Preparing metal coupons

[Alison Wain <alison@orac.net.au>]

OK - my embarrassing question for the week:

When people write papers about tests done on metal coupons they write
things like "abraded the coupons to 600 grit, rinsed with distilled
water and degreased with acetone" and variations on a similar theme.
However when I polish up my (mild steel) coupons to 600 grit, rinse them
in water and reflux them in a solvent such as methyl ethyl ketone or
white spirits or acetone (I've tried severaldifferent solvents)the fine
particles of dust
and grit from the abrasion process stay happily where they are and I
have to resort to washing them with detergent to actually get them clean
before I reflux them. Do other people do this too and just not bother to
mention it, or am I doing (or not doing) something embarrassingly
obvious?

Alison Wain