingers a few times and not burned any holes in my skin. (I rinse it off pretty sharpish though)

If you're worried, though, you could try using vinegar, lemon juice or a citric acid powder instead. There are plenty of recipes online. Although hot vinegar really reeks. When I've used it in a dyepot for acid-dying wool the whole house would stink of it - so much that I switched over to lemon juice instead.

[Dennis]

Safety pickle is what it says, safe enough not to burn holes in things, but many people are sensitive to it and get an itchy or tingly feeling from residues on jewellery or any surfaces at home.

However there is no need to use it at all because a very good result can be achieved with alum solution. Alum is available on-line, from a chemist, or from Indian grocery stores. It needs to be used quite warm, but many of us use a slow cooker as a pickle pot, and that takes care of that. Dennis.

[CJ57]

I use safety pickle. Always used to use alum and then couldn't get it anymore and my chemist couldn't find it. I see it's now easily bought online again so will probably go back to it. It's easier used in a small slow cooker which can be bought for £20 or less and works quicker hot as Marna has said.

[sam.k]

Alum like an alum block you use after shaving?
I've got safety pickle coming so as long as it's not going to gas my sleeping area I shall use it.
So after soldering you quench, pickle and the neutralize?

[CJ57]

Some people air cool, some quench, air cooling doesn't stress a large piece of soldering. Pickle then rinse under the tap, so if you can put your pickle somewhere more convenient to water that's always helpful, then dry off on a bit of kitchen towel.

I don't shave so not sure if it's the same thing

[jayneharrison]

Although hot vinegar really reeks.

I'm now using the Cooksons safety pickle in a tiny 1 litre slow cooker but when I first began making at home, I pickled in a ramekin of white vinegar with a teaspoon of sea salt added to it. When warmed (by standing in a pan of boiled water with the heat off) as marna says, it reeked to high heaven BUT I found it to be just as effective as the safety pickle I use now, believe it or not!