On Thu, 02 Sep 2004 18:10:08 -0700, RainLover wrote:
while I'm on a posting roll...

I've used pickling paste on 316L for the last few of my sculptures,
but I've had a disturbing thing happening... While it brightens the
stainless (almost a blue tint) and removes all the little surface rust
spots, it also leaves a coating... almost of a 'smudged' look..

I leave the past on for about 15 to 20 minutes and agitate it with a
nylon brush before rinsing and rubbing (with my rubber gloves on) it
off.

What Am I doing wrong?

Nothing. The acid is just etching the surface (that's what pickling is
supposed to do). If you want it shiny, you'll have to polish it after pickling.

Gary