I ended up with a bottle of 70% Nitric acid. I would like to know what are the uses for Nitric acid. Also the way to neutralize it when done using it.
Dilute the nitric acid (I assume you know how to do this properly)
50:50 and use it as “bright dip.” It is fabulous for getting rid of
the red cuprous oxide on base metal or silver, after soldering or
annealing. It will last a very long time (even after turning blue).
It’s also good for etching either silver or base metals, although I
prefer to do low-tech photo-etching, which uses ferric chloride
(base metals) or ferric nitrate (silver) instead of nitric acid.
It can be dangerous to have around. I keep my unused supply in a
heavy plastic dishpan, on the floor (so it will never accidentally
fall off a shelf). It is in a glass bottle. I do not allow children
or even unsupervised adults into this area of my workspace. The
amount of nitric acid I’m currently using is in a Pyrex pie-pan with
a glass cover, away from the edge of the table and on top of a thick
pad of newspaper. When I am bright-dipping, I either stand and wait
until the cuprous oxide is gone, or I set one of those little timers,
to remind myself to go back to get the item out of the bright-dip.
Otherwise, it can etch all the way through (I once got an interesting
though unintended design that way…).
Nitric acid is stable and can keep for years. When I have some that
has gotten too weak for bright-dipping, I put a lot of baking soda in
it (to neutralize what acidic property is still left) and then take
it out in the woods and pour it out and pour a lot of water on it,
too.
HTH
Judy Bjorkman