Satire of Sanity
Plastic
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2019
- Location
- Central Texas, USA
The Short version of my question: I have 6 Grade-A 24”x18”x6” pink granite Starrett surface plates. They need some serious cleaning. Is Windex, rubbing alcohol, and/or ammonia safe for use on these? Is there some other common cleaner to use that I won’t need to order? Thank you.
Longer (or just plain long) explanation:
The high school machine shop I’m in charge of was left “as is” for like a year and a half when the teacher went on medical leave and everybody here says he was crap at taking care of stuff anyways (like, there is literally a tray filled with a COUPLE DOZEN randomly stacked ½” wide parallels in a crappy metal cabinet beneath a huge vent to the outside).
The machining program limped on without him for a couple semesters, then I was hired as an Instructional Aide but put in charge of teaching the four kids actually still in the program and getting the shop functional without any resources an actual teacher has (cue panic).
The machine shop is also the beginner welding shop, it's not really climate controlled, and there are large overhead doors and a system of automatic vents that let rain in when the winds are right. Plus the outdoor grinding booths were installed in such a way that there’s a 40-ish% chance that is there’s wind and the overhead doors are open, that’s blowing RIGHT on the lathes… and the precision metal storage cage.
When I get hired, there're no covers on anything- no rust preventative on anything. It’s taken me a while to get to the surface plates. 5 of the surface plates are in the shop (I haven't checked that they’re all Grade A, but they are all 24x18x6 Starrett pink granite) and have been exposed to acetylene soot build up, humidity, birds, bugs, and people thinking they were basically countertops. 2 of those 5 were in an unlocked area, so I assume (and have seen) students and staff setting down (hot?) welded scrap and angle grinders, bouncing v-blocks on them, and other things to break your heart.
I know I should look into re-surfacing on them, but I’m having trouble getting clearance to order more tool inserts and WD40, so right now I want to make sure I won’t cause more harm when I try to get the literal bird droppings and other oils and particulates off the ones from the cage. Also, no WypAll or the like in the shop. I’ve got the kids using the brown paper towels from the hand-wash station and some rags I got from the custodian. Should I track down some microfiber cloths for a “final clean” and before storing for the summer, or is that overkill?
I’ve seen some specific surface plate cleaners online, but I can’t get them quickly at all. I’m about ready to bust out the sewing machine to make covers for them myself, it’s so hard for me to order equipment. Other people online have mentioned Windex, ammonia, and rubbing alcohol: this sort of stuff I can get/commandeer from other school departments. But some people online also say “Sure! *slaps granite surface plate with grimy hands” spray whatever on the thing, slap down sandpaper and use it as a lapping plate! I use it as an anvil too! It’s fine……” so I just want to check with some people who use surface plates for more than just “flatness checks”.
Do ya’ll think/know whether Windex, rubbing alcohol, and/or ammonia is/are chemically safe for surface plates? What might work for me here? Any advice is greatly appreciated, and thank you.
Longer (or just plain long) explanation:
The high school machine shop I’m in charge of was left “as is” for like a year and a half when the teacher went on medical leave and everybody here says he was crap at taking care of stuff anyways (like, there is literally a tray filled with a COUPLE DOZEN randomly stacked ½” wide parallels in a crappy metal cabinet beneath a huge vent to the outside).
The machining program limped on without him for a couple semesters, then I was hired as an Instructional Aide but put in charge of teaching the four kids actually still in the program and getting the shop functional without any resources an actual teacher has (cue panic).
The machine shop is also the beginner welding shop, it's not really climate controlled, and there are large overhead doors and a system of automatic vents that let rain in when the winds are right. Plus the outdoor grinding booths were installed in such a way that there’s a 40-ish% chance that is there’s wind and the overhead doors are open, that’s blowing RIGHT on the lathes… and the precision metal storage cage.
When I get hired, there're no covers on anything- no rust preventative on anything. It’s taken me a while to get to the surface plates. 5 of the surface plates are in the shop (I haven't checked that they’re all Grade A, but they are all 24x18x6 Starrett pink granite) and have been exposed to acetylene soot build up, humidity, birds, bugs, and people thinking they were basically countertops. 2 of those 5 were in an unlocked area, so I assume (and have seen) students and staff setting down (hot?) welded scrap and angle grinders, bouncing v-blocks on them, and other things to break your heart.
I know I should look into re-surfacing on them, but I’m having trouble getting clearance to order more tool inserts and WD40, so right now I want to make sure I won’t cause more harm when I try to get the literal bird droppings and other oils and particulates off the ones from the cage. Also, no WypAll or the like in the shop. I’ve got the kids using the brown paper towels from the hand-wash station and some rags I got from the custodian. Should I track down some microfiber cloths for a “final clean” and before storing for the summer, or is that overkill?
I’ve seen some specific surface plate cleaners online, but I can’t get them quickly at all. I’m about ready to bust out the sewing machine to make covers for them myself, it’s so hard for me to order equipment. Other people online have mentioned Windex, ammonia, and rubbing alcohol: this sort of stuff I can get/commandeer from other school departments. But some people online also say “Sure! *slaps granite surface plate with grimy hands” spray whatever on the thing, slap down sandpaper and use it as a lapping plate! I use it as an anvil too! It’s fine……” so I just want to check with some people who use surface plates for more than just “flatness checks”.
Do ya’ll think/know whether Windex, rubbing alcohol, and/or ammonia is/are chemically safe for surface plates? What might work for me here? Any advice is greatly appreciated, and thank you.