They Are At It Again!

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by prairieschooner

The crazy thing is I can still get Lacquer Thinner & Acetone, who'd a thunk!

That's really scary. Both those things are really health hazardous. Varsol is basically a light grade of petroleum distillates ( i.e diesel/furnace oil without the smelly stuff). Esso originally made it to substitute for the really flammable nature of Turpentine. It has the same 'flash point' as diesel fuel.

Here in Ontario we cannot purchase concentrated Round-up or any form of 2-4D weed killer, or anything strong enough to treat bugs in the lawn. So we all go to Michigan and stock up on the good stuff. My move on being denied Varsol would be to go to the nearest state and buy enough to last a year or two.
JCW

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by Alumineer

Methanol is used as the base component for model airplane engine fuel, it's available mixed with gasoline in ratios up to 85% for use in car engines (with suitable adaptation for the fuel flow rate required, and the corrosiveness of methanol) and it's also the primary constituent of windshield washer fluid as an antifreeze. In Canada, windshield washer fluid usually has enough methanol to be rated to -40F / -40C.

I use to make windshield washer fluid in our chemical plant. The best stuff actually uses Isopropyl Alcohol. Methanol tends to smear and leave a film of water that freezes on the window glass. There is a balance between the two alcohols for cheaper grades. Neither form of alcohol will do the same as Varsol or paint thinner.
JCW

[reinergirl]

Colin Hyde swears by flour. Cheap and will remove the black residue! And as far as I know is not considered toxic YET! But def not for gluten free people

[ke6gkv]

Welcome to the people's republic of california, the state where you can't do a bleep thing. Still stuck here for forseable future.

[rmkrum]

Sympathy. I do understand.

We won't talk about antenna restrictions, either.

That's why primary Shack is the AS.

And I have a very nice flagpole grounded to the back fence that works equally badly in all directions. 😀😀

KE4GNK.


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

[prairieschooner]

Originally Posted by cazual6

Don't kill me for asking. Why do you need it? And what do you do with it?

I am polishing my '58 Traveler and I have been using mineral spirits to clean between polishing grades. I don't want to use anything more harsh that may degrade any sealants in place.
I sometimes do varnish work (but not for my Traveler) and have always used mineral spirits to clean my brushes, I have some brushes that are decades old. These were expensive back then and are "old friends" ...after I clean them I work some motor oil into the bristles to keep them from drying out, then wrap them in aluminum foil to help them keep their shape and then seal them in a baggie before putting them into the freezer. When needed I let them thaw & then clean again with mineral spirits.
WD 40 works well for most things but I Want My Mineral Spirits!

[AtomicNo13]

Havent things gotten so tough in California thay have also banned water?

[LAWBC]

Back in the day turpentine was the solvent of choice before paint thinners . Go to a Art Supply store , they probably sell by the liter or Quart.

[kscherzi]

Looking on the Internet mineral spirits are not banned in California. Home Depot still offers it. What's probably different is the formulation. Appears to be a low VOC product.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Alumineer

You're thinking of methane, which is the primary constituent of natural gas.

Methanol is the alcoholized form of methane, and it is a liquid at room temperature. It's also called "methyl alcohol" and the water-diluted form is called "methyl hydrate", which is commonly available in home improvement stores.

Methanol is used as the base component for model airplane engine fuel, it's available mixed with gasoline in ratios up to 85% for use in car engines (with suitable adaptation for the fuel flow rate required, and the corrosiveness of methanol) and it's also the primary constituent of windshield washer fluid as an antifreeze. In Canada, windshield washer fluid usually has enough methanol to be rated to -40F / -40C.

I knew something seemed wrong when I was doing the post, but I didn't follow up my suspicion. Thanks for the correction.

I've seen -40˚ windshield washer fluid in Colorado, but more often lately it is -20˚. That may be because I moved to a warmer part of the state. Having experienced -40˚, I'm glad I'm not a windshield in the mountains.

Does methanol evaporate as quickly as rubbing alcohol? I remember people using some form of alcohol in their radiators—that was in the 1950's. After one season, it was too weak to work again. If methanol does evaporate fairly quickly, I guess windshield washer has a shelf life issue in the container and in the vehicle.

Gene

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by prairieschooner

I am polishing my '58 Traveler and I have been using mineral spirits to clean between polishing grades. I don't want to use anything more harsh that may degrade any sealants in place.
I sometimes do varnish work (but not for my Traveler) and have always used mineral spirits to clean my brushes, I have some brushes that are decades old. These were expensive back then and are "old friends" ...after I clean them I work some motor oil into the bristles to keep them from drying out, then wrap them in aluminum foil to help them keep their shape and then seal them in a baggie before putting them into the freezer. When needed I let them thaw & then clean again with mineral spirits.
WD 40 works well for most things but I Want My Mineral Spirits!

wow! I am not there yet. I just ordered the Cleaner/Wax as stated in the manual. Thanks for the info.

[prairieschooner]

Originally Posted by kscherzi

Looking on the Internet mineral spirits are not banned in California. Home Depot still offers it. What's probably different is the formulation. Appears to be a low VOC product.

This is not the mineral spirits of yesteryear.