cleaning copper from steel
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From: hanson on 21 May 2010 12:31 "Mark Thorson" <nospam(a)sonic.net> wrote: ... > Peter Fairbrother wrote: >> They are used for cutting channels in copper and have a very aggressive >> rake and are best used dry, consequently the limiting factor in their >> use-life is when they get copper adhered to them - the steel itself is >> still sharp but the cutting edge is obscured by copper. > "Mark Thorson" wrote: > Perhaps you could run the blade backward > and cut some aluminum to clean off the copper. > Earlier Peter Fairbrother wrote: > Any ideas on how to clean copper from steel - the steel is > HSS in expensive small bits, and should be left untouched. > Earlier, "Mark Thorson" wrote: If it's a very thin coppper layer, mercury might dissolve it without attacking the steel. > hanson wrote: You have been floating some pretty cool suggestions here. The most intriguing, AFAIAC, was the one where you suggested to use metallic Mercury. Toxicity aside, which is over exaggerated anyway, have a bucket full of Hg, submerge the degreased Fe/Cu parts into it, leave it for a week or so, and voila, all the Cu globs, EVEN large ones will be amalgamated away & off the steel, and you'll have clean, shiny parts again without any further post treatment. Congrats, Thorson, hanson
From: Mark Thorson on 21 May 2010 14:04 hanson wrote: > > hanson wrote: > You have been floating some pretty cool suggestions > here. The most intriguing, AFAIAC, was the one where > you suggested to use metallic Mercury. Toxicity aside, > which is over exaggerated anyway, have a bucket full > of Hg, submerge the degreased Fe/Cu parts into it, > leave it for a week or so, and voila, all the Cu globs, > EVEN large ones will be amalgamated away & off the > steel, and you'll have clean, shiny parts again without > any further post treatment. > Congrats, Thorson, > hanson Now that I think about it, I recall that filling a gun barrel with mercury is one of the traditional ways of removing copper residues from firing jacketed bullets. That's a very similar problem. The suggestions to investigate gun-cleaning methods was a good one.
From: dlzc on 21 May 2010 14:22 To hanson and Mark Thorson: On May 21, 11:04 am, Mark Thorson <nos...(a)sonic.net> wrote: > hanson wrote: > > > hanson wrote: > > You have been floating some pretty cool suggestions > > here. The most intriguing, AFAIAC, was the one where > > you suggested to use metallic Mercury. Toxicity aside, > > which is over exaggerated anyway, have a bucket full > > of Hg, submerge the degreased Fe/Cu parts into it, > > leave it for a week or so, and voila, all the Cu globs, > > EVEN large ones will be amalgamated away & off the > > steel, and you'll have clean, shiny parts again without > > any further post treatment. > > Congrats, Thorson, > > hanson > > Now that I think about it, I recall that filling > a gun barrel with mercury is one of the traditional > ways of removing copper residues from firing > jacketed bullets. That's a very similar problem. The > suggestions to investigate gun-cleaning methods was > a good one. Youse guys are going to break your arms, patting each other on the back. ;>) How do you know it is time to replace the mercury with fresh? And/or can you recycle the mercury in some clever way? What'll the amalgam have for a metling point? For those that like wayback machines... http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Henley-s-20th-Century-Formulas-Recipes-Processes-Vol1/Copper-Amalgam.html David A. Smith
From: Androcles on 21 May 2010 14:36 "Mark Thorson" <nospam(a)sonic.net> wrote in message news:4BF6CB2C.6E083566(a)sonic.net... | hanson wrote: | > | > hanson wrote: | > You have been floating some pretty cool suggestions | > here. The most intriguing, AFAIAC, was the one where | > you suggested to use metallic Mercury. Toxicity aside, | > which is over exaggerated anyway, have a bucket full | > of Hg, submerge the degreased Fe/Cu parts into it, | > leave it for a week or so, and voila, all the Cu globs, | > EVEN large ones will be amalgamated away & off the | > steel, and you'll have clean, shiny parts again without | > any further post treatment. | > Congrats, Thorson, | > hanson | | Now that I think about it, I recall that filling | a gun barrel with mercury is one of the traditional | ways of removing copper residues from firing jacketed | bullets. That's a very similar problem. The suggestions | to investigate gun-cleaning methods was a good one. Also used for extracting gold. Form an amalgam and then boil off the mercury. However, I'm not sure about it amalgamating with tungsten or molybdenum steel (HSS). As I child I obtained some mercury and put it in a metal box painted red with "Elastoplast" written across the lid. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/249334013_6ac78604d6.jpg The mercury penetrated the box and lifted the paint off. I don't recall whether the box was aluminium or steel.
From: dlzc on 21 May 2010 16:29
Dear hanson: On May 21, 12:05 pm, "hanson" <han...(a)quick.net> wrote: > Smitty "dlzc" <dl...(a)cox.net> called hanson & Thorson & wrote: >>> Mark Thorson <nos...(a)sonic.net> wrote: .... >> How do you know it is time to replace the mercury >> with fresh? And/or can you recycle the mercury in >> some clever way? What'll the amalgam have for >> a metling point? > > hanson wrote: > > In the remote possibility that this gig/gag works, > you replace the Hg when its Cu solution rate > becomes intolerably slow. You recycle Hg by > simple distillation. Now, I want a pat on the > back from you, Smitty. Thanks for the laughs, > Smitty... ahahaha... ahahanson Well, I can't hold a candle to any of the regular posters to sci.chem, including the wit and wisdom of both ahahanson and Mark Thorson. I hope the OP will let us know how it went... David A. Smith |