.....So if I run out of Sparex in the middle of a job I can
just haul out the old can of Sani-Flush from under the sink and
mix a fresh batch in the pickle pot with no evil results?
(or,conversely, if I dump my pickle into the toilet bowl, will the
bowl become sparkling clean?)
Answers:
1.0 Yes!
2.0 Yes!
Notes:
1.0 Sani-Flush is getting hard to find in Supermarkets. Probably a
concern over product liability. Be sure you don’t get Drain-O, a drain
cleaner. It is Sodium Hydroxide (lye), an extremely ALKALINE material
(pH=14). Nasty Stuff.
2.0 As Ron (Mills Gem) pointed out, Sodium Bisulfate is still readily
available at Pool Supply companies for about $2.00/pound. They may
not even know it by this name. Tell them you want the stuff that
lowers the pH. Even then, check the name because they may sell more
than one product to lower pH. For instancs Muriatic (Hydrochloric)
Acid
3.0 Hey Guys! This stuff is super cheap (20-25 cents/pot of pickle).
Why fool around trying to revive a sick pot of pickle. Flush it and
start out with fresh new solution.
Regards…Bob Williams
Alma - haven’t tried lemons as pickle. But I always clean the
bottoms of my copper-clad pots and pans with Kosher salt and half a
fresh lemon. Works faster than anything else I’ve tried! Gini
Just because it says “contains Sodium bisulfate” does not necessarily
mean it does not contain other things too, in small amounts. Also, it
is possible that it is somehow reacting with the metal in the can. The
pickle in the (school) workshop where I have been learning
jewelry-making – which is supposedly Sparex – has also developed
the gooey brownish gunk that other people have been complaining about
lately on Orchid. And lthe latest batch now has a layer of
fuzzy-looking whitish stuff on the bottom of the pot (until it is
stirred up). Which may be the same sort of stuff you are complaining
of. The problems appear to be widespread enough that I sort of doubt
it is anything in the water. Sometimes some of these chemicals are
found in deposits that are just scraped up off the desert floor, put
in packages, and sold. Not Reagent Grade, of course! But "pure enough"
for the particular purpose they are being sold for. They obviously
(and legally) contain small (relatively) amounts of some contaminants
which are thought to be harmless for that purpose. I’ve found some
(used in photo processing solutions) that even had sticks and snall
stones in it! Since this seems to be a fairly recent problem with the
Sparex, perhaps they have changed their source to a different one
which has some different contaminants in it which are causing the
problem???
One of the unsung things that Bill Helwig, America’s most
knoweledgeable enamelist did was to to devise a brown glaze for crock
pots that is acid proof (people do cook acidic foods). Some crock pot
makers however use a different formula and the sodium bisulfate pickle
attacks the glaze, dissolves it and can make a brown slime in the pot.
You may notice some pickle posts have the glaze eaten away where the
acid touches them. Best Charles
Charles Lewton-Brain
Box 1624, Ste M, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
I also added some salt as I was cleaning some copper prior to
enameling, and the results were fantastic. Any one else ever
tried this?
Alma: An acid such as acetic acid (vinegar) or citric acid (lemon
juice) and NaCl (salt) make an excellent pickle for copper and also
silver. These can always be used whenever “regular” pickle is
unavailable. JZD
Just a quick note to add to the sparex query. I’ve had it do the
slimy thing since I started using it about 13 years now give or take
a year or two. I’ve never gotten a good answer as to why it does it
except it’s caused by the heat. Go figure. I’ve never had any
problems because of it and I don’t get it every time. So since it’s
never caused any problems besides looking gross, I use it!
The scum forming on newly mixed sparex is not due to the water. And
it’s nothing “growing”. Just impurities, probably from processing
equipment, in the sparex. I suspect an oil or some such, which gets
oxidized or otherwise degraded by the acid, causing it to collect as a
scum. Or perhaps it’s just so finely divided when first mixed, that
like an emulsion, it takes some time to settle out (or in this case,
up to the surface) Just skim it off with a paper towel. The stuff
does not actually interfere with the action of the pickle. Just looks
yucky. And once removed, it does not reform.
