Soldering brass and color change

Jewelry Discussion
1

I saw the answer to this somewhere but can’t find it anywhere.
Please help me if you can. When I solder brass it turns red like
copper. When I pickle it, it only goes back to pink. I saw that you
can get it back to brass clor if you soak it in a solution of ammonia
or vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. What I can’t find is was it ammonia
or was it vinegar and what are the proportions. In other words,
what’s the recipe?

Thanks in advance,
Dick

2

I have the same problem with some of my pieces.

Thanks for any advice,
Melissa

3

Have you tried polishing it? I do a little work with red brass, and
as you say, it ends up looking like copper after you solder (or
anneal) it. But it polishes back to the original color.

Margaret

4 
I saw that you can get it back to brass clor if you soak it in a
solution of ammonia or vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. What I can't
find is was it ammonia or was it vinegar and what are the
proportions. In other words, what's the recipe?

Neither ammonia or vinegar. Use standard sodium bisulphate pickle,
newly mixed, and add peroxide to that. Proportions aren’t critical.
Mostly pickle, then enough peroxide until it works (a couple “glugs”
from the peroxide bottle into the pickle pot…). This works better
if the peroxide you use is the stronger version you get at
beauty/hair salon supply shops, rather than the extremely dilute
stuff from the drug store used as disinfectant. That’s too weak to
do much. Note that the shelf life of the mix is short. By the next
day, all you’ll have is normal, slightly more dilute, pickle, as the
peroxide breaks down.

Peter

5 
...can get it back to brass clor if you soak it in a solution of
ammonia or vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.

Make up another solution of PhDown (as if for pickling), then add
some hydrogen peroxide (the drug store type is good enough). Put
your brass into this solution, and it will remove the pink oxide.
Watch the metal to see that there are very tiny bubbles rising from
it. If not, add more peroxide. Gentle warming speeds the process, but
do not let it boil! Also, do not leave the brass soaking overnight –
the solution will etch your metal.

This is a process I call “bright dipping,” even though originally
dilute nitric acid was used. I think it was Bill, at Reactive
Metals, who came up with the use of hydrogen peroxide and PhDown to
accomplish the same thing, more slowly but more safely.

Judy Bjorkman

1 Like
6

Unfortunately, polishing it does not work, but the recipe posted by
Loopy on ArtJewelry yesterday does. Here it is:

2 parts hydrogen peroxide 3 parts white vinegar. do not store is a
closed glass jar (I usually dump after use), Don’t leave in too long

  • keep an eye on it. after the pink is gone, polish.

I’ve tried it.

Dick Ah Mexico! Where “C” on a faucet means HOT, and “M” on a
restroom means THE LADIES ROOM.

7

Hi everyone,

I’m having a similar problem with my brass pieces, when I dip them
into the ultrasonic with sea clean solution they turn red.What can be
happening?

Thanks for any advice,
Melissa