Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: How to totally destroy non-stick coating?
EF2000
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 111
Registered: 10-5-2023
Location: The Steppes, now trapped in the forest zone
Member Is Offline

Mood: wrooom

[*] posted on 15-9-2023 at 23:08
How to totally destroy non-stick coating?


Background:
About year ago, I was planning to make some Lithex. Bought both lithium perchlorate and hexamine. And then went to home depot to buy a frying pan. I remembered what Liptakov said in LL8 thread:
Quote: Originally posted by Laboratory of Liptakov  
Caution, do not use Teflon for drying. LiP immediately reacts with Teflon at 80 ° C and begins to blacken.
[Edited on 24-1-2022 by Laboratory of Liptakov]

So I chose the most cheap, tiny pan. Maybe it's for small pancakes or some special model for poor undergrads who lost their stipend, don't know. (Local pancakes are thin but huge; small are Western perversion of a whole pancake idea)
Pan surface wasn't clean steel, but I assumed that there can't be PTFE on such cheap one, and that it's some decorative paint.
Guess what? I was proven wrong: the moment I added LiP to heated pan, it started decomposing. So there must be at least some teflon here.
Now I'm trying to remove the coating. Tried dissolving it with household-grade acetone (cause it's most likely not pure teflon), failed. Tried scraping it of with sandpaper, steel brush and flat screwdriver, it kind of works but scratches metal surface (also eww, hard physical labor+not-so-healthy dust).

So, the question:
Is there some clever way to remove fluoroplast-based non-stick coating from a pan?
Like some strong solvent to dissolve it back to the stone age?

photo_2023-09-16_09-36-16.jpg - 91kB

[Edited on 16-9-2023 by EF2000]
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Twospoons
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1282
Registered: 26-7-2004
Location: Middle Earth
Member Is Offline

Mood: A trace of hope...

[*] posted on 16-9-2023 at 01:42


2 minutes with Google and you would know you are already using the best (and likely safest) method: abrasive + elbow grease. Unless you have some perfluorinated elbow grease?



Helicopter: "helico" -> spiral, "pter" -> with wings
View user's profile View All Posts By User
EF2000
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 111
Registered: 10-5-2023
Location: The Steppes, now trapped in the forest zone
Member Is Offline

Mood: wrooom

[*] posted on 16-9-2023 at 02:57


Quote: Originally posted by Twospoons  
2 minutes with Google and you would know you are already using the best (and likely safest) method: abrasive + elbow grease. Unless you have some perfluorinated elbow grease?

Alright, thought so. I have been going to continue scraping anyway, just asked here in case someone has better plan, like "mate, just heat it with magnesium powder and see how quickly it'll burn off" or something like that. (Also DuckDuckGo >> Yes we spy, Inc.)
View user's profile View All Posts By User
BromicAcid
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3227
Registered: 13-7-2003
Location: Wisconsin
Member Is Offline

Mood: Rock n' Roll

[*] posted on 16-9-2023 at 04:29


Molten sodium hydroxide?



Shamelessly plugging my attempts at writing fiction: http://www.robvincent.org
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
clearly_not_atara
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 2697
Registered: 3-11-2013
Member Is Offline

Mood: Big

[*] posted on 16-9-2023 at 05:30




Attachment: TeflonSolubility.pdf (903kB)
This file has been downloaded 140 times




[Edited on 04-20-1969 by clearly_not_atara]
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Rainwater
National Hazard
****




Posts: 800
Registered: 22-12-2021
Member Is Offline

Mood: indisposition to activity

[*] posted on 16-9-2023 at 05:44


Quote: Originally posted by EF2000  

Is there some clever way to remove fluoroplast-based non-stick coating from a pan?

LiP seams to work well.

Without buying anything, high heat (+350c) then dunking in water and elbow grease
For about 10 bucks
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Stainless-Steel-10-Piec...
These work reasonably well for molten sodium, potassium and lithium but being a walmart stainless steel, they are magnetic, which means they are not stainless steel.
They will eventually corrode from high heat, but so will everything




"You can't do that" - challenge accepted
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Twospoons
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1282
Registered: 26-7-2004
Location: Middle Earth
Member Is Offline

Mood: A trace of hope...

[*] posted on 16-9-2023 at 14:26


Quote: Originally posted by Rainwater  
they are magnetic, which means they are not stainless steel.


There are ferromagnetic stainless steels - typically 400 series alloys.
But 304 is usually used for cookware, and isn't ferromagnetic.




Helicopter: "helico" -> spiral, "pter" -> with wings
View user's profile View All Posts By User
EF2000
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 111
Registered: 10-5-2023
Location: The Steppes, now trapped in the forest zone
Member Is Offline

Mood: wrooom

biggrin.gif posted on 17-9-2023 at 00:09


Breaking news from the frontline: PTFE forces are defeated by some dummy with dish scourer.

Thank you all for reassuring that abrasives are the easiest way! After a bit of scraping and sandpaper-ing, I decided to go into full-scale offensive and went to the kitchen. About 2 hours or so of scouring with steel dish scourer and washing soda, I removed most of coating. Hardest part was the sides, main part on the bottom got away really quickly.
Then I sandpapered what remained and polished it a bit with GOI paste (chromium(III) oxide-based abrasive, one of the finest parts of Soviet legacy, along with Soyuz rockets and smoothbore tank cannons. Served me well for cleaning spot rust from my training sword).
Then washed paste remains away with ordinary dish washing liquid.
Well, I think it's success: pan shines in the sun, fluoroplast is gone and I didn't choose slippery consumerist way. Thanks again for your suggestions and support!
(Handle says: "Not for food!")
photo_2023-09-17_10-38-53.jpg - 73kB
View user's profile View All Posts By User
charley1957
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 137
Registered: 18-2-2012
Location: Texas
Member Is Offline

Mood: Extracted

[*] posted on 17-9-2023 at 07:09


(Handle says: "Not for food!")

Nice touch;)




You can’t claim you drank all day if you didn’t start early in the morning.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Texium
Administrator
Thread Moved
17-9-2023 at 07:38
Dr.Bob
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 2660
Registered: 26-1-2011
Location: USA - NC
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 17-9-2023 at 10:25


If you really want to destroy the non-stick coating, just let my wife use it a couple of times, she can scratch it up good and peel it right off. :-)
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Texium
Administrator
Thread Moved
5-12-2023 at 13:58

  Go To Top