I was trying to clean up my newly collected Summerville agates and thought I’d consult another rockhound on how she’s working through her stack. This advice is from Jessi Hodges, my sister and a returned CCGMS member who has been collecting rocks since we were kids. Thanks for letting me share your advice, Jessi!
1. Wash agates off with hose and then tooth brush and water to get chert off. Hot, soapy water is helpful.
2. Soak any agates that are clay or chert stained in Iron Out. Use this outside as it does smell. Cover the bin you soak the agates but leave a small space for off gassing. I’ve tested many products and Iron Out powder works great. I found it at Home Depot. I use one cup iron out to 3 gallons HOT water. Some agates will be clean within minutes. Some will take a couple hours. And others 24 hours. I check mine often to see how they are doing. And if they look nice, they come out.
3. Use gloves and tongs and rinse agates in hot water when you take them out of the solution.
4. Place them in a baking soda and water mix to deactivate the iron out chemical process. This will prevent your agates from turning yellow on the edges. I leave mine in this for at least a day. I use one cup baking soda and enough hot water to cover the agates.
5. Rinse baking soda water off the agates, brush with toothbrush to help remove the rest of the chert and set to dry.
6. Enjoy your gorgeous finds.
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