Marble/granite work surfaces........

[Shari]

I want to set up a small work space that will include working with solder. I'd like the work surface to be marble or granite. Would either of these surfaces be damaged by rosin core solder?

 

[Thistle]

Granite is preferred over marble for most any work surface including kitchen counters & bathroom fixtures such as shower stalls.Its much harder & wont scratch or get etched by acids like citrus fruits.Takes much more abuse & is more resistant to heat damage as well.

 

[Shari]

Thanks, T. I was trying to remember what the countertops were in my old chemistry class in h.s. Those tops were indestructible - must have been granite.

 

[bubba3228]

If you go to a local installer they may give you a nice big scrap piece that they would disguard any way. I knew a fellow here in Baraboo that had a granite shop they had a plentiful supply of "scrap" If you get several pieces, even if it gets a little damage the price was right.

 

[Thistle]

Thanks, T. I was trying to remember what the countertops were in my old chemistry class in h.s. Those tops were indestructible - must have been granite.

Most of the ones I seen were slate,its a different composition compared to marble/granite/limestone etc.But its acid resistant & fireproof same as granite.I took one of my smaller salvaged scrap pieces of 3/8" Penn slate from old school chalkboard & made a 'baker's peel'.

Great for sliding the occasional pizza or foccacia bread in/outta the oven.

 

[Agent]

Thanks, T. I was trying to remember what the countertops were in my old chemistry class in h.s. Those tops were indestructible - must have been granite.

Generally, the tables in science rooms were some kind of epoxy resin. They had the resistance to chemicals, and were impact resistant. If only schools got rid of them more often than once every 2 or 3 decades, there would be more in circulation for folks to find/use.

 

[Grisu]

Yep, for older lab benches slate would be a good guess. A special ceramic is also being used although that may be a newer material. If you have an university nearby maybe try to find the maintenance guy of the chemistry department to see whether they have any surplus of the old stuff. You could end up with a very cheap workbench.

 

[ironpony]

The older composite ones contain asbestos
we remove them all the time for schools / universities
they are HEAVY
as stated above a granite company will usually give away drops
I get them around here, make table tops
also good for a pizza stone in an oven
also a thought
depending on what you are soldering, if it is in contact
with the granite, the granite will act like a heat sink
pulling the heat out of what you are trying to solder
so if you were making stained glass, laying flat
it might not be a good idea

 

[Shari]

... the granite will act like a heat sink
pulling the heat out of what you are trying to solder
so if you were making stained glass, laying flat
it might not be a good idea

Nope - not doing stained glass right now although I do have fair expertise in that craft. If I were doing that I'd have to get better air circulation in a proposed work area anyway.

I've always had a fetish for antique Singer sewing machines.

I am at the stage where I want to start looking into rewiring a couple of their motors/repairing their external wiring and do some internal oiling of these machines.

I thought it would be kind of neat to set up a little work area within view of our woodstove, bask in the warm glow of burning wood and work on antique sewing machines.

PS I pickup up a cast iron treadle base yesterday sans any cabinetry. This will be the base for my little workstation.

 

[gzecc]

Thanks, T. I was trying to remember what the countertops were in my old chemistry class in h.s. Those tops were indestructible - must have been granite.

Most of the ones I seen were slate,its a different composition compared to marble/granite/limestone etc.But its acid resistant & fireproof same as granite.I took one of my smaller salvaged scrap pieces of 3/8" Penn slate from old school chalkboard & made a 'baker's peel'.

Great for sliding the occasional pizza or foccacia bread in/outta the oven.

In NYC the chemistry tables were soap stone.

 

[homebrewz]

Granite is by far much harder than marble. On the hardness scale marble (which is essentially metamorphosed limestone) is around 3 to 4, where granite is somewhere around 7. Also, marble is a carbonate (base) so it reacts with acids. As someone mentioned above it is easily etched, even by dilute acids.

My college chemistry professor said the lab bench tops were coated with lanolin. I think they were probably slate or a similar material.

If you want a good pizza stone, go to your local pottery supply shop and pick up a kiln shelf for your size oven. They're just like the ones in cooking stores, but half as much and usually more durable.

 

[Don2222]

Granite is by far much harder than marble. On the hardness scale marble (which is essentially metamorphosed limestone) is around 3 to 4, where granite is somewhere around 7. Also, marble is a carbonate (base) so it reacts with acids. As someone mentioned above it is easily etched, even by dilute acids.

My college chemistry professor said the lab bench tops were coated with lanolin. I think they were probably slate or a similar material.

If you want a good pizza stone, go to your local pottery supply shop and pick up a kiln shelf for your size oven. They're just like the ones in cooking stores, but half as much and usually more durable.

X2, but engineered Quartz is better in some ways too

See Silestone

http://www.silestoneusa.com/

 

[pybyr]

Lab counters are often something called Fireslate; I got some of their product for my kitchen re-do; it's completely heat resistant although it does get water marks and blotchiness from things like citrus or tomato juice; it's basically a high grade cement with fine ground mineral fiber (no longer asbestos) and dye, cured in a huge press with steam heat. Sort of like artificial metamorphic rock.

http://www.fireslate.com/pages/home.cfm

Rosin from solder should not bother it, or granite, at all; rosin won't hurt most things, although it might stain plastic or marble.