Our Pickle Pot Kit includes everything you need for your own pickling station. Pickling is an important step in the soldering process as it cleans off oxidation and flux that is produced during soldering.

This kit includes a compact hot pot, Sparex pickling compound and copper tongs.

Why should I use pickle?

Making metal jewelry often involves heating metals, which often leads to a black tarnish on the metal called firescale. You can remove this tarnish by dipping the metal into a pickle solution.

How Is Pickle Used in Jewelry Making?

Metal that has been heated or soldered often produces a blackish oxidation called firescale on the surface. This firescale can be removed by dipping the metal into a Pickle solution which is a mixture of water and Sodium Bisulphate. Sparex #2 is the best choice for Pickling.

Pickle works best when it’s heated, and our small crock pot is perfect for the job. Keep it on the low heat setting, and keep the lid on to prevent evaporation. Using copper tongs, simply drop the metal into the pickle for a few moments after heating, and the firescale will come off, saving you a lot of polishing time. Remember to always use copper tongs which won’t contaminate the Pickle solution. Here’s a helpful hint: Dipping the metal into Sparex before soldering or heating is a great way to clean the metal surface in preparation for soldering.

We recommend rinsing the metal in a solution of Baking Soda after Pickling to neutralize the acid.

Pickle lasts for a very long time, but will eventually start to turn blue from the collected oxidation. That’s how you know you need to mix up a fresh batch. Pour it into a larger separate container and add baking soda until it stops frothing. No frothing means it’s neutralized and can be safely poured out.