Subject: Re: [TR] completely off topic

From: Francis Precht <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:24:25 +0000

from "Creative Chemistry'"   pg 251

"Before the introduction of the artificial abrasives fine grinding was mostly
done by emery, which is an impure form of aluminum oxide found in nature.  A
purer form is made from the mineral bauxite by driving off its combined water.
Bauxite is the ore from which is made the pure aluminum oxide used in the
electric furnace for the production of metallic aluminum.  Formerly we
imported a large part of our bauxite from France, but when the war shut off
this source we developed our domestic fields in Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia,
and these are now producing half a million tons a year.  Bauxite simply fused
in the electric furnace makes a better abrasive than the natural emery or
corundum, and it is sold for this purpose under the name of aloxite,
alundum, exolon, lionite or coralox.  When the fused bauxite is worked
up with a bonding material into crucibles or muffles and baked in a kiln it
forms the alundum refractory ware.  Since alundum is porous and not attacked
by acids it is used for filtering hot and corrosive liquids that would eat up
filter-paper.  Carborundum or crystolon is also made up into refractory ware
for high temperature work.  When the fused mass of the carborundum furnace is
broken up there is found surrounding the carborundum core a similar substance
though not quite so hard and infusible, known as carborundum sand or
siloxicon.  This is mixed with fireclay and used for furnace linings."

found in project gutenberg    from
http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/17149/137.html    or
http://books.google.com/books?id=aw4NAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&dq=lionite+e
lectric+furnace+abrasive&source=bl&ots=q_XUgJVNQ0&sig=nNKWfd3Phm0P0bgj7Axp0SV
dgOg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=I3hLUdjPH6-l4AOFo4GoDw&ved=0CFoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=lionite
%20electric%20furnace%20abrasive&f=false

hope this helps

bud precht
frostburg, maryland

'65 tr4a

** [email-masked] **

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive

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From: "Lee Daniels" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:24:47 -0500

Well, according to the label, it's 100-grit Aluminum Oxide, from General
Abrasive. (Sorry, slap me now.) The name "Lionblast" implies that it might be
suitable for sandblasting - Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is really hard and can be
reused after blasting. The mineral form is called corundum - also sold as a
grinding agent. It's interesting that pure Al2O3 is colorless, but the
finely-ground corundum that I used in a previous life was always a black
powder - probably due to inclusions of other minerals in the crystal lattice.

And the name "Lionite" did pop up on a search. See:
  http://www.granitecitytoolvt.com/sandblastabrasivelionitepf.htm

> anyone know what this stuff is?  whatb's it for?
>
> http://www.ranteer.com/misc/