Therma-loc i .Does anyone know a how to remove all the little pieces of therma-loc that is now stuck in the back of the diamonds . Is there a solvent ?
I use therma-loc all the time, I like it alot. No I do not think there is a solvent, I called GRS and asked same that question years ago. I was accustomed to using shellac and dissolving it, but no-can-do with this. The little left over bits will stick well to a softened piece and pull right out or you can pick and flick them off with a tweezers or pick once they are hard. That’s what I’d suggest.
You have to adjust your practices a bit and fasten your piece without filling the holes and hard to reach tight spots with it.
I have a shop microwave that I never use for food and I always soften it by boiling water in a beaker, removing it and then dropping a blob in until soft. You can microwave the beaker of water with the blob submerged if you’re in a hurry. I never overheat the thermo-plastic this way.
Mark
Acetone works very well to remove it. Put a little in a glass or ceramic cup and hang it in your ultrasonic cleaner with the item in the acetone.
Thank you That is very helpful
Yes. Just boil some water and immerse the diamonds or piece. Fingernails and toothpicks will dislodge the bits.
Thanks for the acetone tip. I’ll remember that.
Just used it yesterday to secure a small stone around which I was securing a bezel on a bracelet. When done, I just put the entire piece into a pot of hot water, let it sit for a bit and then peel off what I can when it is soft. Then I let it harden and pick it off with small tools, tooth picks or whatever works. Any cleanup of the metal and polishing will remove what little pits are left. I set stones (lapidary cabs) this way all the time.
Does this work with turquoise, or is the heat too much?
The stone was turquoise and it was fine. Since there are many types of turquoise, most treated with epoxy, try it, but be careful. I just set a piece of bloodstone. It too was fine. The temperature at which thermo-loc become plastic is fairly low. I handle it with my bare hands when it is plastic, so I doubt that the heat will have an impact on any lapidary material other than possibly amber. My wife would argue that I have burned my hands so many times, how would I know. The best way to find out if something will work in your shop is to try it.
Xylene from hardware store (paint section) also works to remove it.
Sent from TypeApp
Since Therma-Loc was a knockoff product that GRS did of my patented Jett Sett material I know the answer to this question. There is a solvent called Attack that will dissolve it. You can also heat up your part with the stuck in material and use another large warm piece of it to “tack” it out. You lightly push the warmed up larger piece in your hand onto the pieces stuck into the back of your part and often times, the larger part will pull out the warm and softened material from behind the stones. If not, then use Attack. Many jewelry supply companies sell it as does Amazon.