MadMax Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 Hi guys, I think I fucked myself a little bit on this one and maybe someone could suggest something. I was working with some dark pyro grade Al and ended up spilling a couple grams of the stuff on my carpet. I know it's not a great place to mix comps but I was working with a small amount just to test a quick theory I had and was doing so safely. The only danger was the obvious mess that could potentially happen and apparently it did. Eh stupid me. But anyway... I used a few mechanical means to remove most of it such as sweeping it into a small paper cup. Then I used some duct tape to "blot up" what that missed. Then I used a shop vac to get even more out. Then I dampened a piece of tissue and dabbed out the rest. The spot still has a dark hue though where the spot was. Does anyone know what's the best way to get it out? Will a wet-vac work? Thanks guys.
NightHawkInLight Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 A carpet cleaner is about all I can think of. You're definitely going to need a wet vac of one kind or another and it'll more than likely take many passes.
dagabu Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) The teeny-tiny jagged little shards of aluminum are grabbing the strands of carpet and will not let go.... The idea is to attack the aluminum and dissolve it, lye or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) will dissolve the aluminum and will leave the carpet alone IF it is poly but will attack natural fibers and can stain them yellow. I would try a 10% solution on a spot that wont matter if it melts your carpet and see how it goes. Good luck and be careful. Mum may have a quick fix for this, I am just relating an experience I had removing aluminum rub marks I left on a ceramic surface once upon a time. Edited April 16, 2011 by dagabu
MadMax Posted April 16, 2011 Author Posted April 16, 2011 Dagabu, Thanks for the suggestion. The carpet is already a light brown color so a yellow stain probably wouldn't hurt it. It is however, also an old rug so it may or may not hold up to attack my bases. I will try it though when I get a chance to. This carpet has seen better days so I may end up ripping it out and replacing it anyways. I'll see what happens. The teeny-tiny jagged little shards of aluminum are grabbing the strands of carpet and will not let go.... The idea is to attack the aluminum and dissolve it, lye or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) will dissolve the aluminum and will leave the carpet alone IF it is poly but will attack natural fibers and can stain them yellow. I would try a 10% solution on a spot that wont matter if it melts your carpet and see how it goes. Good luck and be careful. Mum may have a quick fix for this, I am just relating an experience I had removing aluminum rub marks I left on a ceramic surface once upon a time.
Mumbles Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 Part of the problem is the small amount of wax and carbon in dark Al. A wet-vac or proper carpet cleaner is probably your best bet.
Peret Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 Reminds me of when my daughter opened a can of black powder paint and poured it out on our new light-colored carpet. "I make a mixture!" she said. She was two at the time. We got a professional carpet cleaner out to do that job. They got it out, but that patch of carpet never looked the same. My advice is don't apply chemicals but use a steam vac - if you don't have one you can easily rent one. But seriously MMDC, WTF are you doing with dark pyro aluminum in the living area of a house? And don't try and tell me there wasn't also an oxidizer involved, because I've had kids of my own.
MadMax Posted April 16, 2011 Author Posted April 16, 2011 It was just a spur of the moment theory I wanted to try but oxidizers weren't part of it (yet). I was trying to "alloy" 2 fuels (Al + K benzoate) together in an aqueous solution. Unfortunately the dry Al powder made it to the carpet en route to the garage sink. An idea that was intended for use in a high powered rocket fuel. Sort of like whistle mix but with a small amount of Al mixed in at an atomic level (hopefully). I was going to prepare a solution of the above mentioned mixture with the correct amount of KClO4 and then spray it onto a large glass platen and then razor it off as dry powder and then press it into a thin nozzleless tube. The idea is a homogeneous mix of all 3 and although the Al wouldn't truly dissolve it would remain in suspension due to the extremely small flake particle size. It was just a wacky idea I just had to test out. You know how that goes. Reminds me of when my daughter opened a can of black powder paint and poured it out on our new light-colored carpet. "I make a mixture!" she said. She was two at the time. We got a professional carpet cleaner out to do that job. They got it out, but that patch of carpet never looked the same. My advice is don't apply chemicals but use a steam vac - if you don't have one you can easily rent one. But seriously MMDC, WTF are you doing with dark pyro aluminum in the living area of a house? And don't try and tell me there wasn't also an oxidizer involved, because I've had kids of my own.
MadMax Posted April 16, 2011 Author Posted April 16, 2011 Also, to prevent any future confusion, I'm not MMDC. Madmax is my only handle on this site. But seriously MMDC, WTF are you doi...
Peret Posted April 17, 2011 Posted April 17, 2011 Also, to prevent any future confusion, I'm not MMDC. Madmax is my only handle on this site.My dab - please execute my sydelxia, Mad Max. I didn't confuse you with him, I just made a typo.
MadMax Posted April 17, 2011 Author Posted April 17, 2011 Haha, no problem. I just didn't want to get confused with that guy. I saw some of his posts and from the look of things he's a lia-freaken-bility. My dab - please execute my sydelxia, Mad Max. I didn't confuse you with him, I just made a typo.
Ralph Posted April 17, 2011 Posted April 17, 2011 Hi guys, I think I fucked myself a little bit on this one and maybe someone could suggest something. I was working with some dark pyro grade Al and ended up spilling a couple grams of the stuff on my carpet. I know it's not a great place to mix comps but I was working with a small amount just to test a quick theory I had and was doing so safely. The only danger was the obvious mess that could potentially happen and apparently it did. Eh stupid me. But anyway... I used a few mechanical means to remove most of it such as sweeping it into a small paper cup. Then I used some duct tape to "blot up" what that missed. Then I used a shop vac to get even more out. Then I dampened a piece of tissue and dabbed out the rest. The spot still has a dark hue though where the spot was. Does anyone know what's the best way to get it out? Will a wet-vac work? Thanks guys. Dark al and carpet should never mix I know you said you know its bad but carpet is great for making static dark al is almost exclusively used for making flash , flash gets all excited when it gets hit with static , you get all deaded or damaged when flash gets excited p.s. yes deaded is a word
MadMax Posted April 17, 2011 Author Posted April 17, 2011 Yes but as I said I wasn't making flash. If I was I would not do it in a carpeted area. That's just asking for trouble. Dark al and carpet should never mix I know you said you know its bad but carpet is great for making static dark al is almost exclusively used for making flash , flash gets all excited when it gets hit with static , you get all deaded or damaged when flash gets excited p.s. yes deaded is a word
Ralph Posted April 17, 2011 Posted April 17, 2011 Yes but as I said I wasn't making flash. If I was I would not do it in a carpeted area. That's just asking for trouble. didnt pick up on that, most comps with fine al can still be set off by static
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