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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;calcol, post: 3267696, member: 77639&quot;]Dissolve (aka Freon-113, aka CFC-113, aka 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane) was for many years a popular coin cleaner; it was primarily a degreaser.&nbsp; See the first pic.&nbsp; It&#039;s nontoxic, nonflammable, smells pleasant, and evaporates quickly.&nbsp; It used to be cheap.</p><p><br /></p><p>CFC-113 was used extensively as a high temperature refrigerant and cleaner/degreaser in the electronics industry (mostly on circuit boards and silicon wafers and chips).&nbsp; Because of its ready evaporation, lack of toxicity and cheapness, the electronics industry simply blew it into the atmosphere rather than recover and purify it.&nbsp; The industry loved it and used millions of pounds per year.&nbsp; Problem is that it is one of the worst ozone-depleters.&nbsp; Not only does it react readily with ozone, it lasts for years in the atmosphere.&nbsp; So its manufacture was banned.&nbsp; Today, when you can find a residual supply, it&#039;s very expensive ...&nbsp; like $1 per ml ... in small quantities.&nbsp; You might get it for a nickel per ml if you buy a barrel, but the total cost will be over $1K.</p><p><br /></p><p>It works great on coins, mostly for removing oils, grease and PVC plasticizer.&nbsp; I have about a pint of the precious stuff.&nbsp; After it&#039;s been used on coins, I purify it by distillation and use it again.&nbsp; Briefly, an electric heating mantle brings the dirty solvent to a boil.&nbsp; The vapor passes through a water-cooled condenser where it returns to a liquid and is collected. It&#039;s similar to the process for making distilled spirits from your favorite fermented carbohydrate source (grapes, corn, etc.).&nbsp; CFC-113 boils at only 118 F, so I can put my hand on the boiling flask and feel no pain.&nbsp; See the pics.</p><p><br /></p><p>And, yes, I&#039;m doing it on the kitchen counter.&nbsp; It&#039;s safe because CFC-113 is nontoxic and nonflammable.&nbsp; If you are thinking of doing this with a flammable solvent, like acetone, DON&#039;T!&nbsp; Yes, it&#039;s done all the time by folks with training and experience, but with many precautions and definitely not on kitchen counters.&nbsp; With a flammable solvent, one crack in the glass can mean instant conflagration.&nbsp; And there are lots of other ways to explode or incinerate yourself when distilling flammable solvents.&nbsp; Safely dispose of used flammable solvents and buy new.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another caution is that if you are thinking of using an apparatus like this to make hooch, DON&#039;T!&nbsp; First, it&#039;s illegal without a license from the Feds. Second, alcohol liquid and vapor are flammable.&nbsp; Third, end-point fermentation, which maximizes the desired ethanol content, also produces nasty compounds, like methanol.&nbsp; Commercial stills run by experienced distillers separate the bad stuff from the good stuff.&nbsp; A simple still like I&#039;m using won&#039;t do that.&nbsp; A lot of the stills sold online for making hooch are death traps waiting to spring ... rapidly as in exploding or burning ... slowly as in poisoning.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cal</p><p>&nbsp; [ATTACH=full]861150[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]861152[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]861153[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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