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Author Topic: Cleaning polish off a cab  (Read 2125 times)

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VegasJames

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #15 on: March 24, 2020, 11:27:34 PM »

If mechanical cleaning like fine brushes or soda water doesn't work... maybe Sodium Hydroxide cleaner? I know it attacks aluminium, but it's nasty stuff and you should wash everything it touches with detergent after using.

I would not advise sodium hydroxide.  First of all it is quite caustic so not really safe to be playing with unless you know what you are doing.

Secondly it will attack aluminum metal forming aluminum hydroxide, not aluminum oxide that is the dry version of aluminum hydroxide.

Third, sodium and potassium hydroxide can dissolve silica forming sodium silicate and potassium silicate respectively. Therefore there is a high probability of damaging the stone itself.
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VegasJames

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #16 on: March 24, 2020, 11:29:58 PM »

Thanks I'll give some of those a try.

Can you recommend any techniques to prevent this?  Maybe use a different polish or technique or something?

I fill pits with a mix of mud from cabbing and epoxy to help match the color of the stone or fill the pits with baking soda then hit it with super glue. The baking soda will instantly harden the super glue.
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ileney

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #17 on: March 25, 2020, 08:42:34 AM »

Let's suppose that one were an idiot (and I am) who at one point let this stuff dry on some druzy stones (and I did). What then? I have some gorgeous tiny green diopside druzies and pink cobalto calcites. Fortunately, they were smallish stones and I didn't pay much for them. Are they lost forever?
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VegasJames

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #18 on: March 25, 2020, 03:55:21 PM »

Let's suppose that one were an idiot (and I am) who at one point let this stuff dry on some druzy stones (and I did). What then? I have some gorgeous tiny green diopside druzies and pink cobalto calcites. Fortunately, they were smallish stones and I didn't pay much for them. Are they lost forever?

What dried on them?
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ileney

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #19 on: March 30, 2020, 06:36:22 PM »

Not really polish. Just was using the nova wheels and I guess sediment from the matrix dried on the druzy tops even though I tried to get it off. I did not have an ultrasonic so just washed them after cutting to shape. Now they look dusty.
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Shifter55

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #20 on: March 30, 2020, 06:44:06 PM »

If mechanical cleaning like fine brushes or soda water doesn't work... maybe Sodium Hydroxide cleaner? I know it attacks aluminium, but it's nasty stuff and you should wash everything it touches with detergent after using.

I would not advise sodium hydroxide.  First of all it is quite caustic so not really safe to be playing with unless you know what you are doing.

Secondly it will attack aluminum metal forming aluminum hydroxide, not aluminum oxide that is the dry version of aluminum hydroxide.

Third, sodium and potassium hydroxide can dissolve silica forming sodium silicate and potassium silicate respectively. Therefore there is a high probability of damaging the stone itself.
Oh thanks, I didn't know about it attacking silica!
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Felicia

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #21 on: March 31, 2020, 10:20:45 AM »

Was looking through the new (toy) catalog from Rio Grande and saw a new type of cleaner, an ionic cleaner. Supposed to be safe even for opal and pearls. Also, on line, found instructions for for making your own from an a/c adapter. Just need an electrolyte. That you can't make yourself, probably. I imagine you could do the battery version just as easily.
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irockhound

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #22 on: March 31, 2020, 06:31:05 PM »

I was watching a video from black opal direct, like his videos, and he was "putting some myths to bed about opal".  One of the things he said was cleaning in Ultrasonic cleaners was just fine and put a black Opal in a cleaner.  I don't know if he addressed Doublets and triplets vs a solid nobby opal and whether the bonding agents could be affected by the ultra sonic.  In the Vid he also put the opal in various cleaning chemicals to show they wouldn't harm the opal.
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VegasJames

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Re: Cleaning polish off a cab
« Reply #23 on: April 01, 2020, 12:10:03 AM »

I was watching a video from black opal direct, like his videos, and he was "putting some myths to bed about opal".  One of the things he said was cleaning in Ultrasonic cleaners was just fine and put a black Opal in a cleaner.  I don't know if he addressed Doublets and triplets vs a solid nobby opal and whether the bonding agents could be affected by the ultra sonic.  In the Vid he also put the opal in various cleaning chemicals to show they wouldn't harm the opal.

Maybe it depends on the opal and the aluminum oxide content.  There area about 300 types of opal and they can vary in aluminum oxide content. The higher the content the more stable the stone becomes.
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