How to make your own Environmentally-friendly Pickle
Here are a couple of recipes for a homemade, natural pickle for the vinegar pickle, you will need 2 C white vinegar and 1tsp salt and for a citric acid pickle, you use 2 C lemon or lime juice (fresh or bottled) and 1tsp salt.
Both the vinegar and the lemon or lime juice can work without the salt, but will work more slowly. Salt dissolves copper, so the addition of salt accelerates the pickling action. Be aware the salt can possibly pit the metal if left in the pickle too long. And, remember, you can remove the flux with boiling water when there are no copper oxides on the surface.
The vinegar pickle works a little faster than the citric acid pickle and both need to be hot. Let me demonstrate by this by placing a piece of copper into the hot pickle. You can actually see the oxides coming off the surface because its dissolving the copper oxides.
Vinegar pickle works well with Argentium. The paste flux takes considerably longer to remove than the jel -flux or the yellow flux.
You can see why I don't use Paste Flux. Even after pickling, the difference in surfaces is clearly visible. So, jel-flux or yellow flux for soldering and for fusing, yellow flux. You should always neutralize the acid with baking soda before disposal.
Follow renowned jewelry instructor Ronda Coryell as you learn a variety of basic techniques in Argentium Silver - The Finest Silver. In addition to learning how to make seven different rings in this tarnish- & firescale-resistant material - you'll learn many valuable tips and tricks that you will find useful as you work with this amazing new silver alloy.
Topics Covered in the DVD:
• Basic Properties of Argentium Silver
• Fusing & Soldering
• Texturing & Hallmarking
• Hardening Properties
• Proper Finishing Techniques
• Surface Passivation
• Adding a Patina
The full DVD Techniques in Argentium - Volume 1 Basics is available for purchase now from www.rondacoryell.com!
Produced and written by Ronda Coryell (http://www.rondacoryell.com)
Directed, filmed and designed by Wes Clarke (http://www.wesclarke.com)
Copyright ©2011 Ronda Coryell Designs. Rights Reserved.
The Argentium Flying Unicorn and logo mark are trademarked by Argentium International Limited.
Ronda Coryell presents: Techniques in Argentium - Volume 1 Basics / 68 mins / Color / Stereo / Mastered in HD