I have one for you, slightly off topic, maybe. I tried some synthetic methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen) from off the bench, where I use it on the burrs, to immerse a piece of facet rough to look for flaws. Worked great on quartz, stone disappeared! But I left the stone in a plastic graduated beaker> overnight with the dregs.
G’day Jess: here at your call!
Not sure why you use methyl salicylate for burrs - I would have
thought any light oil would do, perhaps 3-in-one diluted with
turps? I personally use water and a detergent, (cheaper!) but
each to his own, eh? Admittedly, it does have a similar
refractive index to quartz for diagnosis and checking purposes.
Now methyl salicylate is not a mixture of anything, but a solvent
like acetone. Where did your dregs/gunk come from? It is a very
good solvent for a wide range of organic compounds including
polystyrene. It will also go for Perspex (Lucite) too.
If you need a container for solvents, be sure to pick glass or
one of the ‘waxy’ sort of plastics, like polyethylene, or
polypropylene (sold as Nalgene) Nothing - not even concentrated
acids - will touch those. Methyl salicylate is also very
volatile, so use a container with some sort of closure. Very
similar in effect - and use - to eucalyptus oil Have you tried
using turps - mineral, or vegetable turps as I prefer which is
sometimes still available - to clean up? It wont simply dissolve
the mess without a little assistance, in the same way as merely
spraying soap over your body and showering it off won’t clean
you: you have to rub it with a cloth, brush, loofah, or in
occasional cases, (Kids often need this treatment) a scraper and
blowtorch
Well, there’s a few ideas - hope something here helps. Give me a
shout, No?
/\
/ / John Burgess,
/ /
/ //\ @John_Burgess2
/ / \ \
/ ()
(______)