To: atm{at}shore.net
From: mdholm{at}telerama.com
Reply-To: mdholm{at}telerama.com


Ken Hunter wrote:

>Start working, The aluminum will come off as you refigure the glass..
>
>OR...
>
>You can try a weak solution of Caustic Lye (Drano)
>
>OR...
>
>Some Ferric Chloride Printed Circuit Board etchant (Radio Shack)


I would not use a caustic (basic).  Although they dissolve aluminum quite
well, caustic solutions are more likely to attack the glass surface.  If
you are refiguring, it makes sense just to start polishing.  The aluminum
is very thin and will polish off quickly.  If you have another need to
remove aluminum, I would use ferric chloride.  If ferric chloride is not
available, hydrochloric acid would be my next choice.  My understanding is
that most mirror glass types stand up to acid better than to base.

Ferric chloride sounds exotic, but really isn't.  It is safer than
hydrochloric acid.  Just don't pour it in a stainless steel sink.  It will
cause an instant, permanent stain.  Use it in a plastic, glass or ceramic
container.

The amount of damage that a caustic solution causes to a glass surface may
not be visible to the naked eye, but it is likely to be there anyhow.  Good
experiments have been done on this.  Of course since you are refiguring,
the damage might polish out anyway.

Mark Holm
mdholm{at}telerama.com

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