Acetone as a Cleaner!

[No Regrets]

AFAIK there is no spontaneous combustion risk but maybe Stemar knows something that I dont.

Such as the other volatiles lurking in his locker!?

 

[Jim@sea]

For some strange reason Acetone seems difficult to buy in the UK whereas in France even the smallest supermarkets have it on the shelf next to white spirit in 500ml plastic bottles whereas when sold in the UK it merits a metal container and a 3 times price rise, if you can find it.
(It is useful as thinners for Hammerite)

 

[prv]

For some strange reason Acetone seems difficult to buy in the UK

Not that difficult. Force Four at Deacons for instance always used to have the aforementioned 20-litre drums sitting around. Ok, it's not on the supermarket shelf next to the baked beans, but hardly "difficult".

Pete

 

[maby]

It is on supermarket shelves labelled "nail varnish remover" - admittedly in bottles that are a bit small to wash an entire boat, but big enough to remove small stains.

 

[squidge]

Beware using on perspex, Due to the evaporation the rapid cooling will craze the plastic, been there done that when removing excess sealent ! !

rgds
Squidge

 

[Deleted member 36384]

For some strange reason Acetone seems difficult to buy in the UK ...... when sold in the UK it merits a metal container and a 3 times price rise, if you can find it. .....

Readily available at Largs Marina in 500 ml plastic bottles for just a few pounds. As a small child I liked the smell of the stuff and decided to have a sniff of Mum's nail varnish remover. I knocked the bottle over it stripped the varnish / lacquer from Mum's dressing table. I got a thrashing for that!

A bit of info on oily rags and combustion as its been mentioned in relation to Acetone on rags. The quote below is from an American HSE site for commercial enterprises:

SAFE STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF OIL OR SOLVENT-SOAKED RAGS

Oil and solvent-soaked rags must be stored and disposed of properly to prevent combustion fires. It is important to maintain proper fire extinguishing equipment and smoke detectors in all areas where flammable and combustible materials are being used and stored.

Oil-soaked rags are a spontaneous combustion hazard because as the oil oxidizes, heat is released. If the heat is not dissipated, it can build up and ignite the rags. Special oily-waste cans should be used to store oil-soaked rags. These containers allow air to flow around the rags, thus dissipating the heat. The waste cans should not have plastic liners and they should be emptied daily.

Solvent-soaked rags are not a spontaneous combustion hazard but may be a fire hazard, since many solvents are flammable. In addition, the solvents can evaporate creating a health hazard. Solvent-soaked rags should be placed in closed containers to reduce evaporation and minimize the chance of someone tossing a lit cigarette onto the rags and causing a fire. The container should be emptied daily and the solvent should be allowed to evaporate outside.

 

[mdonnelly]

From a practical point of view how do you use it? Marigolds and a cloth soaked with acetone and applied to stain? In my case it's oil on top deck. Once stain is removed do you need to wash the area with something else?

 

[TimBennet]

The 'spontaneous combustion' boatyard myth with acetone originate from the many fires that have occurred in laminating shops. It's when an acetone soaked cloth has been used to either clean up catalysed polyester or mixed epoxy. If it's then commonly scrunched up and discarded, the resin exotherms, the heat is concentrated and confined by the layers of cloth and the acetone, which is nice and volatile and inflammable, can catch fire.

All acetone and messy resin contaminated rags should be opened out and allowed to 'go hard' somewhere safe before being binned.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

The 'spontaneous combustion' boatyard myth with acetone originate from the many fires that have occurred in laminating shops. It's when an acetone soaked cloth has been used to either clean up catalysed polyester or mixed epoxy. If it's then commonly scrunched up and discarded, the resin exotherms, the heat is concentrated and confined by the layers of cloth and the acetone, which is nice and volatile and inflammable, can catch fire.

All acetone and messy resin contaminated rags should be opened out and allowed to 'go hard' somewhere safe before being binned.

Thanks for the explanation. Of course it makes sense but not one which would automatically come to mind, at least in my case.

