Image of the day

Captured by
Michael Scherman

Lagoon and Triffid Celestron C6 Hyperstar4

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Acetone

Started by kulginov, 07/19/2006 01:14AM
Posted 07/19/2006 01:14AM Opening Post
Where can I buy pure (preferrably spectral grade) acetone in Florida?

Dmitri
Posted 07/19/2006 02:17PM #1
I feel I may have started this. Believe me, the home user does not need this level of purity. "Technical grade" is somewhat better than off the shelf stuff from a hardware store that leaves a film. "Spectral grade" is way over kill for the home user. It is used in only high purity situations like aerospace sensors where control of water between elements is important.

Posted 07/19/2006 06:34PM #2
Where can I buy pure (preferrably spectral grade) acetone in Florida?

Dmitri
----

Know anybody who works in a research lab? Acetone is about as common as water in a research lab...

Just a thought...

Jon... who works in a research lab but uses distilled water on his mirrors...
Posted 07/19/2006 07:35PM #3
Guys,

I'm on holidays in Florida. I don't know what 'hardware store' means here smile Anyone got a name?

Dmitri
Posted 07/20/2006 05:37AM | Edited 07/20/2006 05:44AM #4
Dmitri, technical grade is the best you'll need as an end user and visual observer. I'm sorry I got folks confused when I mentioned using spectral grade acetone in my vacuum cleaning of eps thread. We use that at work for very specialized optical assemblies way beyond the scope of the telescope industry. My fault there for too much info.

While you're at it buy some of these cotton swabs. They are Puritan brand, non-sterile. Always use non-sterile. Here is a good cheap source: http://www.americancleanstat.com/ and buy the 112A1-806WCL ones for about $5.40 a box. I use these in my class 100 clean room. I take a very clean, flat needle nose pliers and squish the cotton end flat and then gently pull out on the cotton tip so the end is kind of floppy. This avoids the possibility that you'll use the tip as a scrubber and more like a brush. This also makes it more absorbent. Also, by squishing it flat, it makes the tip easier to get into the area where the lens meets the metal housing lip. Think of it as an ep mop. Don't loosen the weave of the fibers though or you'll get lint on the lenses.


For wipes, from this same company, get the clean room laundered polyester wipes, 4X4 inch size. This is a good size with less waste. They don't absorb water very well, but are designed for working with acetone and alcohol. The part number is 102D2-NR44LS and they are about $16 a package. Remember, don't scrub and don't go in circles while wiping. Start from the center and work in straight lines toward the edge. This is awkward for most people, but please do it this way.

By the way, this company also sells technical grade acetone. It's not where I get the stuff we use, but probably a good source.

I can't recommend commercial grade acetone. We use that to clean dirty metal parts in the machine shop.
Posted 07/25/2006 07:54PM #5
Wherever you find it, please keep in mind that Acetone is an inhalent and exposure to its fumes does result in the destruction of brain cells. It's also flammable. Be sure to use it outdoors.