I use a bit of flux on the end of the pick to cary the solder ton
the tip of the pick. One thing that I see as a disadvantage of
having the solder melt on the steel picks is that there will be a
small amount left on the pick and this will mix with the next piece
and if you use a different grade or karat of solder you will now
have a mystery solder that may behave differently than you intend.
Jim
Why?? If the piece goes directly into hot pickle, it will clean up light years faster than if you cool it off with water first.
Over the years I have tried both cooling the work first in water and
direct quench in pickle. I have found that I have less problems in
subsequent soldering operations if I cool in water first before
pickling. It is a faster clean up if you quench in pickle but I
think that if you quench in pickle it gets into places where it is
hard to remove it and the acid causes problems for additional
soldering operations.
Jim
Just a note to add about the pickle solution…I have been using
only cold pickle solution for 18years. Yes, is doesn’t work as
quickly as if it were heated but I can use a plain glass or plastic
container (so I can see the small parts in there) AND I am not
breathing any unnecessary fumes. I also quench directly into the
pickle. The jar I use has a taller throat that stops splashing than
the pickle heaters do. Mark
I said: If the piece goes directly into hot pickle, it will clean
up light years faster than if you cool it off with water first.
Pam replied: Quenching in pickle releases a burst of fumes.
Me again: It seems to me that if you quench fast and deep, you do
not get a burst of fumes because all the action is below the
surface of the liquid. I will check this out more carefully and
report back. Try it yourself as well. You must hold the object in
tweezers and plunge it quickly and entirely into the pickle. Hold it
there until the activity ceases.
Beth
I recommend against quenching in pickle unless in dire need of
speed. This is for several reasons. First there is the chance of
splash (holes in clothes, chemical residues spattered about (yes I
know you can hold the lid of the pickle pot like a shield but…)
Then, as Jim pointed out, it encourages acid to enter crevices,
porosity etc. Most pickle solutions are based on sulfuric acid
(‘Sparex’, sodium bisulfate-it dissociates in water to make an
approximately 5% sulfuric acid solution).
Sulfuric acid as a liquid is a corrosive, but as a mist it is a
carcinogen (!!!). This is a huge difference.
Finally, it has been shown that in factories where mists of sulfuric
acid are present, that the enamel of the teeth is affected and pitted
more.
so, my suggestion is to quench in water, and then place in the
pickle. If you are in a hurry, quench hot, but only on a very rare
occasion. Another method of speed is the German factory approach
where you have a copper pot just a little wider than the object, you
fill this with pickle (in a fume hood or other ventilated area) and
hit the pot with a torch. This boils the pickle in a moment or two.
Once the pickle is bubbling slightly the job is done. We used to have
a copper pickle pot (thick walled-3-4mm) with an iron handle, dip
into the acid to fill the pot, then hold it over a giant bunsen
burner with a foot control-maybe 15 seconds later it was done.
Finally, much pickling can be avoided during construction, many
people (this is an art school tradition) pickle far too often. You
need to pickle at the end of a sequence, or to have everything the
same color so you can make an aesthetic decision. After soldering
place the piece in a cup and run hot water over it for a minute, this
removes the flux. Oxidation is generally not a problem as you have to
scratch, scrape, sand or otherwise bare the spot to be soldered
anyway - and any oxidation present discourages solder spilling beyond
the cleaned area. Then you pickle at the end of the construction.
This is the procedure in many factories and it saves a lot of time
over the day. Charles
Charles Lewton-Brain/Brain Press
Box 1624, Ste M, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
Tel: 403-263-3955 Fax: 403-283-9053 Email: @Charles_Lewton-Brai1
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One thing that I see as a disadvantage of having the solder melt on the steel picks is that there will be a small amount left on the pick
So file off what ever is left, then you won’t have to worry about
contamination.
It is a faster clean up if you quench in pickle but I think that if you quench in pickle it gets into places where it is hard to remove it and the acid causes problems for additional soldering operations.
Jim, I agree with you. I was taught that anytime you need to pickle
anything that required sweat soldering, or any kind of layering, you
should cool first in water and then pickle the piece. Otherwise,
quenching directly in pickle will draw the pickle into places that
may not have soldered totally and if you need to solder again, you
will have problems. If all you have is butt soldered joins, quenching
directly in pickle is fine.
If a piece isn’t totally soldered (after pickling) wouldn’t the
pickle just dry out as soon as you appled heat again? That has been
my experience.
If a piece isn't totally soldered (after pickling) wouldn't the pickle just dry out as soon as you appled heat again? That has been my experience.
pickle remaining inside a hollow, will indeed boil dry. But what
boils off is just the water. What’s left is then the dry acid
compound, same as what came in the container when you purchased the
pickle compound. This then will reform the liquid pickle if again
exposed to moisture (such as the last quench even in just water,
later in assembly, or washing off polishing compound, or even
including perspiration). It’s a very strong argument for not
quenching potentially hollow items in the pickle, but rather just in
water. Then pickle it. Any water drawn into the piece will boil dry
on reheating, not leaving a dangerous residue. But if you’ve got
potentially hollow areas, be very careful when reheating. Often the
opening to such areas is only very small, such as a hole or flaw in
the solder seam, and on reheating, it’s quite possible to heat so
quickly that even with the opening that sucked in some water, it
can build up enough steam pressure to explode the piece. So if
there’s a chance water is in a hollow section, it may be advisable to
separately pre-dry a piece with gentle heating, perhaps even with
something like a kitchen oven, before hitting the thing full on with a
torch…
Peter
A hollow piece can be heated with a soft flame to steam out liquid.
If this is followed by quenching in water with soda and again
heated, the pickle residue should be reduced. This can be repeated
as many times as thought needed. I do this with silver and copper
which I work with and assume that it will work with gold as well. I
like to hot quench.
Marilyn Smith