On Monday, September 2, 2019 at 4:49:25 PM UTC-5, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 2 Sep 2019 14:05:02 -0700 (PDT), AK
wrote:
On Monday, September 2, 2019 at 2:38:12 PM UTC-5, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 2 Sep 2019 11:51:18 -0700 (PDT), AK
wrote:
I use paint thinner and an old tooth brush to clean my bike chain.
Is there anything I can spray on the chain to dissolve the thinner
or do I have to manually rub it off with a rag?
I am open to recommendations to anyone who actually uses one of
those chain cleaners.
Paint thinner is a solvent (mineral spirits) and is rather slow
to evaporate.
Solvent Evaporation Rate Strength
(Minutes) (KB Value)
Denatured 91% Alcohol 3 Limited Solvency
VM & P Naphtha 4 38
Lacquer Thinner 2 100
Paint Thinner
or Mineral Spirits 60 35
Toluene 3.5 105
Xylene 12 98
Acetone 1 Infinite
MEK 2 Infinite
Turpentine 40 55
Kerosene 325 30
Some of the above are banned in the People's Republic of California by
the VoC Ban. If you want a fast clean, with low residue, methinks
acetone would be the best bet. Mixing it with paint thinner isn't
going to do anything useful. When the acetone evaporates, what's left
is the paint thinner, which will then slowly evaporate.
You might also want to try lacquer thinner. However, the modern stuff
is a mix of other solvents, which can vary:
https://ecolink.com/info/differences-between-lacquer-thinner-11-lacquer-thinner-48-and-lacquer-thinner-51/
Both acetone and lacquer thinner will attack plastics, rubber, and
some paints. If the area where you're working has any of these, don't
use these solvents. 91% IPA alcohol is evaporates quickly and is
probably good enough.
While you're at it:
1. Use gloves
2. Read the safety warnings
3. Use a respirator or do your cleaning outdoors.
4. Think about buying a parts washer:
https://www.harborfreight.com/20-gal-parts-washer-with-pump-60769.html
https://blastercorp.com/product/parts-washer-solvent/
You must never have used IPA on grease.
Actually, I have. It works well at dissolving hydrocarbon based
non-polar greases. It's also good for removing silicon grease from
CPU's and heat sinks. Not so good as a pre-wash for removing grease
stains.
It does not dissolve grease, it requires an organic solvent.
Andy
Alcohol is an organic solvent because it contains carbon linked to
hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen (except for carbonates, cyanides,
carbides, etc).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol
...it is used widely as a solvent and as a cleaning
fluid, especially for dissolving oils
isopropyl alcohol vs degreaser
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/isopropyl-alcohol-vs-degreaser/
IPA is a solvent, it dissolves grease (and water, and anything
else) into itself, so you can wipe it away.
Degreaser is a surfactant, so it allows the grease/oil
to form microscopic globules in the water, which you then
wash or wipe away. It’s essentially concentrated soap.
Both will do the same job, but degreaser works better at
stripping large amounts of gunk off drivechains as the
degreaser and oil form an emulsion, which you can then wash
away. If you put IPA in a chain cleaner you’d just be diluting
the oil and it still wouldn’t wash off. IPA works best for
removing small amounts of gunk, or where you don’t want to
leave a trace of soap/water afterwards for example cleaning
calipers and levers after bleeding brakes, or sloshing around
in suspension forks to remove the last traces of the old oil
and any dirt.
By the way, you're welcome.
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
isopropyl alcohol vs degreaser
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/isopropyl-alcohol-vs-degreaser/
IPA is a solvent, it dissolves grease (and water, and anything
else) into itself, so you can wipe it away.
I am a retired chemist with over 35 years of experience.
And I had to dissolve many substances in order to run analyses and clean equipment.
You can say all you want, but IPA NEVER HAS and NEVER WILL dissolve oils and greases.
Andy