GeoJack Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I have been using Glass Etch Cream and Glass Etch Bath to clean up some ore specimens. Works pretty good, not as strong or dangerous as Hydrofloride.You can see the difference from the first shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoser John Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Looks righteous to me,where did ya find it(etch) as have some beauties that need a good etch job and no longer have a fume hood to play with hydro no mo'-tons a au 2 u 2 -John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoJack Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 I am using the cream right now as I want to only apply it directly on the gold itself instead of the whole rock.I use the bath to eat away the mica and clean up the whole rock.Still stinky nasty stuff, wear nitryl gloves and have good ventilation.Takes some time, a week is a good soak time for the mica.I soak in water after I take it out and gently brush away the mica which will be white, with a tooth brush. An O-ring pick set works good to scrap and pry off some of the larger areas.If you have a Michael's store near you, they carry the cream. I ordered online from the company for the Bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Great job. Lot of improvement that I can see. Are you done with it now or still working on it? I wonder if what that etching cream contains if it doesn't have any hydroflouric acid in it. Never used it before.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoJack Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Bath contains:Ammonium bifloride, Sulphuric acid.Can't find the ingredients for the cream but I would guess they are similar.Used to etch glass for decoration.Still taking it down but I think I have hit the curve on how much the Etch can do. Doesn't really eat the hard quartz but really does a good job getting down around the gold itself and cleaning up the loose stuff and mica.I have a lot of mica with 50 to 100 mesh gold suspended in it on the ore.To rinse, fill a tub or small vessel with water and place the specimen in it and let soak for 12 hours. This softens the mica even more for easy clean up. I use tupperware, don't tell my wife.Also, if you have any house cats, cover the water soak so they don't accidently go for a quick sip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dorado Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Big improvement for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
south fork Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I have been using Glass Etch Cream and Glass Etch Bath to clean up some ore specimens. Works pretty good, not as strong or dangerous as Hydrofloride. You can see the difference from the first shot. Have you tried phosphoric it cleans all iron oxides off and leaves the quartz and gold just turn the hose on it to neutralize used to clean and prep metal before painting I have used it on pocket gold just let it soak in a glass jar for a few days and rinse . You can buy it by the gallon from Home depot in the paint department . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoJack Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'll give it a try. ThanksI think I will go back to the Etch Bath, the cream is just too slow and messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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