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Re: [TCML] Is It Polyethylene?
Ok this is difficult from at least 3000 miles away
I am an Analytical Chemist ( well was ) In the 80's I used to have to
check incoming materieals for the big automotic electrical company
Joseph Lucas ( UK)
So here is how you do a quick test to establish the different types of
plastic materials
I think it is called the Bilstein test ( but I may have mis-remembered)
You burn the plastic - blow out the flame - and sniff the fumes
It needs a trained nose to tell the difference but we tested both
plastics and rubbers by this method - and passed or failed the delivery
on the result
Most of the plastics have a distinct melting point range but with out a
Differential Calorimeter its not easy to determine the melt point -
polyethylene is one of the lowest melting point plastics
Take a polythene carrier ( out) bag, a clearish bag some components came
in or some thing you now is polyethylene and do the test
Polyethylene with maintain a flame. As it burns it will go quite
transparent in front of the advancing flame
Do the burning test on your unknown sample and compare
I would be most surprised if the builders membrane is anything other
than polyethylene
Just for in formation the flexible membrane is unlikely to be any of these
Styrene has a very distinct smell - try a clear ( BIC) biro case - it
does not readliy support a flame and gives of black smoke
Nylon has two common varieties : Nylon and Nylon 66 both have the
same smell but if I remember correctly single polymer Nylon does support
a flame but the co ploymer 66 does not
ABS has the styrene smell but is much harder to break than pure styrene
I remember another hard plastic with a very distinct smell - very woody
- I hope some one will remember what that was for me - OK I ave gone off
to the land of old men now
Hope this helps
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