Pickling Silver and gold

If you are new to jewelery making and are working in non-ferrous ( that means containing no iron - brass,base metals, silver and goldtone metals all contain iron) metals, then one needs to pickle the item both prior to any soldering to remove any factory residues from drawing , or manufacturing ( you might also wipe or dip the piece in acetone or methyl alcohol to remove all oils which resist solder) and after each step in fabrication. The most economical product you can use is sodium bisulphite, it is sold in most retail stores, hardwares, and pool and spa stores as pool pH down.A large tub of it ( over 3 lbs usually) costs less than 10.00, and if you are truly frugal, you can stock up on it at the end of summer, when retailers clear out their excess inventory of the item. A popular manufacturer of pickle is Krohn industries. their product Sparex #2 is simply sodium bisulphite with about 7% fillers. However, their product is quite expensive gepared to the readily available pool pH down whichcontains at least 93.5% of the same active ingredient.Some brands of pool pH down contain more sodium bisulphite than Sparex #2. Packaging is also an issue with the name brand product. older batches are packaged in cans which corrode from the chemical being improperly packaged- a sign of degradation is rust on the inside of the can, or outside as is sometimes seen on really old inventory, and a nut brown colouration to the granules. If you open a can of Sparex and notice rust, do not use it on fine gold or silver.rust is iron oxide, and will turn your pristine batch of pickle into a copper leaching plating solution -at best, at worst it will give you very unpredictable and unreliable results in your workpieces due to the intoduction of iron ( ferrous) oxides that pickle is intended to remove, and/or dissolve.Newer Sparex is packaged in plastic bags which are also problematic for long term storage. If you buy that product you should transfer it to a nitrile plastic container,a glass container without a metal lid, but having a tight fitting top ( some cannisters have a plastic or rubber gasket on the jars glass top), or any clean hdpe plastic container with a tight fitting lid with an inner bag ( preferably a freezer grade ziplock or equivalent brand of heavy plastic inner bag. Also do not use a wire twist tie on that bag if is not a zip type bag. a rubber band is superior as the wire itself in the core of the tie can react with the chemical). It is essential that you clearly label the container with the contents, the date, any 1-800 telephone number you may find on the product, and the poison control number to your local center for poison control or medical emergencies.Always store away from children and pets, pet foods, etc.If you are working on a piece that requires multiple soldering operations begin with hard solder and follow with softer solders to geplete the operation. Easy solders that are available at radio shack, or melt with a match, or the "cold soldering" units available on the market today are not suitable for fine jewelery making as they often contain ingredients that ruin your entire pickle pot.Plumb solders should be used for fine silver, (.999), sterling (.925), argentium requires it's own solder due to the deoxidants added to the alloy, and all karat golds ( 8kt-22kt as 24 karat requires no solder but fuses to itself readily). colored silver solders are available and should be used on gold filled or gold plated materials - the real trick is matching the colour of your gold stock to the solder. Ultimately buy your solder and stock precious metals from the same dealers to ensure a perfect colour match.After each soldering operation immerse your workpiece in the warm pickle for at least fifteen minutes ( for regular pickle strength- if you make yours stripping strength 15 min. should be all that is necessary to remove any oxides from the piece) and up to an hour if you use it at room temperature or cold. A crock pot or slow cooker works well for use as a pickle pot.The best practice is to seal all seams with silicone or marine caulk to prevent the chemical from eating the metal used in the pot's manufacture, or ruining the enamel, or affecting the aluminum liner under the glazed ceramic insert in most slow cookers.One with a variable temperature is also the best to purchase, and a three quart size is more than adequate ( a standard crock pot size). three to four tablespoonsfull of pool pH down to 2 + quarts of water should give you a nice working pickle. Do not let it boil- 140 degrees farenheit is all that is necessary to give optimal results.also do not fill the pot with water as you need some space- at least three inches is best- from the top to acgeodate most jewelry work .When your pickle solution turns deep sky blue it is used up. It can be saved for use as a copper plating solution, or neutralized with sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda) and poured down a drain or if you have roses- dilute the solution 1:1 with water and apply around the base of your plants about two feet from the root system. this will help prevent fungal infection in roses, tomatoes, and other plants susceptible to black spot, powdery mildew etc.It can also be diluted 1:1/2 and applied to wood that has algae on it. It will inhibit the spread of the algae, and prevent further rot from occurring. Keep the used deep sky blue pickle in a glass jar clearly labled if you want to save it for plating.If you use gold filled material you will want to purchase a pen plater at least to seal the seams and edges of the wire, or sheet, or bezel strip, etc. before putting the piece in the pickle. The base metal core in gold filled ( 14/20, or 12/20 GF) is usually brass. Vermeil is usually fine silver based, but it is still good practice to plate the piece for uniform colour before the final pickle and polishing steps to achieve the luster you desire on your work. If you have questions about any of this information I will be happy to answer the serious ones.