In a message dated 12/29/98 3:35:12 AM, jkiernan@julian.uwo.ca writes:

<<Is "formical 4" a secret mixture, or is its composition
   stated on the label? If it's secret it might have changed,
   and that could be the cause of your artifact.

   The chemicals used for decalcification are all cheap>>

No, the mixture is not secret.  We are not out to fool anyone.  The
ingredients are on the label, in the MSDS and on our website.  The formula has
not been changed since it was first offered for sale almost 25 years ago.

The chemicals are not cheap either.  We use only 50 million ohm deionized
water filtered through a 5 micron reverse osmosis filter.  The acids are
semiconductor grade, the additives ( such as EDTA and Buffering salts ) are
food grade and the packaging room in class 10 clean.

You can make a cheaper version in your lab if you wish.  Just be careful that
your techs don't accidentally drop the bottle of acid, place the water into
the acid, spill the formaldehyde, forget to put in a buffer, or mesure
something wrong.  Let's also factor in the cost of emergency services for
splashes in the eyes and hazmat cleanups.

- Cliff Berger
President
Decal Chemical Corp
email:decalchem@aol.com
1-800-428-5856