Just a word of warning Dave - all crock pots are not created equal! Pickle ate through the ceramic liner of my first crock pot - down the the heating element beneath. I now use a pyrex bowl full of pickle inside a crock pot full of warm water. It takes longer to heat up the pickle but is working well.
Hi Sharon. Thanks for the tip. I guess it also depends what you put in it. I use the vitex and mine is still like new inside - No corrosion at all. Its also the same model sold my most jeweler suppliers. But I do agree it's good to check suitability first and keep a regular eye on it for corrosion. Thanks for sharing. Dave.
Brilliant and clear information for a newbie like myself Thankyou. Can I just ask if you would remove the residue by simply sanding and polishing? I have seen this done with a tumbler but I can't afford one yet.
Good question. The hotter the better really. I use boiling water from the kettle when making up a new batch or topping up the pot. My pickle pot (slow cooker), doesn't quit boil the liquid, but is obviously hot enough to cook food. (Obviously this is dedicated just for pickle.). Thanks for watching. Dave
Love this video, confirms a lot I've learned for silver soldering for building ball and socket stop motion armatures, but I do have to ask, is it work neutralizing the pickle acids with Bicarbonate of Soda, I was told the environmental impact of the pickle straight down the drain isn't a good idea, but it also wasn't explained why so if you do happen to know anything it would be great to get some additional confirmation :-)
Pickle is a mild acid, there are different variations (some using just food grade citric acid) , but most "decent" pickles are Sulphuric Acid. So yes, you can neutralise it with an alkaline like bicarbonate of soda. OR alternatively dilute it to nothing, by tipping the pickle pot into a large bucket of water before disposal. so neutralising or diluting will eliminate any acidic effect. Dave
Hay Dave. Why do some people say to use baking soda to rinse after pickle? And some say just regular water? I also hear them say baking soda for after liver of sulphur as well?? And some say regular water? What's your opinion??
Pickle is a weak acid to remove oxides and dissolve any flux. The baking soda is alkaline, so acts to neutralise any acid on the item when you rinse it. Certainly useful if you are using sulphuric acid pickle, or vitex which is indeed strongly acidic. As for liver of sulphur, the solution you use to oxide silver is so weak, its pretty much just water anyway, certainly not acidic. So I'm not sure using baking soda afterwards makes any real difference over just rinsing in water. Personally I just rinse everything in water, simple as that. Dave.
Is there any way to reverse the orange coating from a delicate chain without sanding? I accidentally put a piece of jewelry that I thought was silver and got that chemical reaction you mentioned. Thanks for sharing so much valuable information, I appreciate it very much.
+Ang Finn Certainly.... flux the wire, ball up with a torch, then pop in the pickle to clean them. If you have one, using a tumbler will help to work harden them. failing that, hammer lightly on a plastic chopping board to work harden them.
jim bettridge Thanks Jimmy. Certainly. I've recently done a few repair type videos , especially the Masonic ring. Most of my videos are tool and equipment review's, as companies give me all the tools. But I too like watching items being made. So Yes I will make some of those videos as well. Thanks for watching.
It's just a small "Crock pot" or "slow cooker", I really can't remember.I think a bought it from a car boot sale for a couple of pounds. But there's lots on the internet, ebay amazon etc. But if you buy one from a jewelry supply you'll get the exact same thing but pay double for it, because they call it a pickle pot. have a search I'm sure you'll find them. As cute as this little one is, remember there's nothing wrong with getting a larger full size slow cooker (used on ebay), that will allow you to pickle larger items like bangles and rolls of wire. Dave
Just a word of warning Dave - all crock pots are not created equal! Pickle ate through the ceramic liner of my first crock pot - down the the heating element beneath. I now use a pyrex bowl full of pickle inside a crock pot full of warm water. It takes longer to heat up the pickle but is working well.
Hi Sharon. Thanks for the tip. I guess it also depends what you put in it. I use the vitex and mine is still like new inside - No corrosion at all. Its also the same model sold my most jeweler suppliers. But I do agree it's good to check suitability first and keep a regular eye on it for corrosion. Thanks for sharing. Dave.
You could also use a plastic bowl. This would heat up quicker. Dave.
Brilliant and clear information for a newbie like myself Thankyou. Can I just ask if you would remove the residue by simply sanding and polishing? I have seen this done with a tumbler but I can't afford one yet.
The video below shows the same piece of silver being mirror polished... Dave
ua-cam.com/video/L71O7hqvJa8/v-deo.html
Thank you for your video! Can you tell me witch temperature is preferable for pickle cleaning?
Good question. The hotter the better really. I use boiling water from the kettle when making up a new batch or topping up the pot. My pickle pot (slow cooker), doesn't quit boil the liquid, but is obviously hot enough to cook food. (Obviously this is dedicated just for pickle.). Thanks for watching. Dave
Love this video, confirms a lot I've learned for silver soldering for building ball and socket stop motion armatures, but I do have to ask, is it work neutralizing the pickle acids with Bicarbonate of Soda, I was told the environmental impact of the pickle straight down the drain isn't a good idea, but it also wasn't explained why so if you do happen to know anything it would be great to get some additional confirmation :-)
Pickle is a mild acid, there are different variations (some using just food grade citric acid) , but most "decent" pickles are Sulphuric Acid. So yes, you can neutralise it with an alkaline like bicarbonate of soda. OR alternatively dilute it to nothing, by tipping the pickle pot into a large bucket of water before disposal. so neutralising or diluting will eliminate any acidic effect. Dave
Hay Dave. Why do some people say to use baking soda to rinse after pickle? And some say just regular water? I also hear them say baking soda for after liver of sulphur as well?? And some say regular water? What's your opinion??
Pickle is a weak acid to remove oxides and dissolve any flux. The baking soda is alkaline, so acts to neutralise any acid on the item when you rinse it. Certainly useful if you are using sulphuric acid pickle, or vitex which is indeed strongly acidic.
As for liver of sulphur, the solution you use to oxide silver is so weak, its pretty much just water anyway, certainly not acidic. So I'm not sure using baking soda afterwards makes any real difference over just rinsing in water. Personally I just rinse everything in water, simple as that. Dave.
Is there any way to reverse the orange coating from a delicate chain without sanding? I accidentally put a piece of jewelry that I thought was silver and got that chemical reaction you mentioned. Thanks for sharing so much valuable information, I appreciate it very much.
You can try it in a tumbler (barrelling machine). This will hopefully wear off the discolouration. Dave
Hi I want to make copper head pins for jewellery (the ball ones) is it the same technique?
+Ang Finn Certainly.... flux the wire, ball up with a torch, then pop in the pickle to clean them. If you have one, using a tumbler will help to work harden them. failing that, hammer lightly on a plastic chopping board to work harden them.
Good stuff Dave, but would like to see some vids of you actually making stuff...Jimmy.
jim bettridge Thanks Jimmy. Certainly. I've recently done a few repair type videos , especially the Masonic ring. Most of my videos are tool and equipment review's, as companies give me all the tools. But I too like watching items being made. So Yes I will make some of those videos as well. Thanks for watching.
Where did you buy the pot?
It's just a small "Crock pot" or "slow cooker", I really can't remember.I think a bought it from a car boot sale for a couple of pounds. But there's lots on the internet, ebay amazon etc. But if you buy one from a jewelry supply you'll get the exact same thing but pay double for it, because they call it a pickle pot. have a search I'm sure you'll find them. As cute as this little one is, remember there's nothing wrong with getting a larger full size slow cooker (used on ebay), that will allow you to pickle larger items like bangles and rolls of wire. Dave