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Techniques for CollectorsIron stained Quartz...

14th Apr 2009 03:50 UTCTom Rayeski

I could use some advice on cleaning my quartz crystals I found. I heard of this Oxalic Acid and some said it's real nasty and others said it was organic. Most of these finds have chlorite on them and in them, whats my best option? Thanks, Tom

14th Apr 2009 06:38 UTCRock Currier Expert

Tom,

Read

http://www.mindat.org/article.php/403/Cleaning+Quartz

14th Apr 2009 06:53 UTCNH

I second Rock's article. It seems to be accurate and complete.

(I had typed up a response, but the article already covered all of it...)

14th Apr 2009 11:17 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

Just because something is organic doesn't mean it is a benign substance. All of the snake and various other critter venoms are organic, but they aren't things you want to put in your body. (and for the fungi there are the poisonous mushrooms)

14th Apr 2009 16:13 UTCTom Rayeski

Much thanks for the info! Tom....

15th Apr 2009 03:08 UTCTom Rayeski

Hey Rock,

I just got this from a friend a week ago, they said it was from M.G. Brazil. I dont usually like the polished points but I couldnt pass this one up....

Thanks again for the info, I scored a jug of the super iron out at lowes. Peace, Tom

15th Apr 2009 07:34 UTCRock Currier Expert

Tom, Minas Gerais has many localities for clear quartz crystals with phantoms. Some years ago crystals such as the one you attached to your email were available by the KG and probably still are from time to time. I was told they were coming from the hills/mountains? near the little town of Joaquim Felicio some Km to the north of the town of Corinto which is well known for the quartz specimens mined at Thomas Gonzaga and other localities not far away.

21st Apr 2009 08:06 UTCJoe Mork

Tom,

I have used Super Iron Out and Bar Keepers Friend. Both do a great job on quartz. Super Iron Out is pretty potent but you can leave the specimen soaking up to a few days and needs to be placed in a well ventilated area. The Bar Keepers Friend is a little less potent and takes a little more time to penetrate but also does a good job and on the plus side, you can use in the house as it has almost no odor. Each one can be purchased at K-Mart or Wal-Mart for a few bucks. Niether will hurt your specimens as well.

Joe Mork

21st Apr 2009 08:14 UTCJoe Mork

Tom,

I forgot to mention that Oxalic Acid is another good cleaner as well and can be found on various sites such as the one below.

Super Iron Out

http://www.summitbrands.com/brands/IronOut.aspx

Bar Keepers Friend

http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

Oxalic Acid

http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Oxalic-Acid-500g-P6371C670.aspx

I have actually seen where specimens were prepared for museum display using Super Iron Out.

Joe Mork

21st Apr 2009 15:56 UTCJohn Duck

Joe,

Add baking soda (sodium bicarbonate i.e. Arm and Hammer Brand here in the States) to your Super Ironout bath. The Super Ironout still works fine, but it really cuts down on the odor. So much so you can clean your specimens indoors.

John

22nd Apr 2009 07:54 UTCJoe Mork

John,

Thanks for the advice and I will try it.

Joe

22nd Apr 2009 09:49 UTCHarjo Neutkens Manager

Hi,

I've got one small question....

Quite often when I use a Waller solution on somewhat thicker Iron stains the stains don't go away but rather turn into black stains.

What is it that causes this reaction and how to get rid of it.....

Thanks for any advice!

Cheers

Harjo

22nd Apr 2009 19:23 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Harjo, Leave the specimens out in the rain for a few weeks, and the black stains will oxidize back to nice yellow-brown limonite again!

23rd Apr 2009 07:46 UTCHarjo Neutkens Manager

Yeah nice haha....

I noticed that, even without the rain, must be humid enough here...

24th Apr 2009 17:38 UTCJesse Fisher Expert

Harjo,

I suspect that what is happening is that you are trying to remove more iron oxide/hydroxide that the solution is capable of dealing with. The black coloration may be caused by forming very fine grained iron sulfide rather than dissolving the iron into solution. Waller Solution is designed to be buffering in order to keep it from becoming acidic and harming delicate things such as zeolites and carbonates. If the mineral you are trying to clean will withstand an acidic solution, I would recommend sodium dithionate mixed with some citric acid, or for heavier stains, dilute phosphoric acid. The former procedure should not be done in the kitchen, however, as the smell may put you off dinner and make you unpopular with family and friends.

Jesse

29th Oct 2016 14:09 UTCTman

Stop with the Organic, it just sounds stupid, and has no meaning. Plutonium is organic. So is benzene and heirloom tomatoes my aunt grows.

29th Oct 2016 15:41 UTCPeter Nancarrow 🌟 Expert

Tman,

Whilst I agree with the sentiment which I think prompted your comment, which is that the term "organic" has become so abused in modern/layman's/New Age/crackpot (delete as appropriate) terminology that it is now hardly recognised in its original meaning in everyday conversation, plutonium is a metallic heavy metal element and cannot be considerd "organic" in any sense of the term. (Although its radioactivity and heavy-metal toxicity do of course mean that it has very serious adverse effects on biological systems.)

In scientific usage, "organic" may have various meanings (depending on its context, within chemistry, biology, forensics etc), but its use in the vernacular seems to range from the all-embracing, almost mystical (and certainly naive) attitude that "If it's organic it must be good" to the sinister. (as implied in the OP - " . . . Oxalic Acid and some said it's real nasty and others said it was organic.") and hence the attitude "Don't touch, it's an organic chemical and therefore must be hazardous", which of course is absurd, since we ourselves consist almost entirely of organic chemicals!

My rather cynical response to the modern "organic" obsession is to consider walking into a supermarket and demanding to see their selection of "Inorganic foods". If such a thing was ever available, it could only be a very small display of course, as almost everything we eat or drink is organic in the chemical sense: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, alcohol, etc. (With salt and water being amongst the very few exceptions.)

Pete N

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