[Avodah] kashering caeser stone

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:22:35 +0200 R Eli Turkel <eliturkel at gmail.com>
wrote:
: Rabbi Eidlits claims that caeserstone is only 93% stone. Anyone know
: what else is in there? However, many modern materials are composites.
: Does anyone claim that steel is not a "matechet" because it
: has other ingredients like
: carbon besides iron? The Torah lists gold and silver as
: "matechet" however one cannot use pure gold or silver as
: they are too weak. All gold and silver materials (even 24
: karat gold) has to have some other materials to strengthen them

Sidenote: The menorah must be as pure gold as possible. RSMandel once
poster here an argument against a straight-armed menorah because the
arms would sag. As RET writes, pure gold is quite malleable. If the
branches were curved leading to a straight vertical, even zahav tahor
would be able to support the weight.

I was contacted off list by someone who knows the subject.

Alloys and chemical compounds aren't mixtures in the same sense as a
mixture of powders, air, or caesar stone. Caesar stone isn't a
combination of chemicals to make a new chemical, but a collection of
disparate things in mixture. There is a difference between a gas which
contains a mix of oxygen molecules and hydrogen molecules, and water.
An alloy like steel or 14K gold would be a single chemical.

Ceasarstone is sold as being 93% - 94% quarts aggregates, color
pigments, and resin.

The question is the kashurability of the dyes and resins. Since they
exist between cracks of stone, they may be capable of absorbing
chameitz.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             Spirituality is like a bird: if you tighten
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Fax: (270) 514-1507                            - Rav Yisrael Salanter