[RSimmons]

Pickling, as stated above, removes the crud from the surface and will dissolve metal dust that my be down in the scratches that end up on the surface from shipping and handing. No glass is removed by the sulfuric acid in the pickle. The scratches themselves can create bubbles and fine scum, though pickling does usually give some improvement. Peeling takes a bit of practice but can yield fantastic results. It's better to learn on fat rods to develop your technique, then move down to smaller material as you get better at it.

Robert