what vineger can do to rocks

[calxoddity]

Citric acid is much safer than oxalic acid.  It quickly dissolves (Chelates) calcium, iron, and magnesium compounds.  Disslove it in water, add a drop of detergent as a surfactant, and walk away and let it do the work.

yes - that would be my first pick if I could obtain it readily.  The problem with Oxalic is that it's absorbed through the skin and accumulates in the liver (if I recall correctly), and can do Bad Things.

As for removing pegmatite from around emerald?  If you can arrange it, a shark with a laser beam is perhaps your best option....

[Aussie Sapphire]

Does CLR work well too and where would you get citric acid ?

Dont know about CLR but you can get citric acid in the supermarket in the section with cooking stuff (flour, baking powder, etc) - I think it is used as a preservative.

It can also be used as a safe alternative for jewellery pickle for those silversmiths out there who are looking to reduce hazardous chemicals in the studio.

Look out for this kind of stuff:
http://www.mckenziesfoods.com.au/product/97/McKenzies_Citric_Acid

cheers
Leah

[Jimnyjerry]

As for removing pegmatite from around emerald?  If you can arrange it, a shark with a laser beam is perhaps your best option....

 

[The Rock Hunter]

but will it eat somethink thats quartz ?

[Plutonium]

Wow, somebody dropped the acid in this thread !

One has to consider each acid for it's own merits.
I would not use any acid for it's namesake. That's a wonderful way to dissolve your specimen.
I'll just clean up this native copper with some nitric acid ... POOF ! ~~~brown smoke.
Oh... where's all my copper gone ?
 
We in the Uranium business find baking soda works well for some applications.

Cleaning rocks with acid is like cleaning coins with acid. It's only going to end in tears.
Unless they were worthless rocks to start with.

[Capt. Mendoza]

Has anyone tried baking soda on various quartz stains?
On that note, Wonder if I can get a brighter white if I use nappy-san???

[calxoddity]

but will it eat somethink thats quartz ?

If you intend using an acid to dissolve quartz, stop immediately.  Any acid that can dissolve quartz will dissolve you as well, and you really don't want to be handling it.

As Plutonium says, simple weaker acids can often do the trick.

[The Rock Hunter]

ok i wiil just stick to boreing vineger 

[Plutonium]

I'd even be careful using vinegar. Not for safety reasons, just because it too is quite capable of dissolving some minerals.
 Would you take a wire brush to your specimen? If the answer is no, then you probably shouldn't put any chemicals on it either.

Would you use so much as a soft damp cloth to clean a specimen of halite or copper sulphate ?

 

[The Rock Hunter]

I'd even be careful using vinegar. Not for safety reasons, just because it too is quite capable of dissolving some minerals.
 Would you take a wire brush to your specimen?

 

some of my rocks but only the one that are hard not any think soft

[Plutonium]

I was also thinking about the combinations of acids I use (not for minerals).

Citric Acid - is lemon juice. Buying it in a powered form is just less sticky.
Acetic Acid - is of course vinegar.
Hydrocholric Acid - sourced form the hardware
Hydrofluroic Acid - nasty stuff, I've not tried to find a source
Nitric Acid - A chemist can order it for you, but expect a barrage of questions. most just won't bother. It turns your skin yellow.
Sulphuric Acid - dilute is available from battery suppliers
Oxyallic Acid - from the hardware for cleaning bricks

In some cases acids (and oxidisers) are combined to produce something neither acid can do on it's own.
Aquaregia - used to dissolve gold is a mixture of Nitric and Hydrochloric Acid.
Another I use for dissolving copper is Hydrochloric Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide.
Ammonium Persulphate and Iron Chloride salts also dissolve copper.

Bases like
Ammonium Hydroxide - (Cloudy Ammonia cleaning fluid)
Sodium Hydroxide - Draino
Sodium Bicarbonate - Baking soda

I'm sure there's a few others that have skipped my mind.

Are some other choices for destroying your specimens.
For cleaning, umm.. no. I'd sooner a dirty specimen than a liquid one.
But sometimes you might be wanting to destroy a mineral in the name of science to find out what it is or what it is made from.
Choose wisely. Each acid has it's own behaviour and of course some of them are dangerous and some of them (even the dangerous ones) can be handled safely or diluted to make them safer to work with.

[mick B]

I still think its only good use is for fish & chips, LOL, on a more serious note I use phosphoric acid for electro polishing stainless steel medical products, removes all the oxides left by tig welding, they also use it in Coca cola, think what you are drinking.
http://blog.fooducate.com/2009/06/30/11-quick-facts-about-phosphoric-acid-yes-that-chemical-in-coca-cola/

[calxoddity]

I still think its only good use is for fish & chips, LOL, on a more serious note I use phosphoric acid for electro polishing stainless steel medical products, removes all the oxides left by tig welding, they also use it in Coca cola, think what you are drinking.
http://blog.fooducate.com/2009/06/30/11-quick-facts-about-phosphoric-acid-yes-that-chemical-in-coca-cola/

As it says in he linky, the phosphoric acid in Coke isn't a problem.  If you drink enough Coke for it to be a problem, the excessive sugar or caffeine consumption would have already killed you...

[fishaholic5]

I've used Hydrochloric on sapphire, but not on emerald.  Just don't get it on you or stainless steel sink's

cheers
Wal

[Klingon]

Good old soap and water and a tooth brush....if it wont come off that way....leave it !