Eureka! Sparex Demystified. Thanks!

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi Folks,

Thanks to Charles Lewton Braine, John Burgess, “mfleet” & Peter Rowe,
who collectively and convincingly persuaded me that Sparex is in fact
sodium Bisulph-ATE and not sodium bisulph-ITE.

Armed with this new orchidean knowledge I just now bought a kilogram
of it, in the form of swimming pool chemical, at the hardware store
for 3 dollars - which would likely have cost me about 20 dollars
bought as orthodox Sparex.

And yet the clerk at the wine store where I bought the sodium
bisulph-ITE (the wrong stuff) did tell me that a local manufacturing
goldsmith company bought it there also. He seemed to be quite certain
of his Makes me wonder if they may be pickling with the
wrong stuff on an industrial scale.

Cheers & thanks to all
Hans Durstling
Moncton, Canada

2

Hans, “And yet the clerk at the wine store where I bought the sodium
bisulph-ITE (the wrong stuff) did tell me that a local manufacturing
goldsmith company bought it there also. He seemed to be quite certain
of his Makes me wonder if they may be pickling with the
wrong stuff on an industrial scale.”

The manufacturing goldsmithing company probably does indeed use
sodium meta-bisulphite - as I do… but in the refining process. It
is the chemical I use to precipitate fine gold out of the diluted
aqua regia solution.

Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
704 W. Swain Rd.
Stockton, CA 95207
209-477-6731 Office/Fax
209-477-6535 Workshop/Classrooms