# Cleave the ABS from the zirconia **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776 "2020-09-04T05:26:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/1 "2020-09-04T05:26:20Z")
OK, now this this is a homework question. But for my grad student son. He has a disk of ABS plastic, about 3cm in diameter, about 2 cm thick. Imbedded in the disk is an approx 1cm cube of very smooth zirconia. It’s for his honours project.The project is about the properties of the zirconia cube, not it’s affinity to ABS. **What would be the most effective way to remove the ABS using items around the average house?** I’m just doing this to chalk up some brownie points. He’ll either thunk it out himself, or lose some skin trying and have to go back to his supervisor with his tail between his legs. 🤣 Just aiming to show him how smart his old man is … in such circumstances bald-faced cheating is fair game. 😀 Discourse: Your topic is similar to… “Aber doch, a question for the Gaelic speakers” What der hey? Now you are just doing that to tick me off, ain’t cha? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/2 "2020-09-04T05:33:15Z")
ABS will dissolve in acetone, commonly found around the house as nail polish remover. However, depending on the specific ABS formulation it may be a slow process. Best to cut away as much of the ABS as possible and use the solvent to clean off the rest. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/3 "2020-09-04T10:00:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > ABS will dissolve in acetone Good one. Thank you. Put the disk in a vise. Using a 2mm drill bit cut a series of holes from the disk edge to the cube then enlarged the holes into a cut. Put a screwdriver into the cut and twisted. The ABS fractured around the cube almost completely. Dropped the cube with remnants into acetone and after a spell most of the ABS could be knocked off. Will repeat the dunking and expect to clean it off completely. Good job! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/4 "2020-09-04T15:07:47Z")
Glad it worked out. Next week’s episode: _How to remove your own spleen using kitchen appliances._ ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/5 "2020-09-05T20:34:54Z")
What subject is this in? Just trying to figure why anyone would need to know how to get stones out of plastic other than perhaps to torment grad students. Also, the cleanup would probably be tougher, but cubic zirconia melts at around 4600 degrees F. Your self-cleaning oven doesn’t get anywhere near that hot, but it ABS burns in the low 400s. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/6 "2020-09-06T19:45:11Z")
From MacBain’s Etymological Dictionary of Scottish Gaelic: _abar_ or _obair_ (both obsolete): confluence (NB _aber_ is listed as the Welsh translation of this word) _inbhir_ : a confluence of waters ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleave-the-abs-from-the-zirconia/919776/7 "2020-09-06T21:15:04Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > ABS plastic ABS plastic liquefies at 221 Fahrenheit, so it would seem to be pretty easy to set your oven to 225 and just liquefy it and retrieve the zirconia, and then reset the ABS.