Laboratory

Q: We reenact Civil War battles and need to clean the bayonets, rifles and assorted other metal parts.  We came across Alconox as a source for safely cleaning these important pieces.  The residues are largely rust and pine tar.  What would you recommend?

A: Cleaning steel used in reenactments as you describe certainly helps in establishing the proper setting for the show.  Cleaning tool steel (also called mild steel) requires a little bit of effort to ensure flash rusting does not occur during rinsing.  To avoid this….

Q: How do you clean MgF2 windows for chrome plating? We would also like to use in our cleanroom on different kinds of glass types and ceramics.

A: To prepare magnesium fluoride (MgF2) for adhesion of chrome or other plating, a very clean surface is needed.  Depending on what kinds of residues are expected, Alconox® Powdered Precision Cleaner and Liquinox® Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent are great options.  The choice of which detergent would be….

We are using a bath of Alconox powder for cleaning several metallic parts.  We have found that both the concentration of Alconox, along with a set duration brings about the correct end result.  As the wash solution is created at the beginning of each working shift, a gradual ‘weakening’ of the process occurs. In some instances, we resort to manually replenishing the tank with a fresh mix mid-shift.  Would you have any general advice?

Q. Why does Liquinox have an expiration date? What are we losing by using expired soap? A.

Q. We just purchased Alcojet which is a low-foaming detergent. The one we used before was non-foaming detergent. What’s the difference between “low” and “non?” Will Alcojet cause a foaming problem?

A. Alcojet® is designed for use in automated cleaning applications that require no foam problems. Alcojet® has an anti-foam agent that becomes effective at circa 110 deg F (45 deg C). As long as you clean at …