Comments on: Why Does My Pickle Look Slushy? https://jewelrymakingjournal.com/why-does-my-pickle-look-slushy/ free jewelry tutorials, plus a friendly community sharing creative ideas for making and selling jewelry. Tue, 15 Dec 2015 19:53:58 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.16 By: Laura https://jewelrymakingjournal.com/why-does-my-pickle-look-slushy/#comment-423424 Tue, 15 Dec 2015 19:53:58 +0000 http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/?p=42752#comment-423424 mine gets slushy when the weather gets cold and the slushy goes away as the weather warms up. i keep my pickle on the back porch.

]]> By: Rosemary https://jewelrymakingjournal.com/why-does-my-pickle-look-slushy/#comment-423388 Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:00:43 +0000 http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/?p=42752#comment-423388 Well used pickle often becomes a turquoise blue – it is the copper ions removed from the sterling silver when you pickle it.
Presumably leaving your pot on all day evaporated most of the water – hence the slushy.
Blue used pickle is great if you want to colour your solder joins on copper pieces. Just stir your pickle with an old steel screwdriver and hay presto no more silver solder lines on your copper masterpiece!

]]> By: Judy Bjorkman https://jewelrymakingjournal.com/why-does-my-pickle-look-slushy/#comment-423369 Tue, 15 Dec 2015 12:58:46 +0000 http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/?p=42752#comment-423369 If you are using Sparex as your pickle, here are some comments on that:
(This is from the Ganoksin/Orchid blog) –Judy

Pickle / sterling silver discoloration
“I gave up Sparex a number of years ago when I began having problems
with the brown gunk. I switched to PH down, which is available at any
hardware store, and is much less expensive than sparex. It works like a charm. I got a huge container, which I have shared with friends, and am still using the same lot that I purchased originally.

I keep two pickle pots (actually small slow cookers). One for copper
which I have deliberately contaminated so that when I dunk my copperpieces in it, it coats any solder copper color.
The other is used for silver or gold. In order not to confuse them,
I got them in two different colors–one is red (for copper item) and
the other is black.”

]]> By: Lezlie Russell https://jewelrymakingjournal.com/why-does-my-pickle-look-slushy/#comment-423360 Tue, 15 Dec 2015 11:48:19 +0000 http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/?p=42752#comment-423360 What brand of pickle are you using? If too much water evaporates out the pickle can become thick with crystals, but I can’t recall pickle turning blue. If it’s contaminated it will usually develop a pink cast. What happened when you added water? If it went back to solution and the silver that you put in didn’t come out looking like copper I think it will probably be OK.

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