Help me clean up my mess after cooking freebase!

[deXo]

Hi fellas,

I am in a pickle and really need your help! I am not sure I posted this the right place. It is not so much discussion I suppose as it is a cry for help.

Anyways. A few days ago I was at as friend of a friends place, and I cooked some coke into base. Problem is, I put the mixture of ammonia and cocaine directly on the surface of the table. Stupid, I know, you need not tell me. Obviously my friend would like it gone. He send me a picture of "it", and "it" seems to be just white powder, but it has somehow "fused" with the table surface as it cannot be removed by a wet rag or household cleaning products.

The table surface is laminated wood. My question should be obvious: how do I remove it? He wiped the table with a wet rag that same night, but today he told me it is still there, and now it has had since friday to stick to the table.

Have any of you been in a similar situation? Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Buspersons Holiday]

I'm a little confused by what you mean. I presume you mean you put the cooked result directly on to the table and smoked what you could of the result (I've never known anyone not be able to find something more absorbent and portable than a wooden table to deposit their results on to, but I quite like that you weren't obsessed enough to not worry about losing some - shame it wasn't your table though)

I've NEVER been in a similar situation, and presume from what you said that you hadn't washed the ammonia off with water before depositing the result on the table. I would speculate that ammonia may have affected the laminate surface and my advice is based on absolutely no knowledge or experience, but I'd personally see if I could scrape it off gently with something like a butter knife, then scourers and last resort, sand paper, then try & varnish over it......If this is his parents' antique table, do NOT listen to a word I say and try Google, or my personal favourite, WD40

How the hell you cooked it up & didn't smoke every last crumb, including the laminate, I struggle to understand!

 

[deXo]

Thank you for such a quick response, and thank you for noticing how I wasn't obsessed, as so many crack heads are.
Actually, I did wash it with water, at least some of it, but I don't know how much of the ammonia got out. Fortunately not his parents' antique, no, and I did Google before I posted. What is WD40? I scraped it after it had dried to get some extra crumbs, but already by then some of it was impossible to scrape off with.. I think I used a plastic card?

 

[Buspersons Holiday]

Well it wasn't neat ammonia on the table then, at least....Google WD40. Butter knife>scourer>sandpaper if you dare
If it ruins the table, buy him a nice tablecloth & have some kitchen towel or a T-bag or anything more practical than a bloody table if there is a next time, for goodness sake

 

[deXo]

It's not really the kind of table you can put a table cloth on... well, I'd be surprised if it turned out to be physically impossible, but what I mean is, the kitchen is constructed such that the table comes out of the wall. Perhaps I should have said desk from the get-go. It has a sink with a tap built into it (which I used to rinse the coke of ammonia).

Right now the problem is confined to a small area of the desk, and I have no experience with WD40. Is it strong enough to leave a mark on the surface of the desk? Because I really cannot afford to add to the problem. It would be great if it removed the white residue, but if it is clearly visible that you have used WD40 on the desk, well then I'm kinda back to square one and maybe even worse off than I am now.

But I want you to know that I very much appreciate that you take the time to help me with my problem! I hope you know that, and I like your avatar or the picture under your username. I don't want to discuss Kick-Ass in this thread though But it is very good of you that you care enough to bother to help me! :D

 

[d1nach]

First do not try to consume it i know its tempting haha. But it sounds like something seriously went wrong.

I have no idea what you did but in general for a unknown crystal stain i use
Spray windex look for bubbles
Yes- use windex or regular 5 % ammonoum hydroxide
No-
White vinegar 5 %
Still no?
20% ethanol
Still no?
Butane vegetable spray
Still no?
Sodium lauyrl sulfate cocamidopropylbetaine glycerol
Still no ?
Sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate and ethoxylated alcohol with a oil
Still no?
Concentrated citric acid
Still no?
Abrasive sodium chloride or
More gentle abrasive cetyl alcohol and polydimethylsiloxane

Depending on what it is they could def damage it perm though.

 

[Jekyl Anhydride]

I'm voting for Buspersons Holiday idea if d1nach's chem list doesn't cut it. An Orbital sander with 200 grit sandpaper and a touch up with some urethane maybe ?

If that still doesn't work there's always the "Explainable Accident". Take a bottle of rubbing alcohol, remove the cap and lay it on it's side (outdoors) till the liquid level is even with the spout when horizontal, then put the cap back on crooked and carefully lay it just over the discolored area. It will still look bad but can be explained as a plausible accident. Even better with the evidence still there and causative unsealed crooked cap for all to see. You might have to take the heat for spilling the alcohol and not noticing the bottle on it's side, it but beats the alternative of the "Truth".

 

[d1nach]

There are stronger chemicals but ime they just are likely to cause more trouble then they are worth.

What about just spray painting a new color

 

[deXo]

Thank you all for your help! Half the items in d1nach's list I don't even know what are or where to get, but the white vinegar and 20% alcohol sound worth trying. I'll also tell him Buspersons Holyday's ideas.

And to Jekyl Anhydride (clever play on words btw.), he already knows the truth He was at the scene of the crime when I commited the crime.

Spray painting sounds like it could be a viable solution, but then we'd have to find the EXACT color of desk, because I doubt he wants to change the color of his entire desk.

You guys rock. I used to be a bluelighter, but now I'm back to green Maybe I used a different account; I haven't been here for a while now.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I know this is a shitty situation for you OP, but we are a harm reduction forum. While there are a litany of peripheral issues associated with drug use, we, for the purpose of providing the most appropriate aid to our members and auditors, must focus on the use of drugs and their specific effects upon physiology. Truthfully, there are just a lot of more appropriate places to look regarding tips on how to clean up kitchen issues.

For that reason, I'm going to close this. I understand mistakes happen, but this is the same reason why I don't scrape my pipe over my Mother's antique china cabinet.