First Call on Alcohol
Posted March 6th, 2008 by Admin
McCartney wrote >>I've been told to cut the new fall in 99% alcohol. I've had my secretary
calling the local grocery stores and drugstores for this stuff, but its not
carried. I've been told Safeway carries it, but they're not in Austin. A
local medical places has it for $16 per pint (ouch) which is
excessive. Can someone give me suggestions for what type of businesses
would carry it? OFF LIST please.
For saftey sakes, please do not cut the stone in alcohol unless you have a sealed saw like a low-speed Buehler designed for this kind of cutting. The smallest of sparks can ignite pure ethyl alcohol and you will not see it burning because the flame is nearly invisible. You would be much safer using distilled water with a saw additive and drying out the specimen immediately.
I use his formula exclusively and have never seen a Hint of rust. If you want to be really fussy, (I am) rinse with 95% to 99% alcohol after and dry in the oven with the pilot light. The very cheapest you can get is in Mexico - any drug store.
Alcohol is extremely harsh on a standard lapidary saw. Not only is not the best coolant, it dissolves the grease in the bearings, hardens rubber seals and posses a fire hazard. I see blades spark all the time on a high-speed saws when cutting meteorites. The blade will actually cause the alcohol to vaporize as it froths up the coolant making it even more prone to
ignition. Enclose this vapor under a saw hood, add a spark and kaboom! Even Houdini couldn't escape this possibility.
I only mention this because I have heard of others using alcohol on a standard saw and don't want to read about burn victims.