was: Copper coating on silver in tumbler
Making sure the pickle that gets inside any hollow form is properly
neutralised can be tedious and tricky - especially those forms with
only one tiny hole to allow gases to escape when soldering. I use an
old medical syringe and inject the baking powder solution - works
like a charm. Then I inject clean water to rinse out.
The difficulty lies in getting hold of syringes without being taken
for a drug addict 
Jane Walker
The difficulty lies in getting hold of syringes without being taken for a drug addict :-)
Yes, to get around the “drug addict” bit I ordered a box of 3000
from a medical supply house whose details I got from my doctor (I
offered to clean/inspect his other half’s jewellery in exchange for
the details), I don’t expect to run out anytime soon! OK, when I say
“I ordered” I really mean I asked him to tack it onto his next order.
Mumble mumble…
Cheers, Thomas Janstrom.
Little Gems.
http://tjlittlegems.com
Hi Jane
You can get syringes at most animal feed stores but if you still have
a problem getting them let me know, I get them for free for health
reasons. I would be happy to send you a few but sorry I will not send
any with a needle, only the syringe part.
Best wishes
Jen
The difficulty lies in getting hold of syringes without being taken for a drug addict :-)
You can order oral syringes (for giving liquid meds) at any pharmacy.
You may have better luck with your small, locally owned store.
I like damark, very nice syringes, washable, the rubber gasket
doesn’t come off as it does in the cheaper ones.
Another place to obtain syringes is from animal/livestock vet
suppliers such as the online store kvvet.com
Farmers and others that deal with livestock, horses, etc. use
syringes all the time. No big deal. You might find them cheaper there
also. There are a lot of such places online if you look for them.
Wendy Tomey
newbie/hobbyist (used to own horses but broke too many bones to
continue)
The difficulty lies in getting hold of syringes without being taken for a drug addict :-)
You might be able to use just the syringe part, ie, with no needle
attached, depending on the size of the openings you’re addressing.
Most vets carry these syringes for clients’ home use for diabetic or
renal-failure dogs and cats. Perhaps if you’re using a vet for any
other services, you could explain your need and they’d help you.
Lorraine
Rio Grande sells a needle-tip flux dispenser kit
(#504-005) that includes 18-, 20-, 22-, and 26-gauge tips. The same
tips are available in 100-pack bulk (#503-119, -120, -118, and-123)
These disposable tips work very well not only for
dispensing flux but also for flushing water or a water-baking soda
solution into silver beads. Medical needles may be helpful for holes
smaller than 26-gauge but most of the time a smaller hole is not
necessary. Whatever type of needle tip dispenser is used, the
tips clog and need maintenance which is why I like the 100 pack
disposable tips.
Nancy
Use either a steam cleaner or an air compressor(canned air might
work)…shoot the jet of air/steam across the hole, creating a
vacuum above the hole, sucks everything out, fast too. Use pearl
tweezers to hold the bead. You could shoot the stream directly into
the hole but it might squirt you in the eye. Pickle eye, no fun.
Or, if its a strand of two hole beads, string them on some wire and
put it under running water for awhile, wire parallel to stream… Use
a thinnish wire so that the water can flow along the wire and into
each bead successively. hang to dry. Slower but effective too.