I've been reading about lowering the pickle PH by adding white vinegar.
I'm using Knoblochs citric acid bath and I ran out. I have about 8 gallons of solution mixed with the apporiate amount of acid (2 oz/gallon) I might be a little light on the salt, 3 1/2lbs in the 8 Gallons, a little shy of 1/2lb per gallon.
The PH is at about 2.5-3.0 and I tried adding 1 gallon of distilled white vinegar to lower the PH and it seems like it didn't do much. I might have stabled it at 2.5 but I was hoping to go down to 2.0. Should I add more vinegar, salt, or is using "distilled white vinegar" the wrong thing to be using?
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Joe T,
Here's what you do in a pinch like this. Get you one of them small plastic bottles of 100% pure lemon juice, no sugar, no water. Where I live they sell them in a plastic container that's shaped like a lemon. Add a tablespoon at a time. vinegar doesn't have enough acid content in it.
Hoffa
Vinegar(acetic acid) is a weak acid that is used to buffer solutions. The term buffer is used to refer to an acid or base that us used to weaken a stronger solution. When you weaken an acid or base, it means that you are bringing the pH closer to neutral(7.0).
Buffer refers to a solution made of a weak acid and and its conjugate base, in this case acetate. Such a solution would be made with water,acetic acid, and sodium acetate. Buffer solutions can resist small changes in pH by neutralizing small amounts of acids or bases added to the solution.
Vinegar is not pure acetic acid, lemon juice in not pure citric acid but by the addition of either or you should be able to drop the pH to meet your needs. Salt (NaCl) cannot and will not have any effect on the pH of your pickle, but you should add the proper amount of salt to bring it up to what your recipe calls for. Don't forget that you now have ~ 9 gallons of pickle and need to add more salt.
Acid is acid, even in week solution. I have used white 5% acid vinegar a few times and yes it will drop the pH of the pickle, I also told Joe it may take a few gallons. stable 2.5-3.0 is fine.
can and will get you into trouble. Use an oxidizing acid such as nitric acid and you won't have any hide left at all.
Sulfuric acid is a strong acid and if not properly neutralized it will lead to the disintegration of your hides. This is why untold numbers of old library books are being lost because of crumbling pages. The paper was pulped using sulfuric.
and mixtures...mix HCL (muratic) and Nitric at 3:1 and it will dissolve even gold...
Stick with one acid..