Any way to clean slag off carbide mining tips?
So I posted awhile back asking about the best way of removing carbide mining compacts from rock drill bits...there wasn't really any one synonymous answer and more just suggestions than anything...after a few months of trying different methods (rose bud with acetylene to heat the face and release the carbide, cutting the entire face off the bit with a steel abrasive saw, a propane torch and an acetylene torch etc) I tried a whole lot of things, and between costs of gas, time and everything else the best method was simply cutting each button out individually with a propane torch.
My problem is how dirty the buttons come out, covered in melted copper and steel slag, I have tried cleaning it off with a grinding wheel and buffer but it doesn't work too well and the last thing I'd want to do is send the large quantity I have to a buyer under the impression I am getting clean scrap price just for them to turn around and say because 1 out of the several hundred compacts is dirty, therefore I get dirty price for all of it
So to be exact on my question...is there any method that anyone knows of to clean the melted steel and copper off the carbide? I'm no chemists so I'm not really too fond of the idea of acid baths or anything that can cause bodily harm, but anything zero risk I can try? Salt water bath? Coca cola?
Any suggestions are appreciated!
