This citric acid jewellery pickle removes the oxidisation and flux left on a piece after soldering. It is dissolved in water.
Most people keep the mixed solution in a slow cooker on the keep warm setting while they're making. It stays ready to use throughout the session, and you don't need to make up a fresh batch every time. Just switch the slow cooker off and leave the lid on between uses.
If you're not using it for a while and want to stop the water evaporating, keep the mixture in a jar instead. Pour it into the slow cooker each time you need to use it.
Being a mild, food-grade citric acid formula, it's safer to have around the bench than traditional acid pickles. It's also more forgiving if steel tweezers end up in the pot by accident, since citric acid is far less likely to cause copper contamination than a stronger pickle would be. We still recommend copper tongs for handling pieces, since any steel left sitting in the solution can affect it over time.
Once a piece comes out of the pickle and is rinsed, a brass brush with a little dishwashing detergent finishes the job and brings the surface up clean.
This is the pickle compound we use in our own classes and soldering kits.
