Pickling Sterling

Jewelry Discussion
1

Having completed a formed and constructed sterling teapot I am now
"bringing up the fine silver" with a reducing flame and, then,
putting it into heated Sparex II. It won’t come clean. I have
strengthened the Sparex, lowered the heat, and, then tried turning up
the heat on the hot plate. I have, also, several times cleaned the
piece with Tarnex. That cleans it slightly but not much. I am in a
quandary. What shall I do?

Thanks so much, Penelope

2

Penelope,

have you removed all your firescale? Also when I work on bringing up
the fine silver it requires heat and probably 6 to 7 times of the
process. Just keep plugging away at it.

Jennifer
Ventura, CA

3

Penelope,

Having completed a formed and constructed sterling teapot I am
now "bringing up the fine silver" with a reducing flame and, then,
putting it into heated Sparex II. It won't come clean. I have
strengthened the Sparex, lowered the heat, and, then tried turning
up the heat on the hot plate. I have, also, several times cleaned
the piece with Tarnex. That cleans it slightly but not much. I am
in a quandary. What shall I do?

This sure sounds frustrating!

What color is it after pickling? Pink? Or gray ? If it is gray, it
may be that the pickle is so strong that it is over-pickled. Try
brass-brushing with soapy water. Rinse. Dry. Heat. Cool. Pickle for a
very short time. Check. Re-pickle if it is not white. Do not take a
long break after putting it into the pickle. Keep a close eye on it.
It may be cleaning, and then over-pickling, as it is left in too
long.

I hope this helps!
Cynthia Eid