I don't like knocking products but I've had several different
types of problems with Sparex, from slime, to rust to dead brown
pickle. I just won't buy the stuff anymore. I have had no problems
with the Rio pickle at all.
So what’s the big deal? Sure, theres some impurities in Sparex, and
corrosion from the can. Forms some scum when you mix it up new.
Doesn’t hurt the action, and if it offends you, skim it off. It won’t
reform. Pickle isn’t rocket science, and doesn’t need to be all that
pure. So Sparex isn’t. If the Rio product is priced the same, then
it’s the better buy. If it’s more costly, then perhaps your paying
for a cosmetic feature that makes no real difference to the use of the
stuff. If your pickle has a bit of scum now, don’t panic. You
needen’t throw it out. Just skim it off with a bit of paper towel,
discard the towel, and you’re done with it.
Hi everyone: I am reading several lines about contamination in the
pickle. Each time a piece is introduced in the bath and then taken it
out, the pickle is going more soft due some of the bath itself is going
out with that piece. We add water to compensate evaporation, but we
do not add more product to compensate loss. The bath becomes soft and
some microorganisms grow, generally fungus that are in the air
conditioned system, living with some oil, fat, with comes along with
the normal air and spread when the system is turned on. Some organic
stuff are in the piece too, if it was used, coming from the skin.
Fungus comes along with the air and grows when they have some food.
Mostly fungus grows looking like filaments, and some may look like
jellyfish. Fungus can survive in a low and weak PH bath, but not in a
concentrated one. One solution may be to measure the bath density when
it is new. This can be done with a densimeter. From time to time it
would be neccesary to add some of the product we use in order to
restore the original bath. It is not possible to measure the real
concentration measuring the PH, unless it becomes really soft. I hope
this can add a little help.
Folks: Just an uninformed 2 cents worth about pickle solutions. Why
not just make a fresh solution on a weekly basis and be done with it.
I cannot imagine that HCL or sparex or any of the other “substitute
generics” can be that expensive that it would have an adverse impact
on your financial “bottom line”. While managing a large dental lab,
pickle solution was made fresh weekly. We were always assured of
clean pickle and the results saved time and frustration. I am sure I
don’t understand the problem but the solution to contaminated or
"smutty" pickle should be obvious.
I’ve been following this discussion for a long while. I guess when I
lift the lid of the crock pot and find dead lady bugs
floating…it’s not a good thing.
I have hundreds of those critters in the house, lady bug season, as
well as black fly season…I try not to sleep with my mouth open.
Hi all.. I use this technique quite often. Super glue your
pieces together, (use zip kicker to speed things up) then mix up
some investment and flux pieces and set your solder, set glued up
piece in wet investment just enough to hold and let set.
There is a product used in the dental laboratory called Zap-It used
exactly in this manner. It is a two part system which sets up
instantly when the clear liquid is touched to the more viscous pink
stuff. The assembly can either then be placed into a mixed soldering
investment or carefully pinned in position on a soldering block. I
would suggest burning off in a ventilated set-up.
Probably this is an acylic which could be somewhat noxious. JZD
Some years back, I had Sparex that did the same thing - turn brown
and gunky. It turns out that a whole batch of cans did not have the
seams coated and it reacted with the dry acid. In fact, the Sparex
had brown specks in it. If this is still happening, you must be
buying some of the real old stock.
I wonder if the slime-in-the-pickle problem might be due to the
pickle being made up from citric acid, rather than sodium bisulphate?
Citric acid does make a good pickle solution, and is often recommended
(especially in model engineering circles) as a safe alternative to
bisulphate or sulphuric acid baths. And it certainly does support
growth of organic “things”.
All, I used to buy Sparex in cans but now use Pickle safe manufactured
by Griffith Distributors,Inc PO box 662 Louisville,Co 80027-0662.It is
sold in plastic containers and never turns gunky and does not have
yellow particles in it.I suspect as others have posted that it is just
pool cleaner put in another container and sold at a premium.Best J
Morley Coyote Ridge Studio sunny and hot but lovin it.