 

[catmandoo]

I have used it a lot on grp, where it has no obvious effect on the material itself but is superb at removing unwanted paint and dirt. It evaporates extremely fast, so there is little risk of any remaining on rags or cloths. It has a devastating effect on some plastics, especially slide rules! In the days when we used them in the lab this was a regular cause of needing a new one.

I think it is also carcinogenic

 

[misterg]

...if it were positively dangerous it would not be legal to sell it as nail varnish remover.

Nail varnish remover isn't neat acetone. It's likely to contain water and some sort of moisturiser to limit the amount of fat stripped from skin around the nails. It may well contain ethyl acetate instead of acetone in any case. (All of which limits its usefulness for cleaning anything other than nail polish).

Beware using on perspex, Due to the evaporation the rapid cooling will craze the plastic, been there done that when removing excess sealent ! !

Nothing to do with temperature change - it's a chemical reaction with the acrylic. Even the vapour can cause damage, and it may take some time to appear.

I think it is also carcinogenic

No. See any current MSDS, for exmple:

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1533843.pdf

It strips the fat from your skin which can cause other problems, makes your eyes sting & the vapour makes you dizzy.

It's good at dissolving stuff, though.

Andy

 

[Gypsyjoss]

Lemon Juice is better

Just thought I'd mention that my French friend has now discovered that lemon juice (the bottled stuff) is even better than Acetone for cleaning his topsides!
Pete

 

[DownWest]

I think you will find the self combusting bit is about vegetable oils, like linseed. Common cause of fires in musical instrument workshops.
When painting aircraft, we were very carefull to mask off the perspex windows with polythene, paper would allow the solvent vapours to hang around long enough to cause crazing. Not right then, but it might show up weeks later or longer. Any crazing in the line of the pilots sight meant replacement, not cheap.

 

[vyv_cox]

I think it is also carcinogenic

Checking its MSDS has already been mentioned as the ultimate source of this information.however, it is a fact nowadays that nothing that is carcinogenic is available to the public, or even specialists. When i began work I used to carry out bitumen acid values after dissolving the bitumen in benzene. This was freely available, bought in 2.5 litre Winchesters. Since the knowledge that it is carcinogenic it is unobtainable, even to laboratories, without very special permissions and precautions.

On a more general level, coal tar epoxy is no longer available for the same reason. We are extremely well protected from this type of hazard.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Not very kind to skin and tends to melt thin rubber gloves, so Marigolds are the way to go.

But not the thin latex ones.

 

[Sequoiah1]

Cant agree with that . Dust from tropical hardwoods such as teak, iroko and mahogany is carcinogenic and I would bet the same goes for MDF dust so incorrect to say 'that nothing that is carcinogenic is available to the public, or even specialists.' West System for years denied there was any any risk of de sensitising your skin from epoxy but
that aint true either.

 

[vyv_cox]

Cant agree with that . Dust from tropical hardwoods such as teak, iroko and mahogany is carcinogenic and I would bet the same goes for MDF dust so incorrect to say 'that nothing that is carcinogenic is available to the public, or even specialists.' West System for years denied there was any any risk of de sensitising your skin from epoxy but
that aint true either.

Dust is a completely different issue. Even the flour used for making bread is hazardous when breathed into the lungs. You can eat as much hardwood as you like and it won't give you cancer.

 

[tcm]

You can eat as much hardwood as you like and it won't give you cancer.

Agreed. That’s why they call it sTEAK, and fast-food outlets sell other hardwood foodstuffs eg double DECKer burgers, cheeseboards, chopsticks etc, all completely edible. Not just hardwood but other building materials, hence ice cream and sausages from Walls, frinstance. There’s hardwood chocs on another thread mmm

 

[pappaecho]

Acetone is used to raise the nap on GRP prior to applying further resin for reinforcing /repair purposes.

Any prolonged exposure will make the gelcoat tacky, which will then attact dust, which rather defeats the object.

I can think of better ways using Farecla or similar, without the side effects

 

[Dabhand]

Years ago when I was involved in the construction of equipment for the testing of high voltage rated capacitors used in underseas telephone cable repeaters, we used Perspex shavings mixed with Acetone to form a paste. This made a really good adhesive to glue Perspex sheets to form an enclosure, melting into the edges almost like a cold weld.