A: After you have soldered any item, the pickle cleans the metal so you can see how well the job was done. You may have to redo the area.
Pickling before you solder helps in getting a solid joint. It removes finger oils, other abrasives or chemicals which block solder from adhering.
When soldering Pure .999 Silver or 24 karat Gold no actual paste or solder is required. Just heat the item to a red/orange glow and allow to air cool. Then pickle to remove any fire scale or discoloration.
Hand polish with a red rouge cloth wearing vinyl gloves, pickle, rinse, quality check. Red rouge can stain clothing and irritate skin. Tan or cream jewelers cloths are for cleaning, they have chemicals coating them, like the red rouge. Do not wash them, wear them all to tatters, then replace. Make strips out of old ones for threading through items, or glue onto rotary tool (sanding) drums- [you can soak the sand paper off]
When polishing sterling; do not go back and forth. Only apply pressure going in one direction. Pick AWAY from self or TOWARD self. Or you will end up with a wash board rippled surface.
Always pickle items after polishing or using a cleaning cloth, the chemicals need to be removed from the surface or they will continue to react with the metal, be on your skin or your customers, block future soldering jobs from actually working.
A cup of plain water next to your pickle pot, so you can rinse your item before and after, will keep your pickle solution clean longer. You 'will' notice when it no longer cleans well. Dump and replace with a fresh batch.
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Answer provided by: SLP Originals (9/11/2023)
