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Pickiling copper questions


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 Is there a pickling solution that can be used on copper that will leave it bright and shiny?

I have used vinegar but the copper comes out a dull red color.I have watched videos where they show a piece after pickling that is bright but don't say whether they polished it or not.

 

 Also can oxalic acid be used for pickling copper and brass? I have a couple of pounds left from cleaning quartz. 

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Sparex is the go to for non ferrous metals. As long as your metal is sanded properly, it will polish easily, but you will typically pickle before sanding. Sorry, things don't come out of the pickle shiny.

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in my experience pickeling (i use sparex) will leave you with a somewhat satin surface that is a sort of reddish pink, the acid is eating away the oxides in the surface of the metal, leaving a porous, grainy surface (through my 10x loupe anyway).  you will always have to polish the surface afterwards to get it to be shiny (mirrored).

 

the little twisted copper sculpture in post #15 of this thread was plenty oxidized from multiple annealings, and picked for probably way too long (cold pickle is a lot less efficient than warm pickle), low quality pic but you can see its far from shiny.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/28672-jewelry-anyone/

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We use a chem process at work to deburr, and brighten parts. BeCu alloys look like they are gold plated when they come out. Problem is ,is that Rosheen is some nasty stuff, and needs proper facilities to use it. Chromic, nitric, and other acids make up the mix,and it needs to be heated.

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