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recycling chem lab counters

nickjandrews | Posted in General Discussion on March 12, 2007 11:27am

I was recently able to salvage some countertop material from a darkroom and chemistry lab in an old high school building that is going to be torn down. I assumed it was soapstone, hard and very heavy. When unloading it, I noticed that at least one piece has a sticker that says it contains asbestos.

Was there a manmade material that looks like soapstone used for the same purpose or does soapstone have naturally-occurring asbestos in it? I will use some of it as-is, but will need to cut some to fit. I am thinking of using a single piece as a master bath countertop and will need to cut out for the sink and faucet. Any suggestions?

Nick Andrews

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

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  1. User avater
    PaulBinCT | Mar 13, 2007 12:13am | #1

    Much of soapstone contains asbestos...they live in the same places.

    http://www.ehs.psu.edu/occhealth/asbestos_blockplans/Kern_Asbestos_Blockplans.pdf

    PaulB

    1. nickjandrews | Mar 13, 2007 02:02am | #4

      Hi Paul,That's kinda what I figured. Any work on the slabs will be done outdoors with respirators, etc, of course.Nick Andrews"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

  2. Danno | Mar 13, 2007 01:29am | #2

    Theres a man-made product used in chem labs a lot, but it's black or charcoal gray and is called "Fireslate." Maybe that's what you have.

    1. nickjandrews | Mar 13, 2007 02:13am | #5

      I had heard of that before, and maybe that's what it is. I don't see any sign of veining in it at all. Any ideas on machineability of Fireslate? Will do a Google search on it, unless someone has a manufacturer's link.Nick Andrews"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

      1. Danno | Mar 13, 2007 01:54pm | #12

        If it is hard to scratch, is probably Fireslate, as soapstone is very easy to scratch (I have a soapstone soap dish that I can scratch with my thumbnail). There have been past discussions here about Fireslate; maybe doing a "search" on the word "Fireslate" will bring them up. I think there was even a link posted, but you might just try Googling "Fireslate" and see what comes up.

        Seems like the discussion was about someone who bought a new Fireslate countertop and were disappointed that when they applied the factory recommended tung oil finish it got bubbly or something, so the company (if I'm remembering all this at all correctly) must still be in business.

  3. kate | Mar 13, 2007 01:38am | #3

    Should not be a problem if you cut it wet, clean up all the glop before it dries.  It's the dust that's bad.  Seal cut edges & you should be good to go.

    Sounds like a great find!

    1. nickjandrews | Mar 13, 2007 02:17am | #6

      Yeah, I got a darkroom sink, about 5' long and 6" deep inside. Seems like it weighs about 300lbs! Even took the custom cabinet it was set on. Need to sand off the finish where the flood water made it moldy and messed up the oak veneer a bit at the bottom. I still need to wash the two big pieces I got (about 42"x65") and see if the vandals scratched it at all. The lab was very messy between the flooding and about three years of break-ins by the local kids. I wanted to get more of the stuff than I did, but after recovering and loading over 1000lbs in my truck, we were a bit tired.Nick Andrews"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

      1. Southbay | Mar 13, 2007 02:59am | #7

        What sounds like a good find is often not worth the trouble.
        I encounter many of these asbestos counter tops. It's probably OK if you use/leave it intact. But cutting, especially with a powersaw, will generate many asbestos fibers. Even if you do it outside, you'll contaminate your tools, clothes, lungs, the area...Get some real soapstone and have the shop cut it. Looks nicer too.Bart Gallagher
        NYS Certified Asbestos Inspector, JunkHound, DIYer, etc.

  4. BillBrennen | Mar 13, 2007 03:00am | #8

    The generic term i've heard is transite. It's a composite of cement and asbestos fibers. Very durable stuff, difficult to break. Cut it wet and sequester the glop from the cut in bags for disposal.

    Bill

    1. Stray | Mar 13, 2007 04:39am | #10

      Transite is a bit different, usually much lighter (grey) in color, and used for shielding/fireproofing.  The lab tops are darker and look very simmilar to soapstone.  Usually they are more uniform and harder.  The asbestos was a perfect non-reactive, durable laboratory surface.

      I don't know about cutting it.  Frankly it's something I might try myself (only with wet saw), but have a hard time recommending someone else do... 

      Another lab-equipment quandry is cabinets that are frequently contaminated with murcury.  I've seen wood floors in/near laboratories where the wood held the murcury and an abatement company had to demo/dispose.Ithaca, NY  "10 square miles, surrounded by reality"

      1. BillBrennen | Mar 13, 2007 05:36am | #11

        Not all transite is the same. When I was a kid my dad gave me a sample of dark gray transite 1/4" by 6" by 8" and asked me to destroy it.He was on the materials selection committee for the new Chemistry Building then under construction at University of Pennsylvania. That sample was extraordinarily resistant to abuse, both mechanical and thermal, and that same product was specified for the lab counters. The final counters are about an inch thick, and dark like oiled soapstone.Bill

        1. plumbbill | Mar 13, 2007 02:28pm | #13

          & the Transite I deal with is old large water mains------ funny if I run into asbestos in a building it's shut the whole friggin thing down seal off the area call SWAT & homeland security..............................................................

          But when we run into transite ( asbestos cement) pipe the inspectors just say "get it wet , crush it in the ditch & burry it"“When politicians and journalists declare that the science of global warming is settled, they show a regrettable ignorance about how science works.” Nigel Calder,  editor of New Scientist

          1. BillBrennen | Mar 13, 2007 10:17pm | #15

            Bill,The inspectors don't get uptight about the transite pipe because it is so stable and durable. Normal handling, even crushing the pipe won't release many fibers. Transite isn't friable like so much of the asbestos in buildings.Bill

          2. nickjandrews | Mar 13, 2007 10:57pm | #16

            No so around here. The NMED guys are so rabid, it's ridiculous. They want you to haul even intact pieces of AC pipe to a haz-disp landfill at exorbitant cost for no reason. But it's okay to drink water from the same pipe... Of course, if they are not around, the pipe gets buried in the hole.Nick Andrews"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

  5. Stuart | Mar 13, 2007 03:02am | #9

    A friend of mine was the facilities manager for a local university, and a few years ago they remodeled the chemistry labs.  I was able to get a whole bunch of base cabinets for free (they make really nice garage cabinets, much more heavy duty than your usual kitchen castoffs) but unfortunately I couldn't take any of the countertops as they were Fireslate and contained asbestos.  It's too bad, they would have made great workbenches.

  6. woodguy99 | Mar 13, 2007 04:29pm | #14

    It sounds like Fireslate to me.  I have a slab from an old high school chem lab.  Like another poster said, looks like oiled soapstone but difficult to scratch.  Cut with care in regard to the fibers.  From what I've heard it should be machinable with carbide woodworking tools.

    "This is a process, not an event."--Sphere

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