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Thread ID: 140146 2015-08-25 01:34:00 OK, this one is out of left field..........Is there a chemist in the house? Billy T (70) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1407375 2015-08-25 01:34:00 Hi Team

I have a small (2 fluid ounce) bottle of magnetic cement, still sealed ex-manufacture, but it is rather elderly and time has allowed the solvents to dissipate through the seals. It is doing a great imitation of black-treacle only much thicker, and volume is down to 50% so it needs some solvent to restore liquidity. The prescribed solvent is 'Solvent No. 29', which was nice to know but hardly helpful, however I managed to track down the original US manufacturer and was told that No. 29 was Ethyl Acetate and Toluene in equal volumes.

The bottle being half-empty, it is safe to assume that I need 0.5 fluid ounce of each solvent, which is near-enough 15cc of each. Toluene is no problem, I have plenty of that, but where might I find 15cc of Ethyl Acetate? I have horrible feeling that it will either be banned from sale (because it can be used in the manufacture of meth) or it will be sold only by the tanker load! Fortunately it is not toxic and is quite common in consumer products (mostly cosmetics I guess) so I now need to beg, buy, or burgle 15cc of Ethyl Acetate and any suggestions as to a source would be appreciated.

Lastly, and in anticipation of the inevitable question, yes, the cement is magnetic, and a magnet will cling to the bottom of the glass bottle. It is used to repair cracked ferrites and/or iron-dust cores, and I need it for vintage radio repairs.

Cheers

Billy 8-{) :)


Useless information: As a kid I had a black and tan pedigree cocker spaniel. His mother's nickname was Golden Syrup and his father's was Black Treacle. Being pedigree, the kennel names were very long and unpronounceable. Funny how things like that pop back into your head umpteen years later!
Billy T (70)
1407376 2015-08-25 02:09:00 How pure is nail polish remover? pretty sure that's the main ingredient.

I bought something similar from a hardware store once, think it may have been acetone but I don't really remember. Didn't work is all I remember (was trying to remove adhesive residue).
Had to provide ID and they record it on some register somewhere but as I don't manufacture drugs I didn't think that would be a problem.
dugimodo (138)
1407377 2015-08-25 03:07:00 Have you tried a pharmacy chemist. They may be able to sell you a small amount if they have some. Or contact the local high school and beg the chemist.
Nail polish remover may contain it but also some alcohol as well.
user (1404)
1407378 2015-08-25 03:14:00 Try renmoo gary67 (56)
1407379 2015-08-25 03:50:00 Perhaps this guy (www.trademe.co.nz) will be able to supply lesser quantities" R2x1 (4628)
1407380 2015-08-25 04:33:00 www.nzchemicalsuppliers.co.nz

www.brucescientific.com

Nail Polish remover is the same stuff as car paint thinners.....I believe that is acetone.
Used it a lot at British Paints way back when I colour matched for them.
pctek (84)
1407381 2015-08-25 06:28:00 Got any wine? I guess the fruitiness smell just be a benefit. Vinegar be acetic acid, ethanol the alcohol proportion.

Ethyl Acetate use to be a solution we used for cleaning PCB boards, but I think times have changed now as I believe it had issues with oxidising, but by then the product was discontinued so it served its time.

Nail polish remover would be closer to Methyl Acetate in my views, but maybe close enough for what you need? I use this more for removing adhesives.

Cheers,

KK
Kame (312)
1407382 2015-08-25 07:05:00 Well I was head chemist for Carter Holt Harvey for a long time. But never come across a toluene (benzene aromatic) and ethyl acetate mix (ester group). One smells nauseating foul (toly) - the other a pleasant sweet smell (ethyl ester). I use to order from salmond smith bio-lab, lab supply pierce, and Andrew chemicals mid 80's - 90's. Large size flask was about 2.5 l smaller size 500 ml.

Note also there are the AR (analytical reagent - used for pure lab hydrolysis/analysis) and industrial raw grades - purely for non lab, i.e. cleaning solvent.

You probably know - but wear gloves, glasses, etc. I don't know how they might react during mixing. Whether one of them latent heat reactions - enthalpy mix. Care I guess, especially with Toluene as it's known to be carcinogenic. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
kahawai chaser (3545)
1407383 2015-08-26 05:15:00 Well I was head chemist for Carter Holt Harvey for a long time. But never come across a toluene (benzene aromatic) and ethyl acetate mix (ester group). One smells nauseating foul (toly) - the other a pleasant sweet smell (ethyl ester). I use to order from salmond smith bio-lab, lab supply pierce, and Andrew chemicals mid 80's - 90's. Large size flask was about 2.5 l smaller size 500 ml.

Note also there are the AR (analytical reagent - used for pure lab hydrolysis/analysis) and industrial raw grades - purely for non lab, i.e. cleaning solvent.

You probably know - but wear gloves, glasses, etc. I don't know how they might react during mixing. Whether one of them latent heat reactions - enthalpy mix. Care I guess, especially with Toluene as it's known to be carcinogenic. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)


Hmm......

I wonder if your toluene was doped with "essence of dead things" or "concentrate of expired politicians' promises".

I am careful not to breathe solvent fumes but I do know that the Toluene I have doesn't smell bad, just a bit 'chemically'. On that matter, I am very careful with all solvents, making sure that none gets spilt, but if it does, it will be caught in a secondary container.

I'll try my local Pharmacy, we are on very good terms with them as both Mrs T and myself are regular customers. We've known them since they were a tiny start-up and they now have a massive shop in a busy mall. They did sell me a small bottle of pure ethanol when I needed to boost some simulator solutions for an evidential breath tester I was evaluating for the Supreme Court of a northern State in the US, so if they have Ethyl Acetate, I should be able to get it. Reading about it, it sounds like something that they might use for 'special potions', not everything can be just grabbed off the shelf.

Cheers

Billy 8-{)
Billy T (70)
1407384 2015-08-26 05:59:00 Or find a substitute ferrite rod filler :)

JB Weld?
Zippity (58)
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