Alcohol vs Alcohol vs Alcohol

i4Marc

i4Marc

Joined
Oct 19, 2011
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I use 90% iso alcohol a lot for cleaning parts before glue up and other tasks. But the 90% stuff is pretty hard to find these days. The 70% stuff is starting to find its way to store shelves.

The question is how do 90% and 70% iso alcohol compare with denatured alcohol from the hardware store for cleaning and the residue left behind after evaporation?

....and how do the alcohols compare with acetone for the same concerns?
 
Acetone leaves behind residue, I've never seen residue left behind by denatured alcohol...

I only use denatured alcohol, but it's really only because I can buy it in big tubs at the hardware store. Isopropyl alcohol is "expensive" by volume in comparison.
 
Acetone has such a high vapor pressure it stinks up the whole house, so I avoid it. As others have said ... denatured alcohol
 
I use the plain denatured alcohol you get by the gallon in the paint section at Home Depot. It works fine and is the proper solvent for uncured epoxy.
 
Hardware stores here Canada I find it hard to find "alcohol", but HD still sells gallon jugs of Methyl Hydrate - it's methanol.

However I find I worry a bit about the inhalation of the methanol.

Everclear from the liquor store is ninety percent ethanol works good, not too expensive, less toxic vs methanol and acetone.
 
Acetone and windex is all I ever use... Works perfect for me!
 
Gflex instructions say to use acetone. Many people contend acetone leaves residue so I have been using acetone than denatured alcohol, overkill I am sure.
 
Acetone alone will never leave a residue unless you dissolve some gunk in it and then the acetone evaporates, leaving the gunk behind as a residue. Acetone is more volatile than alcohol so it tends to evaporate quickly while you're wiping the surface, leaving some of the contaminants behind. It doesn't give you as much time to move all the solvent with dissolved gunk into the towel before evaporating. The solution is to do a rough cleaning with one towel and a second pass with a fresh towel.
 
Just remember denatured alcohol from the hardware store is up to 50% methanol. Not the best stuff to breath in. We used it a lot and then got ahold of the msds and packed it up and put it away. Don’t need to be breathing that shit.
 
12345678910 said:
Hardware stores here Canada I find it hard to find "alcohol", but HD still sells gallon jugs of Methyl Hydrate - it's methanol.

However I find I worry a bit about the inhalation of the methanol.

Everclear from the liquor store is ninety percent ethanol works good, not too expensive, less toxic vs methanol and acetone.
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Yeah - be careful about the methanol, both breathing the vapors and absorption through skin (as others have said) ... definitely not good for your organs.

Ever clear at 90%is an interesting thought and should work. Well, technically it is still toxic, but not nearly as bad as methanol. Besides, if you need it for such, you can use it as hand sanitizer....
 
CallumRD1 said:
Acetone alone will never leave a residue unless you dissolve some gunk in it and then the acetone evaporates, leaving the gunk behind as a residue. Acetone is more volatile than alcohol so it tends to evaporate quickly while you're wiping the surface, leaving some of the contaminants behind. It doesn't give you as much time to move all the solvent with dissolved gunk into the towel before evaporating. The solution is to do a rough cleaning with one towel and a second pass with a fresh towel.
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Yeah I've never found it to leave residue, even even cleaning mirrored blades or glass.
 
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