[TheForge] Benz{ie}ne (Re: "traditional" finishes)

[Mike Spencer]

Dave Brown quoted:

    Moderately-heated benzine dissolves half its weight of wax, and if
    this solution be carefully applied to the tool with a brush, the
    evaporation leaves a very adhesive and permanent coating of wax,
    which will preserve the metal even from the action of acid vapors.

Health and safety point:  If you try this at home, do note that
benzine and benzene are different animals.

BenzIne is roughly the same kind of stuff as gasoline without the
automotive additives -- a mixture of low molecular weight alkanes.

BenzEne is a six-carbon ring molecule, to be treated with the same
respect as toluene (toluol).  I don't have info confirming that it's
carcinogenic and hepatotoxic (wrecks your liver) but it's in the right
family of chemicals for that.

You could probably create the wax formula using camp stove/lamp
gasoline.  You would *not* want to use benzEne.

- Mike

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Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada 
                                 
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/