[meteorite-list] Big-Ass Purple Campo

From: Bill Mason III <bmason3_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:23:50 2004
Message-ID: <002801c2f18d$7ce28d20$0c02a8c0_at_ce1.client2.attbi.com>

Dear Bob and Mike and anybody who wants to kick my big bottom,

Where did the "purple" come from ? I'll explain as best as I can. This
Acrylic conformal spray coating was designed to form a transparent
protective barrier on circut boards and electronic assemblies that would be
impervious to humidity,salt, corrosive vapors and fungus. TheVCI-286
contains an Ultravolet indicator, permitting thourough QC inspection to see
that the surface you coated is completely sealed. I have only observed the
purple color when I happen to be in a light source that is high in actinic
light rays, esp,the violet and ultraviolet spectrum. Outside in a bright sun
in Arizona I'd expect that the UV indicator is working. I'll reformulate and
illiminate the indicator. I don't think you'll see the color with ordinary
interior illumination.
    I'm a bit confused about the neutralizer consentration It doesn't matter
if you use it at 1:10 or 2:20. I just found that my graduates were marked
off in 2 ml. units(easier to read) The VCI in the neutralizer forms a
monmonecular coating on the substrate whichs protects the meteorite.
    The alcohol I use as a water slurper I find that it picks up any water
that I have on my specimen in preparation for the next step.
    If you have different sets of instructions than the 2003uci edition,
toss it. I have learned a great deal from you people and I will continue to
learn I appreciate this feed back it is the only way we can all benefit.

Bill Mason









----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Martino" <martino.6_at_osu.edu>
To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2003 12:29 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Big-Ass Purple Campo


> All,
>
> And now for an update on the Big-Ass Campo formerly known as "Rusty."
>
> As you may recall (those who care, anyway), I bought a 19-pound Campo at
the
> Tucson 2003 show this year. No "New Campo" this, it was definitely an
> Old-School specimen. Totally covered in rust.
>
> I contacted Bill Mason and bought one of his new Meteorite Treatment Kits.
> Unfortunately, I've had mixed results with it.
>
> Yes, the rust-eating acid worked very well indeed. Unfortunately, the
> instructions included with the kit left a bit to be desired. In one place
> they say to neutralize the acid next, then soak it in alcohol. In another
> place, it wrongly states to soak in alcohol first and _then_ use the acid
> neutralizer. (Guess which instructions I followed.) I also followed the
> instruction set which didn't happen to mention that the acid neutralizer
> needs to be diluted with water first (In one place the instructions say
> dilute 10:1 with water, and in another it says 20:1). The result was a
> sticky meteorite with way too much neutralizer on it. Thus, when the oven
> baking was in progress, my house was filled with a nasty burning chemical
> stink. The heat also apparently destroyed the neutralizer chemicals,
leaving
> me with an ugly white deposit on the specimen (The fact that the cat grew
> another head is probably just a coincidence).
>
> So I went back and re-did the whole thing. At least the acid treatment
went
> fast because most of the rust was already gone. I also took the time to
work
> over my 4-inch long Nantan with the rust remover (It's now a nice 2-inch
> long Nantan). I got the order of treatment and the concentration of
> chemicals correct this time, I think.
>
> Everything went well until the final coating with the spray-on sealant.
Now,
> my Nantan and my Campo are purple.
>
> I can think of perhaps three reasons for this:
>
> (1) I left the two specimens in the sun all day to dry & cure the spray
> coating. Did a chemical/color change occur because of light, heat, or
both?
> (2) Perhaps the acid neutralizer was still too concentrated. There may
have
> been a reaction between the neutralizer and the spray-on coating.
> (3) Perhaps the spray-on coating is simply too thick. I used four coats.
The
> instructions _did_ say "spray on more layers to add mil thickness," but
then
> again, they failed me before.
>
> There is nothing in the instructions warning about Purple Haze or how to
> avoid it.
>
> Has anyone else have this problem?
>
> So now I'm faced with removing the coating with acetone and trying yet
> again. I'm also wondering how the acetone will affect the special
> rust-inhibiting chemicals applied to the specimen by the various treatment
> steps. Will I have to start all over again, or can I just spray on a new
> coating and not worry? More important, how do I prevent the Purple Haze
from
> returning?
>
> -----
> Bob Martino, Tucson, AZ
>
> Can you really name a star? Read the Truth!
> http://home.columbus.rr.com/starfaq/
> .
>
>
>
>
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>
Received on Sun 23 Mar 2003 05:42:30 PM PST