The alcohol works for shellac, but is VERY slow, although
sometimes useful if you have all night to let it sit or you can
speed things up with an ultrasonic.Boraxo soap andwater will work
better, but best of all is the hydroxide. And yes, it does give
off caustic fumes if heated too much. What I do is don’t let it
heat to boiling, keep it covered, and also keep it at the other
end of the shop next to the pickle which also gives off fumes! I
would be careful adding it to water as it will cause a reaction
and can run over if the water is too hot and you add too much
lye. It really doesn’t take much. If you should ever get any in
your eye, you will definitely be thinking about getting something
else to use for this! I did one time dropping things into a
container of it and in the meantime BSing with a co worker.
Wasn’t nothing nice. Look away when you drop anything in (and at
arms length). Luckily, this solution was so old and saturated
with shellac, I think it didn’t burn my eyeball as much as could
have been- it only bothered my vision for 2-3 days. But, you can’t
beat this stuff for the gunk behind the stones, definitely much
easier than trying to get the burnt gunk off after heating. Also,
I’m told that Tide soap and water will dissolve shellac, but
I’ve never tried it- I’ve got lye/caustic soda/sodium hydroxide!
RL BTW- Doesn’t liquid plumber contain lye also?
plan c doesn't really work for me, it seems to cause more harm
than good
In friendly defense of my method. I started doing this by
accident to remove wax from rings that we had melted up wedding
bands to acheive a perfect fit. Boiling etc, didn’t work to remve
every speck of wax. Because the rings were coated with boric acid
prior to melting up the wax wedding bands, I thought I might as
well heat them futher with the torch to evaporate the remaining
wax. To my pleasure it worked. I have always stessed in my shop
to clean everything well before taking a torch to it. However
when someone forgets, and we just can’t get the crap out from
under the diamonds, I will do as I have described and it has
always worked. I usually do it myself, because I am getting it
pretty close to melting. But I do respect your opinion George.
Mark P.
The alcohol works for shellac, but is VERY slow, although
sometimes useful if you have all night to let it sit or you
can speed things up with an ultrasonic.Boraxo soap andwater
will work better, but best of all is the hydroxide. And yes, it
does give off caustic fumes if heated too much.
hi rick, after using shellac i use the denatured alcohol in the
sonic and it takes about 10 minutes for the shellac to come off.
if i don’t have to handle a chemical like lye, cyanide or the
host of other nasty things in the world, i won’t. if nothing
else will work in a particular situation, i whip those nasty
things out and use 'em! (with caution).
The alcohol works for shellac, but is VERY slow, although
sometimes useful if you have all night to let it sit or you
can speed things up with an ultrasonic
Here is something I do to speed up shellac removal that you all
may think is stupid (but it works). I fill a beaker so the
shellac covered peice is covered by about an inch of denatured
alcohol. I then put it in the microwave until it boils ( about 30
seconds), I take the beaker out and swish it around and in a
minute or so the shellac is gone. It seems if a metalic object
is submerged in a fluid you will not get the sparking ect, the
peice is perfectly safe. That is as long as you don’t let the
alcohol evaporate, one of the guys did that (wasn’t watching) and
his 14k white gold and yellow gold pave broach melted into a nice
little ball, not a happy event. But that won’t happen to you,
because you are too dang smart. Mark P.
when someone forgets, and we just can't get the crap out
from under the diamonds, I will do as I have described and it
has always worked. I usually do it myself, because I am getting
it pretty close to melting. But I do respect your opinion
George. Mark P.
hi mark, and i yours. you are very kind and clear about your
disagreement with me. and you seem to know that is an ok thing
to disagree with respect. you also seem to know how to make
friends.
the method you’ve descibed to make that perfect fitting ring i
employ constantly. believe it or not, it is what led me to using
the 1/2 diluted liquid plumber to clean the original rings
diamonds vs the high heat method i used to use. (the method you
are using now). the lye treatment is much less risky(lets say
you have a complicated and thin wire gallery) and seems to me to
get the item cleaner.
i would propose that at your next opportunity, try the lye
treatment on one ring and the heating technique on another.
the heating technique does work with certain limitations. it
could be that the way i’ve employed the technique is what is
limiting. but, ‘in my experience’ the lye or liquid plummer
works better than anything i’ve tried to date. try it, you’ll
like it.
Here is something I do to speed up shellac removal that you all
may think is stupid (but it works). I fill a beaker so the
shellac covered peice is covered by about an inch of denatured
alcohol. I then put it in the microwave until it boils ( about 30
seconds), I take the beaker out and swish it around and in a
minute or so the shellac is gone. It seems if a metalic object
is submerged in a fluid you will not get the sparking ect, the
peice is perfectly safe. That is as long as you don't let the
alcohol evaporate, one of the guys did that (wasn't watching) and
his 14k white gold and yellow gold pave broach melted into a nice
little ball, not a happy event. But that won't happen to you,
because you are too dang smart.
I’ve been nuking goldplating, lye and a lot of other solutions
for quite a while. A pawnbrokers microwave is about $50. I keep
my solutions in cheap plastic Rubbermade like containers. No
more spilling and no more broken beakers from hot plates. As long
as the metals is submersed, there seems to be no problem.
I’ve been nuking goldplating, lye and a lot of other solutions
for quite a while. A pawnbrokers microwave is about $50. I keep
my solutions in cheap plastic Rubbermade like containers. No
more spilling and no more broken beakers from hot plates. As long
as the metals is submersed, there seems to be no problem.
I’m surprised you haven’t ruined the bearings on your fan motor.
I used to heat up my pickle in our microwave, and it didn’t take
long for the bearings to corrode. After paying to have the fan
replaced, I decided a $9 crock pot was a good investment.
I’ve been nuking goldplating, lye and a lot of other solutions
for quite a while. A pawnbrokers microwave is about $50. I keep
my solutions in cheap plastic Rubbermade like containers. No
more spilling and no more broken beakers from hot plates. As long
as the metals is submersed, there seems to be no problem.
I'm surprised you haven't ruined the bearings on your fan motor.
After about 2 years or so, it’s time to get a new microwave, but
I get a lot of good use until then.
I'm surprised you haven't ruined the bearings on your fan
motor. I used to heat up my pickle in our microwave, and it
didn't take long for the bearings to corrode. After paying to
have the fan replaced, I decided a $9 crock pot was a good
investment.
Just a thought . … I’ve found Crock Pots (dual settings and
removable glass inside) at our local “re-sale” shop for as low as
$4.00.
About heating the pickle in a crock pot — yes, they are
available at almost every garage sale here pretty cheap, too.
Don’t understand why no one wants one anymore, they are great for
stews, etc., if you go out to work they cook while you’re gone.
McCreight’s book says to caulk all the joints with silicone if
you use it as a pickle pot. I guess the fumes get in otherwise
and corrode it.
I’ve never understood caulking the seams of a crock pot. Mine
must be ten years old and is uncaulked. Of course it isn’t turned
on every day but still… I still cook in a crockpot but not as
much as I did when I had kids at home. Beats rushing around in a
last minute exhausted frenzy.