Formic Acid 99.5%

I use formic, and it works well for me. Some like it, some don't, you'll have to try it for yourself

 

I would have to consider formic as the best & easiest pickling agent to use , it is not a " strong " acid and generally shouldnt burn a skin or cause sun bleaching if the skin is subjected to a bit of sun light .If sulphuric is used you can burn yourself , the skin and will a form of sulphur bleaching if the skin sees any large amount of sunlight (direct or indirect). Sulphur bleaching can also be a problem if the skins are tanned with aluminium sulphate. So in a nutshell if you can get formic whether it is 99% or 85 % use it , most pickle recipes call for 85% so if you use 99% just recalculate and check your ph. If using 85% you will probably need to add as much again over the first 3 days of the skin being in the pickle as what was needed to get the ph down in the first place.
Cheers Peter

 

I cant see why they wouldnt be , you can also get 1-6 papers which is what I used for 3 years unti I got a meter.

 

Where can you buy formic that pure? I have never seen past 90%.

 

That's reagent grade that we use in the lab OS...Expensive..