[Rockhounds] muriatic acid for cleaning...

[Rik Hill" <rhill at lpl.arizona.edu]

On second thought, Alan Goldstein is right. I would not use this acid unless I really had to and knew exactly what the reaction to the rock would be. With the right minerals you could get some ugly reactions. As I said, the only time I used Muriatic was when I was dissolving all the rock (limestone) to get at silicified fossils. 

Think I'll stick to vinegar for most of my work. 

-Rik