[Jewelry making - Article 00404] - Re: [Orchid] I'm In A Pickle!!!

[Ken Wronkiewicz]

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    Salt is of neutral pH, actually  Mix a very strong acid (HCl --
    Hydrochloric Acid) with a very strong base (NaOH -- I forget the
    street name, but it's pretty damn corrosive, even though it's not an
    acid) and you get a pH neutral solution of water and salt. 

    I'm not sure what the salt is supposed to be accomplishing.  I have
    a feeling there's a purpose to it, but I'm not entirely sure what
    that is. 

    This is all off of the top of my head, of course.  I haven't known
    everything since I was 16. ;) 

    I will attest that salt and vinegar pickle does, in fact, work. 
    Right now, I'm fabricating a small copper sculpture using mostly
    jeweler's techniques and the bucket with Sparex-like-stuff is a
    little bit too small, so I grabbed the bucket I use to mop floors,
    filled it with some salt and vinegar, and have been using that
    instead.  At some point, I'm going to get ahold of some pure citric
    acid and try that out, too. 

    If I switch all the way over to vinegar or citric acid, I'm still
    not sticking my hands in the pot, nor am I every tasting that stuff. 
    That's just a bad idea all around.  For one, you'll quickly end up
    with nickel, zinc, silver, copper, whatever's in your flux, etc. 
    Most of these substances are relatively inert while they are on your
    bench, but if they get into your system in a chemically reactive
    form, it's not a good thing. Too much silver intake will turn you
    blue perminantly. 

    Besides, if I get too used to reaching into the pot, if I'm in
    somebody else's studio, I could end up with a handful of sulfuric
    acid.  Yah. ;) 

Ken "Wirehead" Wronkiewicz 
http://www.wirewd.com/wh



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