Pickle pot

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi, my pickle turned my sterling black…I cleaned the pot out and
made a fresh pickle but the black is not coming off…any
suggestions? thank you ,Jackie

2

Anneal the silver and then return it to the pickle - if its really
hard you may have to repeat the process

Mike

3

Hi Jackie,

Did you try reheating the piece before repickling? Has helped me out
of a similar situation recently.

Dave

Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans’ Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com mailto:dave@sebaste.com
http://www.CarolinaArtisans.com http://www.CarolinaArtisans.com

End of forwarded message

4 
    Hi, my pickle turned my sterling black...I cleaned the pot out
and made a fresh pickle but the black is not coming off...any
suggestions?  thank you ,Jackie

I’ve had silver come out of the pickle pot gray because the pickle
was too strong. I’ve never seen silver come out black. Are you using
the same container and the same mix of pickle that has worked
before?

5

I posted something to this thread yesterday but I think my server is
messed up so I will try again.

If pickle is too strong, it can etch the surface of silver and make
it look gray. I have never seen silver come out of the pickle pot
looking black. Are you using Sparex?

Marilyn Smith

6

Sometimes mine pickle des this as well. I’ve noticed that there is
usally an insect drowned in the liquid. The black coating is quite
greasy so I suspect thatit’s a reaction between the material of the
insect and the acid. Any organic chemists out there?

Tony

7

Hello out there in Orchidland - I’ve been away from my studio for a
few months and noticed something upon my return. A little puddle of
black sludge underneath my crock pot had formed. Some of it was
liquid and some had hardened. I’ve been using citric acid in this
pot for probably two years or so. The pot was full and sitting idle.
Fortunately, the pot is stting on a tray. The crock pot had been
sealed but obviously, a leak has occurred. My question is this - why
has the citric turned into this sludge and how do I dispose of this? Thanks - Janice