Newsgroups: sci.chem
From: B.Hamilton@irl.cri.nz (Bruce Hamilton)
Subject: Re: Household paint removers
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 10:18:55 +12

On  Wed, 10 Sep 1997
William Browning <Bill_Browning@prodigy.com> writes:
>> On Sat, 21 Jun 1997, Bruce Hamilton wrote:

I've heard of propagation delays, but 10 weeks?

>>kroussm4@wfu.edu (stephen m. kroustalis) wrote:
>>> I tried using gasoline to remove some paint left on a paintbrush
>>> the other day and usually it works well, but this brush was
>>> sitting around for a couple of days before I tried to clean it so it
>>> didn't work. I was wondering if any household materials could
>>> also be used.
>> Depends on the paint type. Usually paint strippers work on most
>> except polyurethane. Rather than use gasoline - which only has
>> around 30% aromatics and is volatile, mineral turpentine is often
>> superior, but once the paint has cured a stronger solvent may
>> be required, such as in paint strippers.

>Bruce,
>Don't ever use gasoline for cleaning.  It has highly volatile materials
>like butane added specifically to make it ignite more easily, thus
>making it extremely hazardous when handled in the open.
>     There are other materials that are chemically similar that have
>those dangerous components specifically removed.  For example: kerosene;
>cleaning solvent; paint thinner.  If you have to use an automotive
>product, diesel fuel is safer.

I've used gasoline for cleaning for many years, right back to my teens
when we washed automotive engine parts in it. Naturally it's flammable,
and care has to be exercised, but Stephen also said, that whilst he
normally used it, he had been unsuccessful in this case.

He was only trying to clean a paint brush, and a small quantity in a tin
in a well-ventilated area isn't that hazardous. Frankly, my suggestions
of mineral turpentine ( which has more aromatics than kerosine or diesel,
has an above-ambient flash point, but also sufficient volatility to dry
reasoanbly quickly ), or paint stripper ( usually methylene chloride ) are
far more likely to work, and diesel would also take ages to evaporate.

Even if your suggestions worked - which I very much doubt - as the
polymeric solvation power of aromatics decreases as the solvent
molecular weight increases, not all households have diesel. Here
in NZ, "cleaning solvent" is often the hexane fraction of petroleum,
which also has a flash point well below ambient, and is unlikely
to work because it mainly contains alkanes with minimal aromatics.

            Bruce Hamilton

from Sci.Chem 

In article <...> shirriff@sprite.berkeley.edu (Ken Shirriff) writes:
>Does anyone know what the solvent in rubber cement is?

Typically, a mixture of hexanes and petroleum ether (a/k/a naptha, VMP
grade [Varnish Makers' & Paint]).

Doesn't it smell like lighter fluid? :-)

Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp.
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